What do indy rappers SAGE FRANCIS and B. DOLAN have to do with the "Epic Beard Man" internet meme? The group name was given to them by fans, but has probably stuck around because watching these two rock a live show together is like watching a grumpy homeless man turn into a human tornado and smash everything in sight. Separately, both men are often known for their honest, concept-heavy and carefully crafted songs. However, their heavier output has always been balanced by the fact that both emcees genuinely dumb out on some 'rap shit' every now and then, [...]
"KING BEE", the swag-heavy song featured on the HOUSE OF BEES Vol. 2 video trailer, was the intended first single for the album. However, the recent passing of rap legend Adam Yauch (MCA of the Beastie Boys) stopped us all in our tracks and set a different tone among the hip-hop community. As a result, we've decided to put bravado aside for a minute and leak a song that's fit to honor his passing and the moment. "STILL HERE" is HOBV2′s album opener and acts as a mission statement of sorts. PreOrder: B. [...]
" You can kill a man, but never the idea " With its crunching guitars, blues howl and of course the booming voice of your new favourite rapper of all time, B. Dolan "King Bee " (preview video above) was an obvious first single from the eagerly awaited " House of Bee's Vol.2 " mixtape. However after the death of Adam "MCA" Yauch Dolan ripped up the plan and instead went with what felt right. " Still Here " was [...]
"You can kill the man, but never the idea" The guitar crunching stomp of " King Bee " (preview vid above) was supposed to be the first single from your new favourite rapper of all time, B. Dolan's "House of Bee's Vol.23 but after the death of Adam "MCA" Yauch he scrapped those plans. Dolan had penned " Still Here " as an ode to his father who passed away after being diagnosed with Lung Cancer in 2010. As a mark of respect for Yauch and of course [...]
Rhode Island-bred rapper B. Dolan is prepping a new album, House of Bees Vol. 2 , that's due out June 12. And even though he had plans to drop a different track as the lead single, he went with "Still Here" as a tribute of sorts to the late Adam "MCA" Yauch . It also serves as a celebration of the legacy of Dolan's father, who passed away a few years back following a battle with lung cancer. I think I can speak for everyone when I shout "fuck cancer" from the [...]
FADERS (Advance) by Toki Wright
There's fake blood on the headline act's hands, real blood on audience members' faces, champagne being sprayed and the artists on stage are playing a cover of Prince. It's a Scroobius Pip show of course. Joined by support act B. Dolan across the tour, the evening started off in equally as boisterous fashion, if not quite as glamorously. B. Dolan brought his incredible show to the stage, complete with noose around his neck and oversized beard. Playing from his catalogue of assorted mixtapes and [...]
Scroobius Pip 's rip roaring debut last year was a lot to take in. From the lyrics to the heavy backing accompanying it, it was a little left field but it was so, so good. We've already seen three videos from the album, one done on a minimum budget in a shipping container , the other featuring three ladies playing the parts of Scroob, P.O.S and Sage Francis along with a third for "The Struggle" with enough sugar skull face paint to make you think you were in Mexico for the [...]
As if I wasn't already full of festive cheer, it's heartening to see B.Dolan scoring something of an internet smash with his inspired reworking of the NWA's classic "F"@K The Police" . Clocking up 80k views on Youtube in a week, loved by Michael Moore and seemingly catching the wave of the Occupy movement, Buddy Peace rebuilds NWA from the ground up while Dolan addresses police brutality and how to combat it with those ever present camera phones. Download it for free from Soundcloud (below) and keep the buzz going by passing it on. [...]
B. Dolan featuring Toki Wright, Jasiri X, Buddy Peace, Sage Francis - Film The Police video B. DOLAN's "FILM THE POLICE" pays tribute to N.W.A.'s infamous "F*ck the Police," serving as a call to action for the digitized media movement while responding to the recent explosion of police brutality all across the world. This free MP3, courtesy of STRANGE FAMOUS RECORDS, features a reconstruction of Dr. Dre's original beat, brilliantly reanimated by UK producer BUDDY PEACE. Label CEO, SAGE FRANCIS, opens the song by picking up the gavel where Dr. Dre left it 23 years ago, [...]
