Directed by Jay Brown. Produced by yU & Slimkat.

Mello Music Group: “Music is an exchange of ideas. This album is something for those exhausted with the shuck and jive of pop culture, who believe in the purification rituals offered by hard snares, funky drum kicks, soul-coughing bass, and deeply rooted vibrations.

Steadfastly infusing their songs with spirituality and positivity, yU and Slimkat are everymen with preternatural talent. Over the years, they’ve tirelessly built a rep in the DMV, collaborating on yU’s The Earn and Before Taxes, which OkayPlayer called “one of the best hip-hop albums released in the last few years.” In 2009, yU released In the Ruff as the philosophical heart of super-group Diamond District, a record hailed by MTV as “arguably the best hip-hop ever released in D.C.”

Slimkat supplies the beats that make the blood rush to your head. Named one of the best producers of 2010 by KevinNottingham.com, he’s dished countless production dimes to the likes of Muhsinah, Eric Roberson, Diamond District, and more.

The People of Today is a seamless and head-spinning record. It’s hard-boiled beats and raps laced with wisdom and virtue. The sort of record that you can sit with today and tomorrow, and any time you need to be reminded that we’re all in this together.”

Words from Jonathan Kim: “DMV representatives, Diamond District, the group consisting of Oddisee, yU and Uptown XO, are preparing to release their March on Washington album on Oct. 14th via Mello Music Group. Today, enjoy the first music video from the album for the song “First Step.” Directed by Jay Brown, the video follows all three members on their individual travels who later come together to form as one. Both the video and song showcase the diversity in styles and approach but with a similar message and outcome, which is characteristic of the group as a whole. “First Step” was produced by Oddisee, who produces the entire upcoming album.”

Diamond District are back with their upcoming October 14th album “March on Washington.” Consisting of Oddisee, yU and Uptown XO, Diamond District first released their critically acclaimed 2009 album “In The Ruff.” After countless solo projects, the group is back a half-decade later to provide ‘wisdom over rhythm’ over neck-snapping drums.

Entirely produced and arranged by Oddisee, all three members are in top form on mic duties, continuing from where they left off while never looking back.

In celebration of the upcoming album and album pre-order, enjoy the first track for the song “First Step” which features all 3 members handling mic duties over an Oddisee produced beat.

Diamond District “March on Washington” Album Tracklisting:

1. March On
2. First Step
3. These Bammas
4. The Backup
5. Working Weekends
6. Purveyors of Truth
7. A Part of It All
8. Way What You Mean
9. Ain’t Over
10. Erything
11. You Had To Be There
12. Lost Cause
13. March Off
14. Bonus Flow (Bonus Track)

**All Tracks Produced & Arranged by Oddisee**

Apollo Brown takes his Thirty Eight instrumentals to an NYC Park for Quelle Chris, Cavalier, Ras Kass, Has-Lo, and yU to cypher to. Join the table as they let loose rhymes over “Cellophane.” Directed by Jay Brown. Produced by Apollo Brown.

The A-side of the next installment in Mello Music Group’s 7” Series comes from Diamond District/1978er producer/emcee yU. The gruff DMV MC is known for philosophical street rap but “Dreams” takes a different route – the result a hauntingly beautiful track likely to end up on repeat.

Enlisting Danedra Rowell on vocals, yU eschews the new age boom-bap that got him noticed for something closer to all of our heartstrings. Featuring no rapped bars, “Dreams” is a bittersweet ballad that is less literal than emotive. It captures that late-night, pensive feeling us music heads are very familiar with. yU is able to craft a sound that is universal and hyper-local, breaking new ground for himself musically. The drums sound like they could be on any Diamond District-related project but the melody and chords don’t sound too far from something that could find its way onto radio.

Peeling back yet another layer of sound from his extensive pallet, yU is proving his versatility as a musician. “Dreams” along with the b-side “Prior Days” officially comes out on limited edition (300 copies only) vinyl 7” this Tuesday – though it is shipping early from Mello Music Group now.

It’s SXSW season and Mello Music Group’s Oddisee, Apollo Brown, Gensu Dean, and yU have teamed up with Muve Music, CricketNation and 2DB to launch their latest exclusive compilation. The new Mello Muve Compilation features exclusive new songs, commentary and classic tracks.

Out Da Box TV is proud to bring you our 1st episode of the year featuring the truly talented DMV Emcee “yU” (of Diamond District). We caught up with yU at a recent NY show show. He took the time to speak on a range of topics relating to his life and music career including how he prefers to approach his music, connecting with his audience, being a parent/artist, working with Oddisee and more. He even spoke a bit on the growing DMV music scene. We had a great pleasure working with such a humble and talented emcee. yU’s new album “The Earn” is now out on Mello Music Group and is also one of our favorite albums of 2011. When it comes to rhymes, flows, subject matter and beats, we believe this brother has the full package. He delivers well in all areas and we wish him the best of success as his career continues to grow. If you got the bread, feel free to go cop his album on itunes. In the meantime, check out this insightful interview with the man himself. Enjoy!

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Today, enjoy the non-album bonus cut from yU “Can’t Hide” (ft. EyeQ) produced by Slimkat78. Slimkat78′s production features vocal sample and chopped up horns while yU and guest MC, EyeQ, trade verses. The combination between yU, EyeQ, and Slimkat78 seems effortless while yU and EyeQ’s chemistry is undeniable. Enjoy and feel free to post and share!

yU’s new album The EARN is officially in-stores everywhere today digitally and on CD! To give listeners a little more insight, yU sat down with director Heron Gibran to discus the new album and music as both progression and record. The EARN has been receiving vast critical praise, and underground album of the year talk is already buzzing, thanks to The EARN’s nuanced production, lyrical texture and cinematic feel. Be sure and buy the album today and take moment to watch yU, the Humble King, explain his new record.
]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/12/14/yu-talks-about-his-album-the-earn/feed/ 0 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/12/07/yu-blind/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/12/07/yu-blind/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:11:57 +0000 http://www.hiphopsite.com/?p=41316 [cont.]]]>

The DMV representative and Diamond District member follows up his critically acclaimed solo album “Before Taxes” with “The Earn,” already generating a great response alongside some stellar reviews. yU showcases his growth on “The Earn” while not loosing site of the original formula. yU enlists a host of production guests including Kokayi, Kev Brown, Charlie Ross, Roddy Rod, 00Genesis, Usef Dinero and yU himself while featuring vocal guests from Diamond District, Nicholas Ryan Gant, Duff, Imani Bilal, King Tut and others.

HHS: What’s up man? Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

yU: Yeah, one third of the group Diamond District and also one half of the 1978ers with myself and Slimkat78.

HHS: Just peeped your new album, Before Taxes. Can you talk a little bit about that?

yU: Yeah, it’s features Grap Luva, I made about half of the beats on there, and Slimkat produced the other half. Oddisee did one on there, Kev Brown did one on there.

HHS: As far as promoting your album, are you doing a lot of things in the states or are you going more overseas? Where are you focusing more to get your buzz going?

yU: There’s no specific place really. We went out to New York and got a lot of love at Fat Beats. But I also get a lot of love overseas. People flew in from Switzerland and France to see us. So I have to go wherever the influence is. I just do my music, and let people find it and then see where it reaches.

HHS: The Diamond District Album, In The Ruff dropped about a year  age. Can you talk a little about the group?

yU: It’s me, Oddisee and XO. I met Oddisee at a beat event at a spot called Mirrors. My boy Slim Cat was there, Oddisee was playing beats and Roddy Rod was playing beats. I came up to rhyme over some beats and I met Oddisee then and there. We were both using the ASR-X, the red one, and it took him forever to load beats (laughs). It took me a long time to load beats too, so I asked him questions about that. We started talking mainly off of that [topic] and slowly but surely we started building.

HHS: How’d you hook up with XO?

yU: I met XO at this spot called Capitol City Records, at this Friday night open mic thing and he started rhyming over one of my beats. And it built from there. Oddisee just said for us to both kick a verse for “Foot In The Door”. The track we did ["Gully"] ended up on his album and got a nice response.So while he was out in Europe he said he’d bring us out as long as we finished the album. And we did.

HHS: What kind of response have you gotten on the album so far?

yU: It’s been a good response so far man, can’t complain. It was actually supposed to be an EP, but as I was recording, it went from a 20 minute EP to a fifty six minute album. A couple cats out in Europe remixed the track “Fine”, as both a house and dubstep track. It’s wild how you can just freak a song different ways and give it a different feel.

HHS: The scene in DC has gotten a lot bigger over the years. I remember going to an EPMD show a few years ago where Kev Brown opened up for Black Sheep and EPMD…

yU: You were there? I performed at that show with Kev. The track “It’s Almost Time” on Before Taxes is all about that show. Kev called me the day before and asked if I wanted to drop a 16, we met up the next day with Roddy Rod, Cy Young and go the show tape together. The song is about that whole day.It’s funny that you brought that up.

