Before we bring in total sunshine to your October, I want to give you this track from Aero -- which is just fitting to the news of earthquake in Singapore, the tsunami in Samoa and the floods in Manila. News is a beat I made for the Silverbacks CD. I remember when we recorded it, Aero was bugging me to record and I've been putting off our schedule because of how busy I was. Now this guy comes to Manila with months in Bacolod in between so whether I was busy on something -- I had to give this AMP member his studio time before he leaves for another stint in Bacolod. I made this beat the day of the session or the night before, I can't remember -- but what I do remember is that Aero didn't come in late! Hehehe. Had his brew and I let him vibe off the beat. Also, after he wrote the first verse -- me and Chrizo challenged him to write the 2nd verse from a third person point of view. Sort of like a reporter, reporting about Aero the storm. You can also hear the anchorman, Chrizo himself, throughout the track.
It was dope and fun to make this song yo, we did it all in less than 3 hours. I don't think cats get creative with they songs nowadays. Check on Chrizo's outro -- payola, and the gas price increase from last year. Enjoy this one as we set this up for Masskarra!! 3rd World muscle, keep on helping Manila!
This second installation of Konektado DVD Magazine starts off with billboards you see along EDSA and pans into the minimum wage workers who put up these billboards for these big companies. You'll see exactly how these cats put up the billboard simultaneously interviewing Jay-r about that same billboard. Mike and J-Hon has progressed they're handy cam shooting skills and has managed to pick where Konektado 1 left off.
There are alot of intriguing stuffs going on in this release. The first one is how To The Billboard peoples got played by the Colt 45 situation through broken promises after Mike generated a buzz in the streets for them. There's tons of freestyles happening in between scenes from Gloc 9, 187 Mobstaz, Aero, Crazy Oddz and more! Also the Camera Gangsters walk through Manila's parties whether a block party of some elite shit. They spotted ad interviewed urban celebs Qyork, Tilt (Kid Robot), Mark B of Specks, Chub-b. Alot of clowning going on throughout the dvd -- proving that hiphop is not losing the element of fun. Shoutouts to Quest & Sunny Blaze for stealing the show and keeping it real!
Main features God's Will & Slick n Sly Kane proved time and time again the stories behind they're relevant success. As God's Will took you through his hood in Batangas while Slick n Sly Kane threw his story in there in detail about leaving South Africa because of a death of a friend and ended up with the pioneers of gangsta rap in the Philippines. The footages are indepth and although you don't see pinoy hiphop in all your commercial mediums -- this DVD captures it to catch you dumbfounded about how hiphop makes its way through these scenes, from the streets to your tv screens, from our studios to your ears.
NYC heads come in and wrecked shop and even shoutout Mike Sosa on the cover of the DVD. Ken Boogaloo, Sean the white rapper and heads from NYC give love back to the Philippines and just keeping the spirit of unison alive despite the distance. No movement has ever transcended race, nation, youth, history the way this DVD has.
Konektado DVD Magazine Vol.2 "Hungry & Humble" OUT NOW
To The Billboard has several players and pillars. And what this DVD captured is Roland Dantes' last interview by J-Hon himself. The legend that this man left is often forgotten by the internet raised youth. And Konektado bridges this, not even your favorite OPM act prolly has reached out this much. Hiphop bridges the old with the new, what other music genre can you say the same. Carry on tradition. Tuesday Troop lived around Mr. Dantes' presence, he is forever legendary.
WATCH OUT FOR THE NEW MUSIC VIDEO "BACK AT IT AGAIN"
SHOUTOUTS TO: Playground, Specks, Capital G Shop, Tuesday Troop, Turbulence, Lockeddown, 187 Mobztaz, 6000 Gooonz, 3rd World, DJ RED I, Andrew E & Dongalo Wreckordz, Jaycee Parker, Precious, Gawad Kalinga, Alex Crisano, John Lloyd, Jericho Rosales, G-Unit, 50 Cent new album coming out soon, thanks 50 for making this possible for us to break bread and continuously live it up!
