Hip Hop

You just discovered Adam JSolo’s life story. Discover the man and artist in his own words. For more info about Adam JSolo, go to Adam’s facebook.

1. What motivated you at first to become an artist?

-I was 15 my friend Geoff and I were in my computer room and we decided to write a rap song, and I promised him that I would never give up on becoming an artist, He was my best friend and when I told him I meant something he knew I was really serious about it

2. How did you come up with your nickname?

-I liked how Tupac used his real name, So I would use mine, Adam Jacob or Adam J Solo

3. Which is your biggest ( musical) source of inspiration?

-My biggest source of influence would have to be, The Beatles and Tupac 2 of my favorite artists/bands ever

4. Old school or new school hip hop?

-Good question. I prefer anything that is somewhat truth or fun to listen to so a little bit of both is a good dose for me, tho I can not really listen to that stuff that just doesn’t make any sense unless I like the beat and tune out the stupidity

5. Define yourself as an artist within a few words?

-A Clean Up Artist, because I believe that if given the chance I can really clean up the game,the world and overall bring something clean,fun and exciting to the table

6. According to you, what makes you stand out of the crowd?

-The fact that I am not in this to be a rapper or an entertainer. I am in it because I feel that its time for a good role model with some words that people all over can relate to.

7. For how long have you been rapping now? What are your biggest achievements as an artist?

-About 7 years, I only count 1 year tho because the last year I have started to try and master my craft and take it seriously. My biggest achievement so far has been to be able to gain the attention of major producers with my story and music, I haven’t gotten the chance to really go out there yet, I have been so busy with bills and life its been kinda hard hoping for a big break soon

8. Which artists have you been collaborating with?

-Hazardas-Donald Bandy from North Carolina, but other than that I am a Solo act, but he is a young 17 year old actor who has been in many tv shows and commercials

9. Besides hip hop, what kind of music do you listen to?
-Believe it or not recently I have really started to listen to classical music, I also like classical rock.

10. What is the message behind your lyrics?

-good question you got me thinking how to best answer this haha umm Its time for us as a culture to rise to the occasion and its been hard for us to, whether it was broken homes, drugs infesting our streets, anger and hate as well, its time to be happy for the things you have and its time to really act better and be more aware of how our actions effect not only us personally but us as a culture.

Copyright© by Isabelle Esling
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Adam JSolo is a hip hop artist.He was born on October the 29th, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

How he got there is a very long story, because he was diagnosed with a major learning disability at a very early age. He was put on heavy medication and the doctors nearly gave up on him. He was singled out and had to go to private schools.

Despite the doctors’ diagnosis that really spoke against Adam’s capabilities, the young boy had an incredible memory:” I was always really intelligent so I was told I would memorize all the numbers on the refrigerator at the age of 2″ (Adam)

Adam’s mom would test altenative medicines and natural treatments for her son in order to improve his health.But in front of Adam’s difficulties, his father deserted his home.

Adam then went to a military school where making friends was a lot easier for him.During his teenage years, Adam got into trouble, getting involved with drugs. His life eventually took a more positive tuen when he met his girlfriend and future wife Gina who allowed him to change the way he envisioned life.Adam experienced the funny side of life with Gina, his best friend and hers fell in love and ended up having a kid. But at the same time, life didn’t spare him: he lost two close friends within six months.Adam eventually chose to become an emcee and to teach people about the power of a positive attitude. His motivation to succeed despite all will bring him further, because as Eminem said it in Lose Yourself before ” you can do anything you set your mind to, man”.

Adam’s story teaches anybody an invaluable life lesson: even if anybody is giving up on you, you gotta find the force and the courage within yourself. If you fight hard enough, you will be exactly where you wanna be.

Copyright© by Isabelle Esling
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Global rating of the product: 4.5 stars

Underground emcee Edga Da Messiah Kayci has been exposed several times on the Eminem blog. The remarkable artist’s clever use of instrumentals, his incredible flow delivery, his dark Ice T alike voice raised a lot of interest from most readers.

Far from being average, Edga’s know how in handling instrumentals will manage to transport the listener into a cosmic dimension in which you will feel the fight between opposed spiritual forces. Edga gives a new definition of contemporary hip hop. The messiah is back. Let’s walk step by step through the tracks of his God Infection’s LP.

The Revolution Has Begun: the violin/ rhythmic drum background is the prelude to a new era introduced by Edga. You gotta love the swinging instrumentals that introduce the changes announced.

Witness The Coming: at the dawn of a new era, follow the Messiah in his crazy, repetitive rhythm on which his flow spreads like an unexpected whirlwind. Get metaphysical, elevate yourself, touch the sky with the emcee.
Edga’s force also lies in his avant-gardist use of the instrumentals in which he dares to combine strange sounds to dope beats.

Who Can? Who can fuck with the man who brings you back to the genesis of rap music, recalling its elements, spreading words like atomic particles, creator of crazy rhythms ex nihilo? Enemies get erased by verbal fluency in no time.

