The Maddnezz, By Ali Jordana Maltz aka SoulQueen is an Underground Hip Hop Mix I put together, that has music from Pete Rock,Kool G Rap, AZ,Nas, 9th Wonder, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, CL Smooth, J Live, Biggie, Jeru The Damagar, and lots more.. Enjoy.. Ali Jordana Maltz aka SoulQueen Less

The Twomp is back at ya once more with some of the dopest Hip Hop flava west of the Rockies. This radio show/mixtape has got everyone talking from coast to coast. We keep telling people not to sleep on the Emrald City and this version of the Twomp underscores that point. Merc and Hans Sol,o keep the energy level on full tilt. In addition to dropping bombs by groups like Mr DOG, Choklate, Asun and Gabriel Teodros, we also feature interviews with Jace and Blak of Silent Lambs Project by guest host E. Mandisa. Julie C updates us on the case launched by the Seattle police against Seattle Hip Hop pioneer and legend DJ DV One. When you hear the breakdown of this horrific police terrorism incident, you’ll clearly understand the importance of Hip Hoppers organizing and becoming politically active. Anyone can become a victim. Below is the playlist for this weeks show..Holla at your folks in Seatown and let them know how your feeling. The Twomp Vol. II-March 2007 Brought to you by Chillz, Julie C, and Merc Opening Snippet from Kevin Gardner Instrumental 1 by DJ Smallz Dead Prez Spot Legendary-Mr. Dog H.O.R.-Silent Lambs Project Just Hustlin-K Swiss Instrumental 2 by DJ Smallz Gunwise-Silent Lambs Project Another Love Song-T Love and Choklate Bosses Will Be Bosses-Mr D.O.G feat. Yukmouth & Mac Money Instrumental by Phreewil B-Girls-Beyond Reality Do U-Gabriel Teodros feat. Jerm What Can I Say?-Real Talk’s Asun and Diez Don’t Cry-Walt Nut Jace Spot Instrumental by Vitamin D It’s Time-Kevin Gardner This Is Why-D. Black Guitar Instrumental-Julian Pairadice (Full Version)-dRED.i Interview with DV One by Julie C. Interview with Silent Lambs Project (Jace and Blak) by E.Mandisa Less

B-Real and the Visionaries Talks Hip Hop by Davey D We caught up with B-Real of Cypress Hill and all six members of LA’s legendary Visionarie Crew. We talked about anumber of prjects including their new projects. Cypress Hill is working on new material and B-Real is about to do a solo project. He is currently enjoying alot of success with the recent release of Snoop Dogg’s hit song Vato which encourages Black-Brown unity. I saw B Real the other night and said that he was very thankful that Snoop looked out for him and gave him some much needed shine. During our interview B-Real talked about the challenges he and other artists in LA are currently facing. Most notably is the lack of access to the airwaves. In spite of that obstacle, he notes that him and crew will strive on and make noise with their large fan base. The Visionaries talked about how they came up under B-Real. Lead rapper Key Kool noted that he lived around the corner from B-Real in LA’s Southgate area and that his success was abig inspiration for him and the other members. It was a sentiment echoed by group member 2Mex. We went into a deeper discussion about how the group formed and their multi-ethnic make up and how it is an accurate reflection of Los Angeles. We also talked about what their newly released album ‘We Are The Ones (We’ve Been Waiting For)’. Here’s more info on the visonaries The Visionaries are back with their fourth album, “We Are The Ones (We’ve Been Waiting For),” coming October 3rd on Up Above Records. “We Are The Ones (We’ve Been Waiting For)” follows the runaway acclaim of their last full-length release, 2004’s “Pangaea” (Up Above), which found the group soaring to new heights in both sound and scope. “The album is a stellar musical effort,” praised Mean Street, “the Visionaries have not only shattered the rules of hip-hop, they’ve redefined them.” URB’s album review stated, with a “4 out of 5” star rating; “merely damn-good tracks are the exception, with f*cking great being the norm.” Skinnie Magazine wrote “their love of music has become more than a youthful passion; it has become their breath and life. The quality of their next release comes from knowing that someone’s life will be affected by the message they convey.” Deemed as a “group of the people, for the people,” the Visionaries have propelled themselves onto the vanguard of hip-hop’s life-affirming countermovement. With a sharpened focus and revitalized approach, this L.A. based group now brings forth their most potent work to date on “We Are The Ones (We’ve Been waiting For).” The album captures the Visionaries in a writing frenzy, tackling a wide range of topics with absolute fervor. Coming from diverse backgrounds and different walks of life, each crew member openly flexes their growth on the upcoming release, blurring brutally-honest reflections, confessional narratives, and self discoveries into a very powerful and personal record. The Visionaries have been on the grind for over a decade now, and “We Are The Ones (We’ve Been Waiting For)” is just another milestone from the multifaceted unit. Amongst the group’s six members (LMNO, 2Mex, Lord Zen, Dannu, KeyKool, & DJ Rhettmatic), they’ve released over twenty solo and side projects, including three full-length albums as a group on Up Above Records, “Galleries” (1997), “Sophomore Jinx” (2001), and “Pangaea” (2004). They have collaborated with some of the finest talents in hip-hop, and blessed stages alongside a long list of luminaries including: Linkin Park, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Dilated Peoples, De La Soul, Blackalicious, and Jurassic 5. 2006 is poised to be a huge year for the group, as they take their explosive live show on the road, with tours planned throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Pushing forward independently and spreading universal love through art, the Visionaries are breaking down barriers with their own brand of message music. The group was acknowledged for their positive impact and contribution to hip-hop in 2005, as they were formally inducted into the Universal Zulu Nation. Their music was also recently featured on the MTV feature film “Volcano High,” the Warner Brothers’ box-office hit “Oceans Twelve,” and one of Midway’s best-selling video games of 2005 “NFL Blitz.” The Visionaries have done it all, and they’re just getting started. Less