This has got to be the strongest Roots song I've heard in a while. Good video right here. Black Thought comes through singing at some parts and just letting it go in his rhymes as well. Enjoy this one!
As we leave September's Madness behind, we give you the song where we started the Nimbus9 journey. NY to PI is a song Nimbus already had the hook for when he came of the studio. And just as he put it, we came up with this from scratch. I was just messing around with my EMU XL-7 (Leila) and was letting him just sing the hook over and over again til I figured the hook. I remember when I figured it out, my mom called us in for diner and I didn't wanna go cause I might forget it -- but yeah diner got the best of me and we recorded the beat after diner. We laid down the backbone of the beat and Nimbus took it home. He wrote to it and I think this song lasted three session as I challenged Gino to write more. We would make little comments on the lyrics he'd bring -- like put a line about Pinoy DJ's on the Cali verse; and when we got done -- it was pretty much the start of it all for me.
We had this playing at Power 108 and RX 93.1 -- they were the first to give this song some love. Alot of people loved the song, its a representation of a new generation of pinoys travelling around the world and keeping our local representation proper. This is a literary piece as well, you will hear tons of local color from NY, Cali and Pinas -- in a way that was never before done.
There were even talks of having a remix of this sort of like Luda's Welcome to Atlanta -- and we already talked to both Pikaso and Mike Swift to rep California and NYC respectively. It just took me too long to revise the beat but the intent of a legendary remix was there. So as we leave September and welcome October -- we go back to our roots, Turbulence's buzz started with this song right here. NY to PI is a fruit of the entire teams labor back in the day.
NOTES: This song was a hit first online via our now defunct Soundclick account. Then we debuted it locally through the Turbulence First Heard giveaway CD. Then it slowly got a buzz and was featured on Krazykyle's first ever Rapskallion Mixtape entitled No Album Go Skills. Tune in a little later as I upload more Nimbus tracks for the dates I failed to put up a post during the month.
Today I take a break from the Nimbus9 features as we show you a glimpse of Project Noah. I just don't think it would be right of me to give you more music while the Philippines is in a crisis. Sorry kids, we all gotta man up and be socially responsible as well. I'm just catering and giving you more information and the advise to go and help out however you can.
Nimbusnine feat. Nathan J & Mike Swift - Breathe & Exhale (Produced by Rondalla Camino)
This track appears in Los Indios Bravoz's mixtape entitled Kalye Musika. As one of our brothers in the game that we look up to, its only natural that we progress to collaborate with them. This track also features Nathan J & Swizzle. The picture above was taken from the PULP Magazine Hiphop Awards feature in which, we submitted a write up at least 2 pages long and they decided to print out 2 paragraphs of very generic shit. Breaks of the game I guess, Nimbus won last years Independent Artist of the Year and HTown still hasn't given us the trophy yet, hehehe. Any news on this years Hiphop Awards?
Sorry for the delay kids my sunburn is acting up, hehehe. I know Manila has been hit with one of the worst storm and flooding of the year, god bless y'all and I hope you guys are safe. Also, Project Noah's around the corner from Chrizo, Nimbus and Arkane. Today, as we are about to close out September Madness, I give you Take It Back -- which appeared on the Back To The New School free digital album last June 17, 2009. I made this beat around the same time I made the Tilt Your Cap beat. I sampled Take It Back from the epic Rocky soundtrack which Black let me copy of his Dads collection. This was just an acapella track and I decided to flip it using 808 drumkits for the intro and just break it down to a more organic Kanye West sounding drums. This was one of the first tracks I heard from Nimbus when I moved out of the house to work. He recorded this initially at Nathan J's studio -- and we re-recorded this recently for the release. The Rex Navarette clip was Nimbus' idea, it played out perfect to the whole concept of the song.
From what I heard, alot of BBoys love this track and I don't blame em, hehehe. As always, Nimbus bridges his english to his tagalog seamlessly throughout the song. "DJ pon de replay, pakibalik ang tunog."