In Where Do We Go, Edga gets even more mystical. In this rhythmic, hammering instrumental transe, Edga seems to travel through time and space in order to rejoin God’s dimension. Edga’s mom passed away while he was working on this CD, which makes the track even more emotional. Instrumentally, the drum-trumpet-keyboard association unleashes the invisible spiritual forces. A son is talking to his deceased mom. Emotional words cross the river of ages and centuries to melt into the universal sea of mankind. Wow…this track is truly elevating!

Conceited Bastard attacks narrow minded people who are all about money and clothes. Let’s get lyrical on a surrealistic musical background. Well done, Edga.

War: like an army of soldiers marching on, the powerful instrumentals that combine keyboards, bass and drum plays symbolize the era of terror and blood. Get caught into Edga’s whirlwind of words in which he warns humanity in a very prophetic sounding voice.

Among other songs I really like, I’d recommend Cold World to all of you.

Globally speaking Edga has done some amazing work on his CD. His well mastered flow, his good sense of rhythm, his creative use of the instrumentals make an outstanding artist of him.

You can cop his CD with no hesitation!

Copyright© by Isabelle Esling
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Thanks to artists like Antoine Moore aka The Message, hip hop can proudly claim that it experiences the dawn of its rebirth. If hip hop was dead, the brilliant underground artist ( who happens to be MC Lyte’s cousin) has found a refreshing way for hip hop to be reborn from its ashes.

A raw sounding voice, some inventive and rhythmic beats, a powerful spirit are the elements of a well made musical recipe…listen to his music and you will taste it with delight. Built Like That is cadenced, explosive like dynamite, fulfilled with astute punchlines. If you’re about good hip hop, you shouldn’t sleep on that track.

In Go To Guys features Eliott Ness The Message sharpens his tongue and flows like crazy. You gotta love the offensive , marching on spirit of the song.

On Your Mark mixes roughness with some soft vocals. The Message composes, operates with precision and his words will hit where it hurts. Again, a nice flow delivery enhances the song.

Get familiar with the business’ numerous intrigues by listening to The Plot. Guitar and light piano notes corroborate with the artist’s intonations to make the listener feel the plot. The song is rhythmic, slightly interrupted with short female voice interventions. The melody has some beautiful blues accents. Loved it!

Note that this excellent artist has two albums in preparation:

“ Against All Oddz” in collaboration with R-texz that is due in Mid 2009, plus “ Cause & The Effect”: The Autobiography Album that will be ready in 2010.

Check The Message here.

Copyright© by Isabelle Esling
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Global rating of the product: 5 stars

Gangsta rap godfather Ice Cube hasn’t lost his edge, unlike many of his peers who started rapping at the same time. Full of justified ghetto rage, Ice Cube introduces you to a grimy and very descriptive song based on hardcore, dark instrumentals. His impressive verbal elasticity, his sharp- edged words allow the talented emcee to go straight to the point.
Gangsta rap’s wildest opponents still don’t get black people’s rage. A person of my entourage once told me that rap music was only noise and shouting to his ears. Yeah, right. Noise and shouting, but good and justified “noise” that carries out the symbolism of black folks’ fight through the centuries. While some people might still ask themselves why black people are so much angry, I’d like to oppose a rhetorical answer: aren’t 400 years of slavery and discrimination in America enough for somebody to feel anger and discomfort? Let me make you feel even more discomfort through my surgical words. Let my pen stab you like the sharpest knife if you’re not willing to hear.

Aren’t they a heavy enough burden for people to stand up against the American government’s everlasting imperialism? (on a sidenote, I salute Iraqi journalist Mr Zaidi for throwing a pair of shoes to Mr Bush- he fully deserved contempt for years of oppression in Iraq).

That’s why Ice Cube shows some gritty teeth towards any kind of governmental abuse. Ice Cube’s powerful and ruthless agression takes some colorful dimension in the first verse. The repetitive, hammering musical background accompanies the listener like a heavy rain cloud, symbol of the upcoming hurricane:

“
I got King Kong in my trunk,
King Kong in my doors
My nuts play ping-pong from the noise;
you can hear me from a block away
Im sitting next to your ass and cant hear what you got to say
My shit is loud, my ears is ringing
My paint job is wet
My chrome is gleaming
I feel like a vet ballin’ on these rookies
An old-school bully, you must have played hooky
I bring it like a bookie,
My aggression is depressing
Don’t give a muthafucka time to learn his lesson
A lunatic, y’all know what I represent
The only rapper that wanna fist-fight the president…”

Picture Ice Cube in LA with his buddys, getting physical against racial discrimination from the police. A war against the bullies has begun. Destruction in on its way, cars are burning.

Ice Cube stays true to himself, to his ghetto roots and to the spirit of his music. Acting like the leader of his folks O’ Shea Jackson has this amazing ability to captivate hardcore, gansgta rap hip hop lovers. You gotta love the hip hop giant’s video. Watch it here.

Copyrightby ©Isabelle Esling
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Hailing from New Jersey, Izzy Meock’s grimy words spread out of his chest like an AK47′s speedy bullets. You can feel the emcee’s angry spirit like a vulcano in constant eruption corroborate with his various instrumental composition. No guns unloaded when Izzy gets bizzy. Let him shout out his sharp words.