Episode 90 Its so Hot this Summer! We kicked back this weekend for my Birthday with a few friends and family and had a good time. We also have the master CD Cover designer MEF of Bulletproof graphics with us all the way from Australia. Look out for that exclusive interview coming soon Danger Vision the Hip Hop Music Video show Airs Thursday’s at 6PM on Channel 57 also online at www.mnn.org same time New Music Videos this week from Young Joc, Kanye West, Arliss Michaels, & Tommy Danger Less

A Few Things to Ponder: Dilated Peoples Is Back Again in a Major Way By Davey D One of my favorite Hip Hop groups is Dilated Peoples. I like them not because they consistently produce dope beats and flip nice rhymes. It’s not because they consistently kick flows that have substance. That should be expected for a group of their caliber. What stands out most about Dilated is the passion they have for Hip Hop and the respect and love the group members Raaka, Evidence and DJ Babu have for each other. In a day and time where so many are simply out for self and making money at all costs is the order of the day, Dilated is a breath of fresh air, because they come to the table with along term vision and commitment that looks beyond the immediate trimmings that the fickle music industry offers up. We sat down with this LA based group in their studio who have been around putting out records since the early 90s to find out what makes them tick and why they are ‘Back Again’.We kicked our first question to Evidence who started out being the group’s main producer but has proven over the years to be one of Hip Hop’s better emcees, and asked him about the origin of their name-‘Dilated Peoples’. Although I’ve known the guys since their early days and have interviewed them at least a dozen times, I’ve never asked them about the name. Laughing, Evidence noted that he answered this question a million times, and my query was gonna make it a million and one. He explained that in the beginning him and Raaka were looking for names and debated using the name that Raaka had for his publishing company ‘Expanding Pupils’. The pair thought that it might be a bit heady for fans and went back to the drawing board. Longtime friend and fellow producer The Alchemist suggested with the name Dilated Peoples citing that it was a clever twist on the ‘heady’ name they were considering. The rest they say is history. We then turned our attention to DJ Babu who is also a member of the World Famous Beat Junkies. Raaka and Evidence refused to do our interview unless Babu was present. Their policy is all three members must be there. It ‘s this sort of commitment that was appreciated by Babu who talked about the evolving role of the Hip Hop DJ, who more often then not has been relegated to playing the background. He said that one of the reason’s he hooked up with Dilated is because they are down for the culture and all its facets, not just the rapping aspect. He says that all of them are B-Boys at the end of the day. He went on to add that as a DJ he has stepped it up and gone on to develop his craft and skill set so it goes beyond just doing tracks and participating in battles. He has become a master of all aspects of deejaying… Babu also talked about the recent move among a lot of deejays to embrace computer programs like Serrato and abandon vinyl. He says while he too uses Serrato it’s basically something that should be embraced after one masters the basics and graduates to that level. He will always be a vinyl junkie. We spoke with Raaka who talked about the origins of his name Raaka Iriscience. He explained that his government name is Raaka and that the tag Iriscience was a hold over from his graffiti days. He also talked about his approach to emceeing and says that while it’s important to say meaningful stuff it’s just as important to make sure whatever they are producing is funky. Making music you can bob your head to is critical in order to connect with the people. He went on to add that their new album is like an alarm clock where they are attempting to bring clarity. Raaka and Evidence spoke passionately