Nimbusnine feat. God's Will - Otherside (Tara Na) (Produced by B-Roc)
This song will appear on the Three Kings CD which will be finalized at the end of the year. As we already know Gino and Matt brings the best out of each other since Semento at Buhangin, this is no excuse. Alot shorter than most of their songs this is to invite people to jump into the otherside of hiphop's cliche. Just invoking people to have fun. Saguijo loves this joint. I sampled a Cosmic Love song for this one, the bass line is a sped up version of one of their songs. They should be tripping when they hear this song. Hehehe. Also, the picture above comes from the August issue of STATUS Magazine where Nimbus got featured. This song also encapsulates the PEACE LOVE RESPECT line Nimbus penned years before.
DEAD EMCEE SCROLLS series, is a link to my hiphop roots. Where B-Roc, then known to some as Rhapsody, was able to see other emcees who right now, don't shine in abundance but had dented my views on hiphop. These pieces left a mark in my universe and to some as well. I am going thru my archives to show and display the makings of me. These pieces are by FILIPINO emcees that you might never see, hear or even hear about. I am with them and my being is their legacy.
REASON FOR RHYMING
Written by Arkane for Turbulence Productions (2002)
Hook 1:
Say it once and yall be getting into it The roots of our emceeing, aiyo its infinite Original, pioneers, they did or did not Hiphop, hiphop, hiphop, hiphop
Microphone check, and for a moment My mind is bared open, with every word I've spoken Streaming, freestyle, off the dome proceeding Verbs, nouns, pronouns, four count, odd or even Memoirs, eight bars, pencils or space bars one minute to battle, one minute to stay sharp verses and choruses, an R&B hooks are part of it A solo cut or around four of us Street corner cypher, recorded or live or B-boy or Dj or Emcee or neither Or wall-writer and its about time ta, Bring it to a song structure, the right fibre Metaphors, multis, punchlines, music Technique, styles, the basic unit Original, pioneers, they did or did not Culture, life, music, hiphop
Hook 1
Sunrise or sunset, much more or much less Took out the evenings stars but theres one left I ride tides, go forth to the north Wave crests punchin across the shores of the prima frost Descriptive, verbals, narrative, mystic Compass letters changing to sixty minutes Rain that neither cries nor bleeds But feeds the seeds that breeds into trees And winds that do not weave, but instead breathes And speeds to set sails toward open seas Universe, space and earth that came first Word that gave birth and a God who gave earth Dreams and aims and roles and goals People who leave in search of gold or souls Passion captured, and I hold on to these Feelings, actions, emotions, poetries
Hook 2:
Say it once and yall be getting into it The roots of our emceeing, aiyo its infinite Passion Captured and i hold on to these Hiphop, poetries, hiphop, poetries
Heroes that are heroes forever And heroes that were only once in history remembered And a hero that was shot in December And a hero snatched in the seventies from his family just to get censored Now wont you let me, speak here directly What we say is true, theres no need to correct me Lyricists write to rebuild what they destroyed Write to respect and try to protect this soil Rhyming, speaking, shouting cries of freedom Ancestry leaking, you cant divide the legion Politics, consciousness, corruption? demolish it Lose all the lies, they cant leave us impoverished We cant act wack, so I rap activisms to Give everyone something substantial to listen to Culture, passion, life is to be justly Fitted with hiphop, poetries, country
Hook 3:
Shout it once and yall be getting into it The roots of our emceeing, aiyo its infinite Culture, passion, life is to be justly Fitted with hiphop, poetries, country
OUTRO:
Thats my reason for rhyming, well whats yours? I take a dream and define it, and much more I take a world and design it with such force Then imaginations uproar...
