“Since about 1992 I’ve religiously followed the West Coast Underground. In 1997, living in Bentonville, AR, of all places, and copping 12″ records in Fayetteville and Tulsa, OK, I happened on this label ABB. Many are familiar with this label for their release of Little Brother’s “The Listening” LP. By frequenting Mission Control in Fayetteville, the shop in Tulsa (I forget the name), and bumping Maxmillion mixtapes, I became familiar with some of my West Coast favorites by virtue of their appearances on ABB records: Planet Asia, Defari, Phil Da Agony, Self Scientific, Krondon, Ahmad Jamal, Superstar QuamAllah, and Dilated Peoples.

When I got this beat from Kev Brown and dropped these 8 bar verses on it, the scheme reminded me of “Worst Comes to Worst” by Dilated. I IMMEDIATELY heard Raaka spitting to this.

I reached out, let him hear it, and he was in. I must say, of all the “established” cats I’ve worked with, this is one of the most exceptional performances. This Bro. became a part of this song. I’m both grateful and honored to share this song with both Rakaa and Kev Brown. If you ain’t ready.” -TU

Equally superb in quality and arrangement; this project can be played in its entirety at every listen, and is concise enough to do it twice. All members of the crew shine, with assists from Kenn Starr, Sean Born, DJ Roddy Rod, Hassan Mackey and DJ Marshall Law; Quartermaine and Cy Young with their own interludes. One can only revel in these cuts like “Army Fatigue Rap” and “The Combination.” As each emcee tags in it’s as if one fuels the next; the energy transfer electric. Reaching outside of the crew; Asher Roth and The Kid Daytona appear on “More Gritz,” adding their own seasoning to the pot.

Kaimbr emerges as the consummate storyteller; whether of street instances in “Three Sixty”, real life reflections in “My Apology” or fantasies, like the rap pirate world in “Hook.” Wordplay is his forte, alternating internal and external rhymes that keep your brain dancing through bars, best demonstrated on “Solid” and “Firewater.” As sole producer, Kev Brown manages to flip and bounce familiar samples into fresh sequences while living up to his signature soulful sound. Delightfully, he also shows up lyrically on several tracks, reminding us that the gifted misfit also has skills on the mic.

The Alexander Green Project can come off as a crew album, only that’s not a bad thing. Reminiscent of the Native Tongues, Low Budget reminds us of a time when a true rap crew existed. Not a group, or a super group, but a team of likeminded artists that have fun making music and are painfully good at it. In that spirit, this release is effortlessly kragenoff.

In association with TWV.

Kev Brown (producer for Busta Rhymes, De La Soul) flips familiar soul classics in a unique manner for ‘The Alexander Green Project‘. New video (filmed live at Fat Beats) from said album, courtesy of the Low Budget Crew.

New video from LMNO & Kev Brown off of their collabo album;Selective Hearing Part 2.Production is done exclusively by Kev Brown and the album features guest appearances from:Chali 2na,Declaime, Mr. Brady,Trek Life,Hassaan Mackey,Kenn Starr,Kaimbr and LD.Check it out on iTunes and Amazon.

Here is the tribute mixtape to Cypress Hill from Peter Rosenberg. This mixtape has some interludes and remakes of tracks all in tribute to Cypress Hill. Featured on the mixtape are Jim Jones, Yelawolf, N.O.R.E., Styles P, Asher Roth and more. Check out the track list and download below.

Track List:
1. Peter Rosenberg Intro
2. When The Shit Goes Down
3. How I Could Just Kill A Man – Styles P & Sheek Louch of the LOX
4. Ain’t Goin Out Like That – Yelawolf
5. Cock The Hammer
6. Hand On The Pump Live In Amsterdam
7. Hand On The Pump 2010 – Noreaga feat. Imam Thug
8. Hand On The Glock
9. It Ain’t Nothin (Oddisee Remix)
10. Hits From The Bong
11. Hits From Barry Bong (Produced by Oddisee) – STS
12. I Wanna Get High Live In Amsterdam
13. I Wanna Get High 2010 – Jim Jones feat. Sen City
14. Smokin With The Capo – Peter Rosenberg & Jim Jones
15. Stoned Is Way Of The Roth – Asher Roth
16. Illusions Interlude – Sean Born
17. Illusions (RMX)
18. Armada Latina Remix (Prod. By Kev Brown)
19. Boom Biddy Bye Bye
20. Pigs – Homeboy Sandman
21. Killa Hill Niggas –
22. 22 Throw Your Hands In The Air – Cypress Hill feat. Erick Sermon, Redman & MC Eiht
23. Dr. GreenThumb
24. Light It Up
25. Insane In The Brain Live In Amsterdam

Peter Rosenberg + Cypress Hill – “The Uprising Mixtape” (Mixtape)

    So Kev Brown is a producer right? Wrong. Kev Brown is a little more than just a producer and on I Do What I Do, the producer showcases his mic skills. With his signature basslines in tow, Brown does an exemplary job. With the gritty “Work In Progress” (which was recorded on a hand held mic ran through a SP505 drum machine, for all you studio heads) Brown shows that his music is honest in approach. Kev Brown isn’t the most exciting and animated emcee on the mic, but he does his thing. When he links up with Phonte and another producer that heads didn’t know that rapped, Oddisee, on “Beats N’ Rhymes” the results are satisfying. Oddisee churns out a really solid verse and alludes to the fact that his next project should be one to check for. The soulful “Albany” is probably the albums best track with its soulful edge and moving horns. Funny thing is, Kev ain’t even from Albany (he’s from Maryland) and the track is about a girl of which he misses.  “Hennessey Pt 2″ proves that Brown can contribute a dope R&B track with its ridiculously smooth vibe vocals from Chronkite, Eric Roberson and Wayna.

