Has any relatively obscure rap song had a better second life than “Broken Language?” Forget Red and Meth’s 08 version, a decade and a half later, the stalagmite set remains enthralled by Smooth Da Hustler’s & Trigger Tha Gambler’s Tunnel banger. From Action Bronson’s “Moonstruck” to Zilla Rocca, Has-Lo, and Curly Castro’s “The Heat” (American… Continue reading »
Photo by Liz Padova Three weeks ago, I ran through the increasing numbers of rappers finding inspiration in contemporary bass music (no Da King & I). Through unintentional oversight, I didn’t include Zilla Rocca and Curly Castro, who have been rapping over dubstep and D&B tracks since before brostep became the popular perjorative (and it… Continue reading »
Immense respect due to Rock the Dub for surviving a half-decade in the indigent wasteland that is the independent Internet world. Ask any blogger who doesn’t collect a bi-weekly check from some corporate benefactor: scrounging for interesting content, posting multiple times a day, and attempting to say anything remotely insightful is harder than sitting through… Continue reading »
Mar
03
It’s like Yelawolf said: don’t be so easily impressed, in ’93 you had to rap. So my endorsement of Curly Castro came with reservations. I’ve watched the Philly via Bucktown rhymer go berserk live, seen him match Scribble Jam champ Nocando in a cipher, and enjoyed both of his mixtapes — but to use an… Continue reading »
It wasn’t Odd Future ransacking Fallon, but this week quietly marked another milestone first for another gifted rap crew, when Zilla Rocca and Curly Castro made their debut on Philly’s NPR outlet, XPN. Re-working songs from 2009′s “Slow Twilight” for the Key Studio Sessions, the pair brought live guitar, deft flourishes, and a pinpoint refinement… Continue reading »
Heaven Razah, the 3rd solo offering from Sunz of Man stand-out Hell Razah, not only is the most slept-on Wu-Tang release of 2010, it also serves as a surefire A&Ring homerun for Jay Electronica’s long overdue debut on an indie budget. Ready? 1.) Get beats from 4th Disciple, Allah Mathematics, Havoc, and Ayatollah. They will… Continue reading »
Homeboy Sandman’s The Good Sun is for Chip Fu. It’s for Sticky Fingaz. It’s for Fatlip and to some extent, Busta Rhymes. If Homebody Sandman was from the 90′s, he’d be the charismatic funkafied live crazy rhymer in a group. The standout. The breakout star. The verse rewinder. The guy you sat through lesser characters… Continue reading »
Zilla Rocca has never tried liquid cocaine, but he’s willing to give it a chance if it means he can record with Raekwon. Question: “Remember when Ye called this his “boom bap record”? It was all going according to plan….until Scott Mescudi pulled Kanye aside and asked him if he wanted to ride the white… Continue reading »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlTPlMYKweo Zilla Rocca doesn’t get angry very often. He’s a peaceful bloke, who digs the Los Angeles Dodgers, Raymond Chandler, the collected verse of Dennis Coles, and the love a man has for a fine Cuban cigar. But like most artists that matter, if you push him he wields a ferocious temper, which has manifested… Continue reading »
Design by Fresh of 33 Jones The debut of Summer Jamz is right around the corner, with Jonathan Bradley scouring the globe to wrangle every warm-blooded writer to ensure that you have something to listen to during the sun season. In the interim, Zilla Rocca has compiled his outstanding Fade To Blonde Mix, featuring everyone… Continue reading »
Excellent Adventures
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Listening
Jeff Weiss
Sach O
Douglas Martin
Aaron Matthews
Abe Beame
Evan Nabavian
Tosten Burks
Matt Shea
Jonah Bromwich
Reading
Jeff Weiss
Sach O
Douglas Martin
Tosten Burks
Aaron Matthews
Abe Beame
Jonah Bromwich
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Jeff Weiss
Sach O
Douglas Martin
Tosten Burks
Aaron Matthews
Evan Nabavian
Jonah Bromwich
Inner Sanctum
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2011
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