Nimbusnine feat. Marquiss & Hotnixx - If U Were My Baby Girl (Produced by Chrizo)
I remember my dear friend Chrizo texted me one night and said he had made a hit song with the guys. The guys wrote this song on the spot at a session at The Chop Shop. This was early 2007, heading in to summer. I heard this the next time I visited Chrizo and asked for his permission to make the drum beat less boom bap and more Dr. Dre for radio play. Obligingly, he gave me the files and I edited it the same night. This was the last song I put into our Tippin' The Scales release since we were clearly lacking a single we wanted to promote. This song got played in RX and WAVE throughout the summer. I especially liked Marquiss jumping on a track like this and showcasing his depth as a writer. Around this time as well, my boy Hotnixx was communcating with Joyce So -- immortalizing her with this song. Enjoy this one as we are about to close out September Madness.
NOTES: Additional notes on the Philippine Phenom cover. You see that Team Manila logo, this was 2006. When Team Manila wasn't as known as it is now. I remember walking up to them and asking for sponsorship as we would be delighted to have their brand distinguished with the Nimbusnine brand. It was a perfect marriage most especially when I found out the owners were Nimbus' neighbors in Ecoville, Makati. I would say at that point, the Team Manila brand was introduced to hiphop by Nimbus x Turbulence. Shoutouts to TEAM MANILA!
This Just Blaze instrumental comes from Ushers song of the same title and is one of my favorite beats ever. So it was no surprise I was keeping this beat around for no one in my team to use in any of they're mixtape. I remember suggesting to Nimbus that we should use this in his release and that if he did, I'll jump on it. So all in all it was a good day. I remember that time, a little after lunch -- we were both writing, I know Nixx and Quest was there as well in the studio hanging around and I think Teddy too was there as he was the one who recorded me. If Nimbus thought my verse was dope -- I think Quest killed this one. I for one was trying to make the CD more dynamic and can't wait to see what Quest would do on this beat.
Quest's part was icing on the cake, from the crooning to the lyrics he penned down himself. The idea was, what if we decided to leave the game at that time. This was around the time we did the show with Jin and pushed The Community show to its birth, so naturally we were in the middle of so many eyes and it was a trip to think ahead and retire. It's great listening to it now that I'm away from home -- the team still holds it down and I'm happy to see everyone exploring music in a different way while I'm gone. And the voices you hear before and after Quest's parts are recorded on a tape recorded. We didn't use effects for that one, Nimbus would really carry a tape recorder and click around -- we still have a couple of takes from other people we are saving. This also was at the time Romeo Garduce claimed the summit of Mount Everest thats why we shouted him out in there!
Seize the overseas slowly, with mp3's and shows/ I'm behind every significant emcee that you know/
NOTES: Picture taken by Ryan Andres. Ryan Andres is also responsible for the cover. I remember Ryan and Nimbus going out for 2 hours around my area to finish up that shoot. We needed the design that afternoon by 7PM so I could have it delivered to the printers. They came up with everything, Nimbus was always bugging about this cover was suppose to have a purple tone to it. Purple is the color of Revolution and we were at it. This also shows you how much we put in work on all our covers. I don't think people make as great covers as we do. Whats your favorite Turbulence CD cover?
LONG LIVE THE KING. I have mixed emotions watching this one, but great great video. We've missed Francis Magalona on screen and this was him in his element. Snatched this one up from SoulSonic TV.
DRAKE, KANYE, LIL WAYNE & EMINEM - FOREVER (VIDEO)
One of the most epic songs of the year now has a video. Here you haters go, and Eminem still rips this song apart yo! His flow is ridiculous as always and this video just gives you a taste of how deadly Relapse 2 could get.
Nimbusnine feat. Cosmic Love - Island Lovin' (Produced by KC Cassanova)
This was one of the classics, specially making it. Nimbus brought the entire band to my studio -- I'm saying 7 people deep at least. Drinking brew, smoking it up and just feeding off each others energy. Nimbus had a concept locked down already and as I was plugging the instruments into my studio mixer, KC Cassanova and Nimbus were already way ahead of us. Nimbus was singing the hook -- and KC was on his guitar strumming away.
Nimbus came up with 12 bars and I said it wasn't enough so I made him write extra to make it a solid sixteen. I remember coaching him with the line "but for now lets get outta the shade and head to the waves". Also, you can hear Nimbus sing the second voice of the hook. Cosmic Love is my favorite pinoy band, their soulful grooves and funk -- one of the best in Pinas. Solid group of people and they love hiphop and they understand where Turbulence as a label was coming from.
Island Lovin' was one of their first recording stints. We took two days to finalize the song on record as the brew was getting to all of us and I needed to study Anton's vocals and asked him to come again and redo it. The final day in the studio saw the adding of congos and the famous Kubing -- a ethnic filipino music instrument. Also the Slash esque ending of the guitars was classic to watch. If you can hear the keys being played, thats me playing. This was much fun to do as I was able to bounce of different creative people. After the song was heard by people, they would often mistake Anton for Artstrong -- close call but I think my ear for music and my investment in finding people still proves I can find the best of them and build with them.
I also know for a fact that the banana boat line came from Otto Retardo, shoutouts to PiSo. This shows you how much people pitched in and created the energy of the song that remains a summer time classic in the Philippines. We launched this song 3 years ago but I still don't see anyone outdoing this hit! If you know the song Tell Me Why -- well its the part two of this joint right here. Shoutouts to Bianca Araneta for the pic!
TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF, ISLAND LOVIN' LET ME SHOW YOU, ISLAND LOVIN'
September Madness, we've been bringing you new Nimbus joints, reviving old ones and giving you updates everyday the whole month. I have out worked my last blog best of 30 entries a month, hehehe. Today I'm giving you this 6AM Cool Down joint. "Pass the mic like 33 to 23" Nuff said.
September Madness will be over soon, hope you got your Nimbus fix as we shut down the month. I'm excited to give you guys new music from other things the labels been doing! You have no idea what kind of gold mine I'm sitting on. I can retire from music and still have 2 years worth of music to bump for you iggins.Beyond Beyond.
September hasn't failed in dishing out good music. Here's one for the madness, Skyzoo's Under Pressure from his The Salvation release. The album is filled with good beats and rhymes, although I must say the rhyme patterns of Skyzoo gets redundant after a while. This song is one I truly enjoyed. Dedicated to my peoples on the grind and they girl is having a hard time supporting them. I would like to remind you sometimes, success ain't always what it seems to be. And losing friends cause of the chase sometimes ain't worth it. PEACE! And yeah, step your beats game up Teddy, I'm on to you!
Nimbusnine feat. Artstrong - We Building (Produced by Artstrong Clarion)
2006 was the year we conceptualized and executed The Community show. One of the highlights of that summer was the CD. Where in, I didn't want to just make another compilation cd similar to DJ Arbi's multi awarded United Freestyles VOL.1 or The Rekognize cd, so we approached it via a beat raffle. Before the series of events started I asked 18 producers to commit beats and time; and hand picked 18 emcees to finish the list. During the first 2 days of the event, we asked each emcee to grace the stage and pick a paper that had several producers name in a fish bowl. This would allow these producers to build a relationship with whom ever picks them for the song. That summer brought so many unique songs from all these partnerships including Dcoy's WIKA which was produced by MIC of Ampon; Mike Swift's CATCH ME produced by Raimund Marasigan; ANG LUNGSOD by SYKE and DJ Umph; Slick N Sly Kane producing a track for 7Shots and more!
One of the first emcees to pick was Nimbus, and he picked Artstrong and they came up with the song WE BUILDING. We Building is a line that symbolizes everyones spirit in hiphop at that time. If you've been to a Community show, you know where my hearts at and if you missed out on it, shame on you! Hehehe.
The CD is done and just going through decisions on how to release it. The covers are done, there was even a time when Terno Recordings were looking heavily into it as their first hiphop release. There are some people who've heard his legendary release and I'm heavily contemplating of just putting it out already after all these years.
