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Endemic – “High Society” (feat. Tragedy Khadafi, Ruste Juxx & Afu-Ra) (Video)

Pizzo — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 07:46:53 +0000

Video taken from Endemic Terminal Illness Part 2 album in stores November 26th.

Afu-Ra – "3-Song EP"

Pizzo — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:59:26 +0000

While Afu-Ra preps his new album Body Of The Life Force Part 2, he throws out this three song free EP of tracks that won’t be included on the album. The new LP includes collabos with M.O.P., Sean Price, Sadat X, Vinnie Paz, Guilty Simpson, Nine, El Da Sensei, C-Rayz Walz, Hannibal Stax, and more.

Tracklist:
1. Big Boyz (produced by Mike Rone)
2. Blackgang (feat. Blackadon, Aqua, Respect, Chief, Blackysteez, Bgk & H.Stax; produced by Chain Soor)
3. I Can Fly (produced by Funky Budda)

Afu-Ra “Body Of The Life Force 2″ 3-Song Pre-EP

Afu-Ra – "Big Boyz" (feat. Vinnie Paz, C-Rayz Walz, Guilty Simpson, Nine, El Da Sensei, Hannibal Stax)

Pizzo — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:17:09 +0000

DJ Premier blog discovered this gem from Afu-Ra’s upcoming Voice Of A Brooklyn Star due in February 2012.

Download

Respect Tha God – "I Rap" (MP3)

Scott MP3 Rowland — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:57:19 +0000

New single from Respect Tha God off his debut album The Life In Times of Russell Ballegenger, which is in stores now. The album features Afu-Ra, Smif-n-Wesson, Fresh Daily, L.I.F.E. Long and more.

Respect Tha God – “I Rap” (MP3)

Afu-Ra – Life Force Radio

Matt Conaway — Tue, 01 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000

Name one up-and-coming emcee, (or, in fact, any established emcee) that does not yearn to hear their voice over the production of DJ Premier. However, for every benefit that comes from working with Primo; his signature drum claps and cut-up voice samples add an instant credibility and curiosity to any project. There are drawbacks as well, as you run the unavoidable risk of being typecast. For verification, just ask Group Home and for that matter Primo’s own omnipresent wingman, Guru, who even after proving time and time again to be one of hip-hop’s most consistent emcees still fights the stigma of merely being Primo’s vocal instrument of choice.
Afu Ra knows a little something about being typecast. After all, Afu’s “Perverted Monk” origins can be tracked back to his work with fellow cerebral scientist Jeru The Damaja, where he soon earned the label of being Jeru’s protege. In search of establishing his own identity, Afu’s underrated, DJ Premier produced debut, Body Of The Life Force, (which included one of 2000′s truest underground gems in “Whirlwind Thru Cities”) helped him break free from comparisons to Jeru, only to be replaced by associations with Primo.

While Primo is once again a significant contributor to the direction of Afu’s sophomore project, Life Force Radio, this time it is almost strictly in a Executive Producer capacity (produces a scant one track). Perhaps, Afu’s quest to prove his naysayer’s wrong is the cause of the decreased workload, but whatever the case maybe, to say that Primo’s “Works of Mart” are missed here would be an understatement. Though Afu proved on his sci-fi debut that he was evolving as an emcee, as the former freestyle whiz kid went toe to toe with M.O.P. (“Warfare”), GZA/Genius (“Bigacts, Littleacts”) and Smif N Wesson (“D&D Soundclash”) for some memorable moments. Perhaps, Afu’s regression as an emcee and Life Force Radio’s inconsistent production can be directly attributed to not working exclusively with Primo, as he and Guru shine on the lone Primo number “Blvd.”, but Afu is outclassed by RZA on the True Master blessed “Dangerous Language” and M.O.P. on “Crossfire”.

While Body Of The Life Force created its own natural vibe, Life Force Radio beats to a more commercial drum. Yet, instead of letting his music crossover naturally again, Afu force-feeds these commercial whims down our throat this go round, as A&R influences are prevalent on flat collaborations with Teena Marie (“Open”) and apparent comeback kid of 2002 Big Daddy Kane on “Stick Up” Even Life Force Radio’s most stellar moments, the frenetic “Hip Hop” gets points subtracted for flipping the same loop to Pete Rock’s “Strange Fruit.”

If Life Force Radio proves anything, it highlights how important the yin-yang relationship between beats and rhymes really is; whether or not it comes with tags or stereotypes. Perhaps, Afu needs to rethink his strategy, as it’s a blessing, not a curse to have talented people in your corner. After all, would you prefer hearing Primo fine-tuning tracks Afu made with other producers, or hear Afu ripping beats exclusively produced by Primo? Seems like a no-brainer huh?