about how the go about working together as emcees. Raaka talked about the fact that while Evidence has made his mark as a stellar producer, it was important that the pair respect each other and be on par as emcees. He talked about the fact that over the years Evidence has kicked some of the groups dopest lines, including the verse in their new song ‘Back Again’ that playfully takes a stab at P-Diddy’s rhyme claim where he bragged that he ‘doesn’t write rhymes he write checks’. Evidence flips it and says he doesn’t write checks he writes rhymes, thus reminding people the group’s commitment to the artistic aspect Hip Hop culture. We spoke with Raaka and Ev about their love for martial arts. Raaka has been along time student of the Gracie Family and their school of Jujitsu. Evidence has also hooked up and has been training for a while. Raaka noted the long time connection Hip Hop has had with martial arts and that the discipline that training brings has translated in a positive way to the way they go about doing music. It keeps them focus and allows them grace under fire. We talked with group about the dance they’ve done over the years between flirting with the mainstream while maintaining their underground following. Raaka talked about the various ways the group is perceived. He noted that in some circles people think they are a brand new group because of the song (‘This Way’) and tour they did with Kanye West. He noted their hooking up with Kanye opened up a whole new fan base. In other circles, the group is considered ‘old school’ because they been recording since ’93. Still others know the group from touring and collaborating with Linkin Park, hence they are seen as a skater/rock oriented group. Because of their connection with Bay Area acts like Heiro and the fact that they toured with Blackalicious, many thought Dilated was a Bay Area act. Raaka explained that these diverse perceptions has worked to their advantage in terms of garnering fans. However, the truth of the matter is that Dilated People’s has never changed up on their approach to doing music. They’ve remained consistent throughout the years. As we concluded our interview we spoke with the group about battling and how they would go about winning in a set of fantasy match ups. We asked Raaka how they would go up against a group like Mobb Deep. His answer caught the Alchemist’s attention who asleep in the studio when we did the interview. Evidence had an interesting strategy in terms of how one would have to approach Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella click if they had to battle. He talked about how he would go about playing Michael Jordan in basketball and said a similar stratgey would have to be used against Jay-Z DJ Babu broke down the ways he would have to approach battling his fellow Beat Junkies. Babu broke down the science and also spoke about how he actually did take out one of crew memebers in an atual competition. he offered up keen advice as to how one would have to go about taking out the Funky president J-Rock You will have to peep the interview to hear the full details to their insightful answers… Less

IDM,Glitch,Hip Hop Flavoring for your porridge. 1. Labwaste, “Dope Beat(Or Something)” 2. Velapene Screen, “Even Bad Is Good” 3. Shadow Huntaz, “Deander” 4. Alarm Will Sound, “Cock Ver 10” 5. Jern Eye, “Combat” 6. RayReadyRay,a href="mailto:rayreadyray@gmail.com?subject=RayReadyRay" CLICK For Email “Curious Computer Party” Less

Underheard Hip Hop, Glitch, IDM, Experimental dopeness… Check out show blogs at: Voltron Clan Blog 1. DNAE feat. Subtitle, “Go Fourth and Thrash” 2. Two Playa Game, “First_Strike_Weapon” 3. Angelo Dei Morte, “The Moonan Prints” 4. Megabusive, “Booze and Shoes” 5. Uglie, “GDM” 6. Bizzart, “Nivek (Outputmessage Remix)” Less

A mix of Hip Hop, IDM , Glitch, and Experimental to get your synapses flashing. Check out show blogs at: Voltron Clan Blog 1. NEILA, “Garbage Bag” 2. Ruski,“Toneburst” 3. Edit, “Screening Phone Calls” 4. Tha Blue Herb, “Rap Wars” 5. Adlib, “Hecklers and Slaves” 6. Brad B Feat AWOL and DIE “Stand Still” Less