Month: October 2010

Global rating of the product: 4.5 stars

D12 fans have been waiting to enjoy Kuniva’s solo work…the amazing D12 artist is giving you all the wonderful occasion to enjoy his incredible skills as a solo artist.
After a short intro, Coming Home is mixing some cool, funky and soul vibes with Kuniva’s ill, devastating, stormy rhymes…how could one stay insensitive to this song? I truly loved it and I highly recommend it.
Another interesting Ghostface/ Royce da 5.9 collaboration is the song Nutmeg that fully enlightens the artists’ lyrical skills and flow. The melody is enhanced with some soft saxophone notes. Kuniva is truly killing it.
Like a menacing whirlwind, words are spit in every direction on a rapid, rhythmic melody. Over Da Hood symbolizes all the Detroit ghetto is about.
Musical contrasts, slow and rapid flute notes alltogether that are mixed up with keyboard sounds will create a surprising effect in That Shizzle. The hammering piano and the incisive electronic sounds generate insecurity around the listener while Kuniva is chanting in the background. You will truly like the innovative musical techniques.
Straight Outta…is embued with the cold minded, tough Detroit spirit. Rhythmic as well, it includes some very valuable Skrilla Gorillas collaborations. Ready to get shot by their lyrical bullets? Face their talent and…your demise.
Among the songs I really liked, I highly recommend Chalkit How I Talkit. Offensive on purpose, the song makes Kuniva’s talent shine.
Gun Shot is beautifully managed with its hot, cadenced beats, its great variety of instrumentals. Cold steel lyrics, verbal venom spit directly from a hip hop mastermind…this is how Detroit boys do it! The Midwest is present in each of the song’s dimension. Detroit hip hop lovers will be delighted!
Lose Ya Life will ridicule any enemies. Verbal mastery is so dope here. You gotta give this song a listen.
Love Dat Lifestyle astutely combines bells, violins, keyboards and Kuniva’s murdering punchlines.
If you ever doubted what D12 artists can do individually, I’d highly advice you to give Midwest Marauders a deep listen. I bet you will change your mind quite instantly.
Listen to the mixtape here.
Copyright by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

D12 World informs us that Kuniva has a new mixtape out…it is called Midwest Marauders. I’ll do my best to keep you updated with the music:)

So happy 38th birthday, Eminem:)
Thanks for the music!

After watching one of Eminem’s latest videos, Love The Way You Lie featuring Rihanna, one would be tempted to answer with a firm “yes”.
A lot of journalists have spilled a lot of ink about the prolific and controversial artist, some with insight, some others showing their plain ignorance of the subject.
Back in the days, Eminem used to say, in a very provocative way: ” I don’t promote violence, I just encourage it.” In fact, it is not the first time that the painful thread of domestic violence appears in Eminem’s music. It goes back to the ‘ 97 Bonnie and Clyde song, taken out of the Slim Shady LP, in which Eminem even involved his little daughter Hailie Jade, 2 and a half years old at the time, making a somber accomplice of her in the dark fictional murder of Kim.
Again, the Kim song from the Marshall Mathers LP depicts violence and murder against Kim.
Then again you see Eminem in Love The Way You Lie acting as a violent man, being involved in rough domestic disputes.
One could easily jump to the conclusion that Marshall Mathers is a violent man in real life and that he probably beat his ex wife up all the time.
However, the attentive listener needs to take some distance from Eminem as an artist. His texts need to be analyzed within the specific biographical context of his, in which he struggled to get his girlfriend back and wrote her a very strange ” love letter”, using shock value and violence for Kim to take his pain into account.
I admit that this is not a very conventional way to express love, but whatever…Eminem is a complex artist and he would ridicule anybody who would be tempted to take his music too literally. In addition, Debbie Mathers, his own mom ( despite all the arguments that ever opposed both parts) testified publicly that her son never ever” laid a finger on Kim”.
The reason why the video Love The Way You Lie exists is to raise people’s consciences, especially women, for them to understand that domestic violence is never the answer. No matter your background, age and how much you pretend to love somebody, if a man starts beating you up, leave him straight away. He’ll never change.
Copyright by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG PROOF!
Four years ago, I’ve been granted the chance to interview Big Proof.
This interview has never ever been published…it has been done through Rude of IF just a few months before Big Proof died…Attention, please! This is from January 2006. Love you, Big Proof:)))

Proof interview Q & A’s
Deshaun Holton aka Proof aka Derty Harry, thanks for accepting this interview.
1. Many people know you as the D12 member, but less people know you as a solo artist. Is that the main reason that motivated you to create Iron First?
Yeah, it seems that the people forget the origin of D-12. All solo artist an who ever gets on comes back for the rest
2. What is the main difference between the D12 artist and the solo artist you actually are?
Basically too different perspective to speak from..
3. In your Searching For Jerry Garcia album -tight album, by the way- suicide seems to be a recurrent theme…can you tell us a little bit more about your fascination with suicide and about « Club ‘27 »?
It’s a metaphor, the death of Derty Harry, a cocoon state, its a new beginning… Club 27 is some spooky shit to me, a lot of incredible artists…
4. Besides your love for your hometown that is present in your Cds and mixtapes, what or who is your main source of inspiration?
Man life is the greatest inspiration, hands down.
5. D12 and Proof fans are familiar with your E.S.H.A.M track and have followed your beef with local rapper Esham. On your Grown Man Shit mixtape, you apologize to him. I have heard that both of you have reconciled in Detroit at your birthday party. Do you have some collaborations with Esham included in your future projects?
Yeah, me and Esham gonna do some work very soon.
6. I Miss The Hip Hop Shop that beautiful mixtape of yours recalls the days of the Hip Hop shop in Detroit. Back in the days, what do you miss most about the early stages of Detroit hip hop?
Wow! That’s an ill question … I miss the innocence, the vibe and the adventure.
7. What is the most difficult challenge you had to face in your whole career?
Separating the streets from the industry….
8. Besides D12, you have many collaborations with local artists at your active. Which Detroit artist (s) has (have) recently attracted your attention because of his (their) talent ?
Supa Mc, Woofpac, an J Hill. They all are very talented, an ,of course, Purple Gang.
Who are you keen on collaborating (whether on the local scene or on a national scale) with in a near future?
Mike from Alien Ant Farm, he’s a cool cat.
10. What kind of projects will you be working on after « Searching For Jerry Garcia »?
Hand to hand mix cd due out march 7th … P.G. album, Woofpac, Supa M.C. then Club 27, we just started on the 3rd D-12 album …. so be on the look out we coming full steam ahead.
Copyright2006 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved