“ renvoi ” – erick arc elliott

Between the untimely death of a Mac (which put a halt to the weekly uploads) and a few shows, I wondered if the whole “ renvoi. ” project would be Erick’s version of Detox. Fortunately for fans, Erick decided against prolonging the wait.


While not being exactly what you’d call a mixtape or an album for that matter, “ renvoi. ” is not to be treated the way it is titled. Made up of cuts and edits, some of which that even date back to 2008, serve to be like a scrapbook. They aren’t exactly all on the same subject, quite frankly a few of them don’t match up, but it still brings something beautiful when it’s all put together. Not to mention the art is d0pe bless.

Nine tracks of well produced, proper and original Erick content just in time for me to go back to regular 7:45AM visits to the nearest subway station. I just really like the whole vibe of the project.

Erick kicks things off with It’s Your World, a track that in my personal opinion has a perfect production. Seconds in, there’s the wordplay that we all love. “When you struggle with your meal it brings a deeper understanding to the meaning of this game”, see that right there, that’s the truth behind all of the hustle, when it’s difficult, that’s when it’s appreciated. The beat is real crisp and if I could get the instrumental for it, I’d loop it constantly. Next up is Inside, another beautiful instrumental where Erick puts us on to his own little story, something that isn’t always the easiest thing for rappers to do now a days. “You can’t be number one cause I’m number four”, perfect, I’m pretty sure that everyone has felt like that before, especially with school being back in session. There’s nothing like seeing the class slacker having one of the highest grades on the bulletin board and you’re a ways down the list, despite your two whole weeks of studying; it can’t just be me. Smile comes third, and by now, I’m sick of writing about how well the beat is put together, despite the fact that it is the truth. More storytelling and imagery that you have to listen to to understand. Wait was the first (and only) track that was put up from this project that was originally to be a weekly thing; cleverly titled because originally, we weren’t going to get the nine tracks all at once.  As usual, my favourite track is the shortest, so at the point where I’m just starting to vibe out to Crazy Breaks, it’s over. Whomp whomp. If there’s anything I could change about this project, or anything that I wasn’t completely satisfied with, it’d be this song. It’s a little livelier than the usual, but it’s only 40 seconds long; it can only be replayed so many times before I start hearing “You don’t know how hard this is, looking for love from a starship.” randomly. Last Place is the sixth track on renvoi. and I’m pretty sure that this will be one of the leading songs that I’ll be listening to in efforts to get me through senior year. Senior orientation is tomorrow (August 31st) and the hook “I refuse to come in last place” is basically what I’m feeling when it comes to the whole two-step across stage to get my diploma thing. O.M.G. is not pop-y or anything like that of that matter. Storytelling from Brooklyn at it’s finest I must say “But the rent’s due and the lights’ off and it’s dark, so they gotta spend they nights lost”. Second to last track Pen Pal is a result of what happens when you stay in the studio too long. Jokes, but Erick also does question his sanity (“am I buggin?”) humorously. With this track, the reason for the question is set out in the beginning; “friends” that basically tell you everything you want to hear, even when you need a little correction, become slowly unnecessary and cut off because they just can’t be real with you. Mrs. G might just be in Erick’s head, but quite frankly, more of her type are obviously needed in the world. Award Night is the last track out of nine on renvoi, and it’s basically the advance to the thank you speech. The imagery is perfect and well put together, no slip ups with any details.

So on that note, do you and your music library a favour, and go download “ renvoi. ”, it’s free and I promise you’ll love it.

( I’m getting e-mails about doing such positive reviews all the time; I must say something. No. No one is paying me to do these reviews. )

“ no sleep for the gifted ” – jay adams

Oh. Is that why I’m an insomniac? I kid.

While I was busy running around downtown Montreal, grappling for fabric shops in St-Laurent, catching up with old blogs and watching Seinfeld all day (it’s my summer vacation, I’m allowed), other people were being productive. Cee-Lo made the internet explode with “F**k You” (I doubt that I need to post a link, it’s on every single blog), wav/es took off and last, but extremely not least, Jay Adams got his hustle on.

THE JAY ADAMS PROJECT

The only problem with hustling your way to the top is not getting the recognition that you deserve on the way there. It seems to be that the ones who put so much time, work and effort into their work are the ones who get the least applause. Between teaching himself to play the piano, putting his own work out there and collaborating with other artists, I personally think that Jay deserves recommendation. Lurking in and out of his Tumblr for the past couple weeks, it was needless to say that I was compelled to do a little shout out. Procrastination was pushed to the side with a couple morning tweets from the artist himself, I asked for him to send a little something over to bless my inbox. And boy did I receive.

“Blow It All” is one of the many tracks that will be on the up and coming mixtape #NoSleepForTheGifted that features Quik Kash. And for you researchers, yes, that “Whoa” by Chip Tha Ripper, Jay confirmed it himself; no speculation from yours truly. Be on the look out for updates about the tape, I’ll be back to school soon and will be needed to refill the iPod to get papers written and to deter my attention from crazy people on the subway.

Go download and hit him up on the website. He doesn’t disappoint.

“ you’ll be seeing her in the future ” – taylor mcfly

This is the face of sixteen year old Taylor McFly. I would suggest that you remember it. When it comes to photography, especially portraits of others, her use of natural light perfects all of the shots she takes. She’s not a super huge photographer, yet, but I promise she produces ( and will continue to in the future ) amazing pieces, whether they be for the paper or the pleasure. Just don’t sleep on her; being from North Carolina, she’s bound to blow up. I mean, just look at what happened with J. Cole.

“ do not over look ” – artistic manifesto

For this next little bit, I must quote Jay-Z: “ Thanks to… you know the woman friend, who, carry the work cross state for a gentleman.” Now, in this case, the work is not drugs or the paraphernalia that it’s commonly associated with, but a personal hustle all the same. And forget state lines, try country borders. A shorty named Brittani hit me up on the side, sliding me the link to her boyfriend’s blog when I made an open mention that I was looking for new blogs to follow. With a couple clicks, that sideline support carried me all the way to Artistic Manifesto.

Now, depending on who you’re following on Twitter, you might have noticed that the link to this new up and coming blog that is quickly gaining more and more fame, many must be wondering who is the face behind the madness. Michell Clark ( who was actually included in the shoutouts at the end of Wale’s “Rediscover Me” track ) is the sole force involved in Artistic Manifesto. But in a time where just about everyone has a blog and either claims to be a blogger or a journalist, it is obvious when someone truly puts their heart into something. What was once a interest, that grew into a hobby and now a “love that ( keeps ) growing”, thanks to the exposure which he refers to as “literally (having) friends coming to me like, show me some good music.” With good music on his side, and seesawing with the idea of blogging due to “so many other people were making them- I didn't want to be a bandwagoner”, Michell went for it with the feeling “that (his) experiences and viewpoints could let (him) create something different than anybody else's blog or website”.

“I felt that with time, over the years, I could show many other people the kind of music I love and possibly even make a connection with artists; which is just an awesome thing for me as much as I love the music that I write about.”

-- Michell “MCC” Clark, August 2010

Born in Lafayette, Indiana and bouncing around from Kansas to Georgia and Hawaii, Michell finally settled in Northern Virginia; the place where he considers his hometown as he was actually raised there. Coming from the DMV, he had much to say about the music scene.

“The DMV is a huge area for talent in the world of hip-hop music, whether the rest of the world knows it or not.  Yes you have Wale, who is an incredible lyricist, but you also have other premier artists such as Raheem Devaughn and Tabi Bonney who have been around for a long time and have worked with the best in the industry.  Their main concern isn’t fame, simply doing what they love and they do it with excellence.  Then there’s a new crop of rappers on the rise who are beginning to garner some buzz, such as Phil Ade, XV, and many others.  They have the talent, charisma, and desire to become huge.  They’ve been rocking shows in the area for years and packing out stores and concert halls with their fans.  It’s just a matter of time before they’re well known.  And then you have the artists who are just getting started, that the vast majority of people might not even know about yet.  People like Farma Wesley who get buzz just off rocking crowds at concerts but haven’t even dropped a mixtape yet.  People like this will also rise in due time to get their due recognition.  We have a premier producer in Judah who works with a lot of the artists around here.  He’s immensely talented and has given many artists that “perfect track” to give them a step up on everyone else.  Unity among the hip-hop community is pretty strong around here, as evidenced by tracks such as Phil Ade’s “Hollywood Remix” which featured Wale, Tabi Bonney, Raheem Devaughn, and Raekwon.  Three premier Washington D.C. artists and Raekwon, which shows you the respect and clout these artists have in the hip-hop community, even if a lot of people might not recognize.”

-- Michell “MCC” Clark, August 2010

Now, everyone knows how biased I am when it comes to anything coming out of NYC due to my love for it, but I think that many should also begin to see the DMV as also another proper, if not blessed, place to focus the attention on. When speaking with me, Michell noted the difference between NYC and the DMV because he goes to school in New York, but he also assured me not to sleep on the talent erupting from the DMV: “DC is not historically known for producing hip-hop talent like New York- but what we lack in fame we make up for with a large group of unique, talented artists like none other.” And it’s obvious that opportunity is not only found in the music field, but also in the blogging one; even though Michell attends a military academy, he still was able to hook it up with producer Judah, whom most of you tracklist junkies should know of from numerous Wale tapes. Holding down his interview, he describes his developing formula as “do a lot of research on the people I'm working with and ask intuitive questions that surprise them and force them to give me more candid detailed answers because I hit a nerve or tapped into their passions.” Leading up to the end of our little conversation, Michell reminded me of one of the many things that matter the most when it comes to being successful in this game: lending a couple pointers to those who are just learning their way.

 “My recommendation for approaching artists or producers about interviews is to just be persistent and polite, don't be surprised if you don't get a reply back from an artist.  Let's face it, they're very busy people. Make sure in your e-mail or phone call or face to face conversation leading up to the interview that you distinguish yourself from the crowd.  Show professionalism and show that you're a serious fan, not just someone hoping to ride their coattails.”

-- Michell “MCC” Clark, August 2010