Afu-Ra – Body Of The Life Force

D.T. Swinga — Sat, 01 Jan 2000 07:00:00 +0000

First introduced to the world by Jeru The Damaja, Afu Ra has built a steady fan-base through a consistent string of 12″ singles, despite the major-label woes that delayed the release of his debut album, Body Of The Life Force. Although his former label, Gee Street, folded, Afu has maintained a presence in the underground, and hopes to spread his message even wider with the official release of his album, now through D&D/Koch.

Caught somewhere in between the Gang Starr Foundation and the Wu-Tang Clan, Afu has no problem pulling off a solid release with Body Of The Life Force. While the abundance of singles released from this album does leave us with only half an album’s worth of new material, the time that passed between the release of the singles and the release of the full-length, gives us a retrospective view on many of these already classic joints. Experiencing “Whirlwind Through Cities” and “Defeat” all over again remind us of the quality Afu has put forth over the last few years, and even on the more recent Rastafarian flavors, “D&D Soundclash” (w/ Cocoa Brovaz) and “Equality” (w/ Ky-Man Marley ), his ability to make timeless tracks shines through.

But while this series of several previously released songs may seem like the party is spoiled for longtime followers, the album is actually sewn together very well with DJ Premier’s interludes and skits, adding the same flavor that made every Gang Starr release a classic. Thankfully, most of the new tracks add to the album’s feeling of completion, and the solid guest list of artists who share Afu’s similar ideals keeps the album’s common focus. Early Wu-Tang flavor is captured brilliantly on both “Bigacts Littleacts” (feat. GZA/Genius) and “Mortal Kombat” (feat. Masta Killa), while the classic essence of D&D remains on several album tracks, such as “Monotony”, “Headquarterz” (w/ Krumb Snatcha), and “Warfare” (w/ M.O.P.). Yet Afu does take a few missteps at times. Both “Bring It Right” and “Calienta” seem like Gee Street’s forced crossover tracks that do nothing more than disrupt the album’s continuity. And – while he does drop knowledge in his rhymes, memorable quotes including “Wake up in the morning with the yearning for food” (a conservative flip on Pharaohe Monch’s morning herb habit) or “Leave that Similak alone, breast feed your seeds”, other times, his flexible vocabulary spitting and heavy-handed subject matter can lose the listeners attention.

Nevertheless, while still not as seasoned of an emcee as his forefathers, Guru and Jeru, Afu-Ra certainly knows how to pull off what can be considered classic material, and definitely is rolling with the right crew.

Afu-Ra – D&D Soundclash / Mic Stance – 12Inch

Pizzo — Fri, 01 Jan 1999 07:00:00 +0000

Afu-Ra – Defeat / Mortal Kombat 12Inch

Pizzo — Wed, 01 Jan 1997 07:00:00 +0000

Afu steps up with 12″ number two, in preparation for his Body of The Life Force LP, due out later this year. “Defeat” is pretty simply said Afu bouncing all over the track, as DJ Premier cooks up another batch formulated freshness. “Mortal Kombat” teams up Afu with Masta Killa, on a darker vibe, as the [cont.]

Afu-Ra – Bigacts Littleacts / Bigacts Littleacts (Premier Remix) – 12Inch

Oliver Wang — Wed, 01 Jan 1997 07:00:00 +0000

Afu Ra’s track record on 12″s off his LP has been a little uneven. The first one, with “D&D Soundclash” and “Mic Stance” was blasting like a .44. “Defeat” wasn’t even a .22 – more like a slingshot with a broken rubber band. “Bigacts Littleacts” fits in somewhere halfway. The two sides are split between True Master’s original mix and a new “Bigacts Littleacts (Premier Remix)”. Truth be told, I was never a huge fan of the original version of the song – I’ve heard better tracks from True Master before and this one feels like it just droned on and on without really offering anything to hang your ear on. Even worse, GZA’s cameo lumbered as awkwardly as the beat – all his deep lyrical science was there but Gza sounds like he’s on cold medicine as he falls on and off beat. But you can count on Primo to swing in and retool the whole effort up a notch. Yeah, Prime’s biting his own sh*t – notably D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie” – and you’ve heard the formula a dozen times prior. But does it still knock you out the box, roll you down the street and stuff you in the gutter? Hell yeah. Even better, GZA suddenly sounds tons tighter too as his flow now seems deliberately complex rather than just sloppy. Goes to show you that the right remix can change the whole game on a song.