HHS: It was a dope show, man. It was great just seeing known artists from this homebase out there.

yU: There needs to be more of that. I see it happening a little more now with Wale and Tabbi Bonney, so it’s happening. Let it keep happening.

HHS: So what are you doing now, just out touring, promoting the album?

yU: Yeah doing small things now, but will be touring with Oddisee in the next couple of weeks. There are few things in motion right now with In The Ruff and Before Taxes being out.

HHS: Any last words?

yU: Yeah, just trust in yourself and don’t allow the populous to affect how you think. I do things that work for me and let people know that it’s cool to be yourself. People think you have to be glamorous to get somewhere and you don’t. But on another level, there’s a lot of good music coming out. Slimkat put a beat tape called Sound Freakers, google that. Oddisee [just dropped] Odd Spring, which has a new Diamond District joint on there. Kev Brown is putting out a new album with LMNO called Selective Hearing Sean Born, Ken Starr and  Roddy Rod are dropping new projects. You can find them all at Fat Beats and online.

HHS: Thanks your time man. We appreciate it.

yU: Good rappin’ with you man.

Check yU out via Twitter: www.twitter.com/yuthe78er and Myspace: www.myspace.com/yuremainz

In the Ruff and Before Taxes are available on Amazon.Com, iTunes, ughh.com. Or contact yU directly to purchase.

In celebration of the release of his second single, “Real Detriot”, feat. The Left off his debut album, The Reset, Detroit-based producer Apollo Brown is proud to release one of the album’s tracks for fans, “Brainwash Remix.” Apollo Brown remixed fellow label-mate, yU’s original “Brainwash” produced by Slimkat78 to create a completely new sound. Featuring yU himself, along with Grap Luva, and Finale, Apollo Brown is able to show off his production dexterity in this new remix.

With a series of vocals chops, deft filtering techniques, and a supporting, straight-ahead drumbeat in the background, Apollo Brown takes relatively simple ingredients to make a more somber version of yU’s and Slimkat’s original. The remix is Apollo Brown’s exhibit to true producing talent. “I created the new sound of the song on my own,” says Apollo Brown. “It was my interpretation of an already great song and how I felt it should sound.”

Apollo Brown’s The Reset will be released May 25 via Mello Music Group.

LISTEN: Apollo Brown – “Brainwash (Remix)” (Feat. yU, Grap Luva, and Finale) (MP3)

Apollo Brown – “Brainwash (Remix)” (Feat. yU, Grap Luva, and Finale) (MP3)

yU, a member of the celebrated hip-hop group Diamond District, is proud to announce the release of his solo album Before Taxes. The album showcases the incomparable skill and talent displayed on his group effort, while pushing this dynamic artist into new territory. Before Taxes will be released April 13th, 2010 via Mello Music Group.

Before Taxes is yU’s answer to hip-hop fans’ cry for a return to real hip-hop. The artist describes hip-hop’s golden era of boom-bap greatness as being akin to one’s personal finances… before taxes, that is. With watered-down commercial rap eating away at the cultural wallets of hip-hop fans worldwide, with his new album the DMV MC looks to take great strides at filling his listeners’ pockets with a rich cultural currency.

The album is an exciting step forward for yU. After helping put the Washington DC/Maryland hip-hop scene back on the map with the seminal Diamond District album In The Ruff, the celebrated emcee has a lot to live up to. “Before Taxes is different than In The Ruff in a lot of ways,” says yU. “I’ve been told that the sound is more mellow or experimental at times. There’s different subject matter and approach to the rhymes.” While perfectly capable of flooring listeners without his Diamond District crew, yU brings a few other friends along to help turn up the heat. Underground hero Grap Luva appears on “Brainwash,” a cautionary tale of the ills that befall urban life, while appearances by Bilal Salaam, EyeQ, ERK, Omun, Op Swamp 81, Finale and yU’s partner in rhyme from The 1978ers, SlimKat round out the remainder of the album.

In the spirit of evolving as a multi-faceted talent, yU took on the lion’s share of the work behind the boards for Before Taxes, including producing the only completely instrumental track on the album. “I produced half of [the album], recorded and mixed all but one, and, along with Slimkat, was in total control of the direction of the project,” explains yU. Bilal Salaam, Isabella Banneker and Kev Brown were also on hand to provide beats for Before Taxes, while Diamond District member Oddisee’s lush production provided the soundscape for “Native,” a track that seamlessly fuses heartfelt classic soul with yU’s thoughtful delivery and Native American-influenced rhymes. Before Taxes will serve as one of two releases for yU in 2010, with a follow up solo full-length, TheEARN, scheduled for a fall release.

yU – “On Ya Head” (MP3)