It’s about that time again, ladies and gentlemen. ART BASEL is amongst us and since Lou gets exclusive content on OHWOW that is what you guys are gonna read up on here. Check out the lineup for this years projects at The OHWOW Gallery.

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Duck Down Records’ newest member, Skyzoo, has been on a mission since he was age 9. First thing I will mention is, YES, just like you, I always wondered where he came up with that name. It took me a while to find it, but back in 1980, an R&B/Funk/Disco group named Skyy, had a single named Skyyzoo. His parents, being the music lovers they are, gave Gregory Taylor the middle name Skyler, and the nickname Skyzoo. That just goes to show you, this kid has been into good music since the age of -2 (negative two). He’s been an MC/Rapper since he heard “Age Ain’t Nothing But A #”, by Chi-Ali, which was the youngster off of Native Tongues. So at the early age of 9, he began to write his lyrics and freestyle. Now, some of you might sit back and think, “Damn Lou. Skyzoo.. Why does that name sound so familiar?”…. Well, Lou can tell you exactly where you’ve heard him. He made the theme song to ESPN’s Whiplash TV and was on a soundtrack for Guinness Beer….. No?. That isn’t it? Well was it the BET Freestyle where he lost to Jin?. AHHHH YES!. That’s what it was.

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I am sitting outside of Labeless Records’ Studios on a Thursday night having some beers with the boys from the band Alukard. The wind is crisp and cool and so is my Corona. I am mesmerized and listening to what I can only call an “intense” conversation full of adamant testimony from drummer, Zaigone, towards my partner, Lou. You see, the lines are being drawn. Lou, a player of W.O.W. (That’s World of Warcraft for all you non-believers.) is being called out by Zaigone, whose opinions on video gaming are somewhat like those of a religious zealot. According to Zaigone, Final Fantasy VII is the best game of all time. And that’s when he declares:

“Bro! Final Fantasy VII altered my universe!…Final Fantasy VII cured me off drugs!”

There is an air of ease and comfort here with these 305 rockers while we listen to this gaming convo. We are laughing. We are rolling our eyes. Sitting here with these guys…I get this good feeling. It’s like hanging out with your family. It’s like a fraternity. There is an invisible glue here that bonds these guys together. You can feel it just by sitting with them. You hear it when vocalist Level belts out his lyrics. You can almost touch it when guitarist Steven plays. You know it when MC E. Grizzly rhymes to you. You can feel it when Zaigone pounds it out for you on the drums. And when Pupo, the band’s bassist, slaps it out for you with every note. This is the foundation of their music. The closeness that wraps you up and makes you feel good. This is where their sound comes from.
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Rick Rubin is one of the outstanding names in the history of popular music. He began his journey as the original DJ of the Beastie Boys and Russell Simmons. He’s been the one to popularize a mix between rap music and metal music. In his career, he’s been one to work with many notable bands that have changed the face of music for the coming decades. MTV has called him the most important producer of the last 20 years and was also listed in the Top 100 Most Influential People In The World by Time Magazine.

I show tribute to one of the greatest producer of all time but just by what he’s been listed in for other magazines or other national titles on magazines, but I give him my personal choice award.

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The folks at Hip Hop Official caught up with ATL’s recently reunited Goodie Mob during a stop on the Cypress Hill Smoke Out tour. Cee-Lo, Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp talk about their reunion, the state of hip-hop, and the beginnings of what will be their first album together in 10 years.

You’ve all seen The Roots’ newest video “How I got over”. Black Thought and the family take you behind the scenes so you can see how it was all filmed and thought up. February 2010 is the launch of the new album. YAY!

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I don’t know what the hell he’s saying either. :shrug:

Taken from hiphopdx.com

Slum Village emcee T3 recently spoke on their new album, Villa Manifesto, Baatin’s lyricism, and an unreleased project that features J Dilla beats.

“Manifesto, I think, sounds like a mixture of all our albums. I am definitely very picky about who we use. This time out, we used a lot of outside producers, but people that we’ve already had relationships with,” he told the Detroit Free Press. T3 subsequently stated artists in that inner circle include Hi-Tek , Black Milk , Pete Rock , Illa J, and Madlib, among others.

With Baatin’s recent passing during the process of creating their new album, T3 touched on the emcee’s penmanship. “[Baatin] had all this creative stuff building up for so long but didn’t have an outlet for it. He had this book, like a super group of verses; he was just stacking rhymes for a long time…I would tell him a concept that I wanted to do for this record and he’d just flip through his book and find a rhyme that would fit and then he’d ask how I liked it. It was crazy. Every time we would go in the studio he would cut two or three songs. I have a lot of Baatin lyrics.”

Grateful of the experience to reconnect with his close friend and rhyming partner, T3 added, “It was hard for me to keep it going after his passing, but at the same time I am happy I took the time out to record with him, you know?”

While their main focus is Villa Manifesto, T3 also mentioned the group will be releasing a full album with unheard J Dilla beats in the near future. “That’s a whole separate project we want to do, and that is probably one of the next projects we will do. But yes, that is in the works,” he stated.