    Some may complain that there are too many guests and they may be right, but for the sake of argument those many guests get the job done and accommodate the tracks appropriately. Grap Luva sounds off on the groovy “Outside Looking In” and Cy Young joins Kev to torment “Keep On”. Although one can complain that the subject matter is a bit on the thin side, the fact is that Kev Brown told everyone at the beginning of the album that he isn’t trying to change the game. Kev Brown is just trying to add his two cents in.

    I Do What I Do plays like a Winky Wright fight- at times a bit dull and redundant yet technically sound and only gets stronger as the album goes on. There’s really no KO power in the music, but over the course of 12 rounds or 13 tracks (w/ 2 bonus cuts) it holds its value. For those looking for the next song to make you jump out your seats and break something, look elsewhere. But for those who have appreciated Kev Brown this far, you’ve found your crown jewel.

    While the remix is certainly not a new medium, 9th Wonder’s renovation of Nas’ God’s Son (God’s Stepson) not only opened the floodgates; Soul Supreme followed that up with his rendition of Stillmatic and MF Doom took a hodge podge of his older instrumentals and wrapped them around Nas’ Nastradamus; it ushered in hip-hop’s latest trend. 

    The latest to undergo the remix treatment is Jay-Z, who unlike Nas, had to foresee the slew of remix projects that would inevitably crop up in the wake of making an accapella version of The Black Album available.  The one anomaly here is that ever since Nas dropped his debut opus, Illmatic, he has been harshly criticized for following them up with under-produced LP’s.  That cannot be said of Jay-Z, who minus a few hiccups over the course of his career has managed to align himself with a who’s who list of producers with The Neptunes, Just Blaze, Timbaland, and Kanye West (some of whom he gave their first real break).

     Beating everyone but DJ Lt. Dan to the remix punch in 2003 was Kev Brown’s The Brown Album.  And though Kev held true to the formula by hand-picking selected tracks to remake, the nostalgic feel of 9th Wonder and Soul Supreme’s endeavors are replaced by a studio polished sound that its predecessors choose to eschew.  Being a former member of DJ Jazzy Jeff’s A Touch Of Jazz production squad, the organic, nuevo soul sound that the crew had become synonymous for is etched all over The Brown Album; the smooth snare claps and vocal “ooh’s and ahh’s” of “Threat” and the crisp hi-hats and slowly eloping guitar licks from “Moment Of Clarity” both create a quiet storm that accentuates two of Jay’s lyrical standouts.  And while the down-tempo strains of “Lucifer” and “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” lack energy, the dramatic harpsichord sweeps and Marshall Law’s DJ Premier-esque cutting add a welcome element to “December 4th”.

     Kno (Of Cunninlynguists)’s The White Albulum is the most expansive, as he covers The Black Album in its entirety and it’s possibly the best of the bunch.  Though Kno’s drums are slim at times and he adds an all too familiar element to “December 4th” and “Moment Of Clarity” by freaking the same sped-up voice samples that Just Blaze and Kanye West already liberally employ, Kno has a great ear for melody and arranging as he transforms DJ Quik’s feeble “Justify My Thug” into a neck-nodding exercise, recasts “Allure” with shimmering urgent strings and adds breezy horns to “Change Clothes” and Kno even melds Pharrell’s voice with the same key as the sample.  And while the dramatic feel of “What More Can I Say” is refurbished with a minimal string arrangement that fails to move, “99 Problems” captures the same old-school energy and enthusiasm the original exuded and the female vocal sample included on “Lucifer” is ever so fresh. 

     The Black Jays (Kardinal + Solitair) attempt at lending their resonance, The Black Jay’s Album, to Jigga’s already enticing lyrics quickly becomes a mismatch.  Not only does the duo bring nothing new to the table, but they actually make Jay-Z sound like he is a mediocre emcee (which is quite an accomplishment).  The plodding “December 4th” has zero soul, “Moment Of Clarity” comes off as utterly lifeless and “Threat” is stripped off any redeeming qualities.  The only saving grace from the Black Jays is their reggae tinged adaptation of “Lucifer.”

     It should go without saying that the producers here are very familiar with the fact that these remix endeavors draw allot of attention, so while each is successful in their own way at affixing their own unique stamp onto Jay-Z’s supposed farewell, there’s also little debating that the rash amount of remixes have now milked a once intriguing concept completely dry.  Yet, as long as labels make accapella LP’s available, producers are going to twist them.  The only question right now is who’s next on the menu (Ghostface Killah, Kanye West) to be remixed in the immediate future?

?