Music Makes Me Feel Dirty gets started with some rhythmic female vocals. Izzy will follow, allowing the listener to enjoy his verbal dexterity. His words are enhanced on purpose with loads of filthy details.

Let’s Get It Bumping is a cadenced song in which Izzy Meock hustles and flows with loads of verbal inventivity. Getting dirty in this context requires a lot of creativity and astute team work. The instrumentals add to the crazy atmosphere.

I’m Fresh is introduced by some bells, trumpets and keyboard sounds. He’s dynamic and cocky. The song is filled with a typical Dirty South atmosphere.

I’m Da Bomb: a dark, grimy voice, a confident spirit, some background vocal supporters, here goes Izzy, trying to make his opponents feel dizzy. The emcee is taking over with pride.

Sticky Icky Izzy takes his listeners by surprise with his hurtful and astute punchlines. Be prepared for the lyrical knock out.

Discover more about Izzy Meock here.

Copyright© by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

Global rating of the product: 5 stars

Nasir Jones deliberately chose not to give his CD a precise title. When he first announced his intentions to call it ” Nigger”, the outstanding rap artist was very much conscious of the controversy it would raise all around the world. However- not the N word is the real problem- it is rather the attitude some racists and conceited people still carry towards black people and other ethnic minorities. Prejudice and discrimination are part of black people’s allday life. Sometimes peace can only be gained if you go to war. God’s Son is determined to raise his powerful voice as a prayer and a contribution for a massive change in the United States. Come into his world and understand black people’s fight over the centuries. Let his word penetrate into your mind. Not every truth is easy to swallow. But it has to be said and heard-no matter what. So listen to the rap genius’ words carefully.

One could barely ignore black people’s plight over the centuries, even though some comfortable wealthy Whites would like to do so. Those are the same people who built their wealth on the shameless exploitation of black folks, To them, recalling the scars of slavery and discrimination of any kind will make them feel uncomfortable. Stop with the hypocrisy here: the prophet has spoken and here are his words.

Like an outburst of heavy rain, lyrical and instrumental creativity will pour down the listeners’ ears. Queens Get The Money opens up its curtains on daily ghetto drama that are linked with politics. Slight piano notes will accentuate the overall bad impression. Nas hasn’t lost an ounce of his rhyming fluency despite harsh criticism from his fellow emcees. You are going to love the way he composes his words in which he recalls the Twin Towers collapse. Built on a soulful, yet very dynamic tempo, You Can’t Stop Us enlightens Nas’ sharp lyrical bullets. Loud trumpets introduce Nas’ history lesson. The emcee points an accusatory finger against the white world. The soft chorus contrasts with Nas’ strong words. The atrocity of racial hate crimes is exposed. Never defeated, always consistent in his speech, Nas makes the sword of veracity shine. You can’t stop his folks from moving. Breathe’s jazzy accents will discuss discrimination from the police. Even if some selfish people won’t take it into account, this is actually the way it is.

Make The World Go Round features Chris Brown and The Game. Its syncoped sounds mixed up with female vocals, rhythmic instrumentals unleash incisive, powerful words.

Hero will surprise you with the astute drumbeats/ keyboards combination. An army is marching on, supporting its hero. Get caught into Nas’ verbal typhoon that will erase everything on its route. I was amazed with Nas’ instrumental inventivity and raw verbal energy.

America: with his authentic, grimy and well placed words, the rapping genius raises his voice against America’s fabricated heroes and fake gangstas. Nas will take you back to the slums and make you contemplate the place where he came from. Enjoy his scribble jam and pay attention to his words. Real street talk, from a real emcee. Sly Fox has been written against a corporate American media system that monopolizes all news. Don’t be a sheep and don’t let the system manipulate you. Open your earsand eyes. Don’t believe everything you hear, read and see on the media. Electric guitar accentuates the sensation of discomfortthat is suggested by the song’s melody. Nas also courageously raises his voice to denounce the scandalous exploitation of hip hop culture. It needed to be said. Again, the lyricist’s brilliance needs to be underlined.

NI**ER Heartbeats begin the song that reflects peace after the ouragan. Understand the emcee’s rants.

Untitled: symphonic sounds start the song. Listen to Nas’ variations on the N word. Let him recall black history, express his mistrust about black leaders. Violins, drums and keyboard guide you into a soft musical universe that totally contrasts with Nas’ surgical syllables. In his way of operating, Nas reveals the whole truth about black folks’ lives over the centuries.

Fried Chicken featuring Busta Rhymes is not my cup of tea, though.
Black President, that is built on a Tupac sample, raises some interrogations about Obama’s place in the Presidential race. Is the world ready to welcome him? If so, will he respond to its expectations?
At the time Nas wrote this song, he didn’t know if Obama did actually stand a chance to get elected. The impossible became possible on November the 4th, 2008. Hopefully, America’s first black President won’t disappoint his folks

Since the days of Illmatic, Nas never lost his integrity. Please note that the CD ends up on a very positive note of hope for humanity.

Untitled is a masterpiece, as far as I am concerned.

Copyright© by Isabelle Esling
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