Going Through Hamilton’s Catalogue
Did you have the chance to go through the six mixtapes Charles Hamilton dropped on July 4? Didn’t think so. It’s hard enough keeping up with the new songs dropping everyday, let alone 6 tapes worth of music. It also didn’t help that many of the links died just a day after being posted.
Even after a 2009 filled with embarrassment, I still see a lot potential in Charles if he can get a vet to take him under his wing. A lot of his material just needs the polishing of a solid executive producer (ie get him to stop trying to sing). In the meantime, these are three of the good tracks off the incompleted mixtape The L Word Too (INcomplete) and Atlantis.
Now that he’s completed his mental hospital stay from last month, we’ll see if Hamilton can focus his talents on music and not videos that further entrench him in Hip-Hop viral infamy.
Charles Hamilton “Shine”
“Rhythmic”
“Deja Vu”
Punchline and Fokis
Punchline shot me this joint on Twitter a few days ago. The eMC member holds the distinction of being the first emcee I interviewed back in 2008. Since then, he’s been working regularly with fellow Lower East Side rapper Fokis. Last year, the duo released a free EP titled The Appetizer. In 2010, they’re bringing more heat with this new track “Time for Change.” No word yet on if we have a new album on the way.
The Niceguys
Outside of the Roots and Stetsasonic, black bands have struggled for visibility and acceptance in Hip-Hop. The newest group to take a stab at it is the Niceguys, composed of a rapper (Yves), DJ (Candlestick), and two producers (Free and Christolph). Their new single “Mr. Perfect” taps into that frustration with a focus on the difficulties of label politics coupled with the stress of the 9-5 grind.
“The song was inspired by inability to fully please anyone really during this album process,” explained Yves to Beats, Boxing and Mayhem. “I wanted to use the wardrobe to capture the, ‘I just got off of this job I hate and need to let off some steam’ feel.”
The Houston quartet has already expanded to clothing with their “Nice Look” t-shirt brand available at www.thenicelook.com. The shapely model Maliah Michele has already given them a ringing endorsement.
Their debut album The Show drops on September 28.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 