B. Dolan's new song "Film The Police" is a reworking of NWA's 1988 classic "Fuck the Police." You could say the song is a response from the current digital generation to the national outbreaks out police brutality in recent years. As abounding technological advances allow a vast proportion of the populace to become amateur videographers and photographers, B. Dolan, Toki Wright, Sage Francis, and Jasiri X call for today's activists to film the police and document their wrongdoings and injustices. B. Dolan: "Film The Police ft. Toki Wright, Jasiri X, Buddy Peace & Sage Francis " [...]
Rather than get, erm, as aggressive as their inspiration for "Film the Police" - I'm talking about N.W.A., of course - B. Dolan and his cohorts have taken another approach. They're asking you to take photos and video of police brutality to share with the world in an effort to shed some light on this ongoing global injustice. And they have done so with an ill track - it features Sage Francis, Toki Wright , and Jasiri X - and an even iller music video. Hit the skip to stream/download the track and watch the [...]
Strange Famous' B. Dolan offers up a brand new track and it hits the web with a video straight off the bat. Titled "Film The Police" and it features Francis guest spots from Toki Wright, Jasiri X, and Buddy Peace sending a very valid message about the Occupy movement happening the world over right now. Peep the video at the top and go grab yourself a free download at Soundcloud too .
B. DOLAN's "FILM THE POLICE" pays tribute to N.W.A.'s infamous "F*ck the Police," serving as a call to action for the digitized media movement while responding to the recent explosion of police brutality all across the world. This free MP3, courtesy of STRANGE FAMOUS RECORDS, features a reconstruction of Dr. Dre's original beat, brilliantly reanimated by UK producer BUDDY PEACE. Label CEO, SAGE FRANCIS, opens the song by picking up the gavel where Dr. Dre left it 23 years ago, introducing a blistering, true-to-style flip of Ice Cube's original verse by SFR cornerstone, B. Dolan. TOKI WRIGHT (Rhymesayers [...]
A little less than two weeks ago we used our Label Spotlight feature to talk with Sage Francis of Strange Famous Records . In response to a question about what to expect from the label over the coming months, we were told there were "some crazy videos in the works." Just moments ago, the first such video debuted - and B. Dolan, the rapper-slash-activist behind it, has packaged it up with a brand new single. The audio and visual for "Film the Police," which features Francis, Toki Wright, Jasiri X, and Buddy Peace and meshes [...]
Out of the hundreds of gigs I've been to over the years I can't think of an occasion where I've given the promoter or organiser of the night much thought, beyond perhaps.. which idiot chose this support band or an exasperated, the running order says stage time 9...Its 9.20! After "organising" (in the loosest sense of the word) Oxjam Walthamstow I'll forever have a respect for the hidden promoter and their secret language of backlines, di's, breakables & get-ins. In the months between committing to put an Oxfam gig and the night itself I've gone from angst to [...]
Update: The lovely people at Londonist have listed Oxjam Walthamstow as one of their " Music Choice's " of gigs in London this week . Indie Electro pop from The Melting Ice Caps, electronic folk soul from Barbarossa, and spoken word meets hiphop courtesy of PolarBear. Oxjam Walthamstow's already varied and pretty damn packed bill just got a little bit bigger with the news that Akira The Don who's closing out the evening will be joined by a " surprise " guest. At least it was a surprise until US Rapper, [...]
BAD THINGS is from the Metermaids "Rooftop Shake" LP (drops on Sept 6.) This extended redux features Sage Francis and B. Dolan on vocals, M. Stine on the beat & scratches by DJ Rob Swift. PreOrder: Metermaids - Rooftop Shake LP
This came as a curve ball for a Thursday afternoon. Scroobius Pip has announced his solo album Distraction Pieces on September 19th on Speech Development. Don't fret though in case you're wondering about his old partner in crim Dan Le Sac, they'll begin work on a new album in the new year so before that take a look at the album deets. With the help of producers Yilla and Worgie he's roped in cso colaborations from some big hitters. The album will feature Renholder (aka Danny Lohner NIN / A Perfect Circle), Richard Russell (XL), Steve [...]
"I hate the spoken-word scene more than anything else," says this veteran of HBO's Def Poetry and winner of more than a few slams. "There are a lot of parallels between slam poetry and battle rap. They can both be entertaining in some ways, but at least a battle rapper is trying to make you laugh. A slam poet has the same level of desperation as a stand-up comic, but they're trying to get you to get mad about an imaginary girl who they broke up with." [...]
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