NOTES: Picture taken by Ryan Andres from The Community show, 2006 -- during the last day of performances. This night is the day alotted for the emcees to perform they're collaboration songs with the producers. Sad to say RP Guttierez failed to make this happen as he missed out on his two chances to perform at The Community show. Also, I remember seeing People's Future outside of the event -- and I was looking to finalize my emcee list for the raffle and put them on, they eventually picked DJ Arbi Won, hehehe. Y'all should hear what ILL-J did with my beat and what Deleet did to Chrizo's two tone beat. Traumatik's beat for the Stick Figgas eventually became the underground hit "Ikaw Nga".
Knowalazarus feat. Chelo Aestrid & Nimbusnine - Wherever I Go
(Produced by T.H.E. Menace)
This song will appear on the All-Stars and Q-Yorks collaboration release which serves as the OST for the movie of the same title, HISTORY. Enjoy this one as Nimbus weaves through the beat put together by Qyorks very own T.H.E. Menace. Day 20 ensures you a weekend full of Turbulence and madness this September.
NOTES: The reason for some of the songs not playing is that its been played beyond my free account's limit, hehehe. Thank you for your eagerness to hear what I put out, those old links will refresh themselves in a couple of days. Also, I am putting together a Jay-z mixtape, still dont know when to put it out but do watch for it.
This Nimbus verse is one of my favorites. Done in 2005 -- off the strength of Nimbus being the new cat in the scene. This to Makati heads link up for one of the most slept on Nimbus songs. Nimbus wrecks this one crazy, props to Mknocks for the wonderful team up -- you know it! Nimbus killed this one, I remember hearing this one for the first time when their cd was already done and was like "Oh he didn't just rip the track apart now". Enjoy this one people! Hope you guys got to download the FREE RELEASE, we are almost closing out on September Madness!
At a time when Nimbus was taking a break from recording, the team wanted to pump in more music. However due to certain circumstances, Nimbus couldn't hit the studio yet -- and we always wanted to end the year or start the year with a bang -- we came up with this release. It was our way of holding down the scene and our boy, who was going through tough times.Today is my brother Rhys' birthday and I am celebrating this in my blog via this free download. Shoutouts to Young Lloyd! We have stopped reproducing this CD for a minute now and we still want to share the great music in it; from Syke's "Ang Pirata" to our "Touch It (Pinas Remix)"-- which really fathered Whoa and Space Jam to "Gorgeous" Kanye and Nimbus Hotnixx's "Makapangyarihan" which sparked his passion for music again. The first track was a track I made off Alicia Key's song Diary -- which was one of my first beats I made off of sampling. Shoutouts to Butchoy & Smugglaz for jumping in this release, they were my first introduction to the budding 187 Mobstaz scene! Here's the track list people, enjoy this one!
1. 2Tay & Marquiss - Secrets + 2. Butchy & Smugglaz - Wag Ng Subukan 3. Hotnixx - Makapangyairhan ++ 4. Mike Swift - Tayo'y May Pag-asa + 5. Jay-z - Dirt Off Your Shoulder (Soulfiesta Remix) 6. Little Brother - Life of the Party (REMIX) +++ 7. Nyko Maca feat. Jonan Aguilar - That Noise (LIVE) 8. Slick n Sly Kane feat. The Franchize & Wilzone - Bestfriend * 9. Hotnixx, Black, Chocobeef, PHD, Nimbus9, God's Will & A.N.E - Touch It (PINAS REMIX) 10. Kanye West feat. Nimbusnine - Gorgeous 11. Peoples Future - Definition 12. TEXT - Mr. Me Too 13. Frankie J feat. Chamillionaire - That Girl (REMIX) +++ 14. Nimbusnine - Let Em Get To Know Ya + 15. Mike Swift, Dash & Stick Figgas - Tagay (Edited Version) 16. Urban Outlawz - To The Bangels PT. 2 17. ILL-J - Role To Play ++ 18. Syke feat. DJ Umph - Ang Pirata **
+ Produced by B-ROC ++ Produced by Chrizo +++ Produced by Traumatik * Produced by Slick n Sly Kane ** Produced by DJ Umph
NOTES: This release was hella fun to do, hehehe. Check out track 16 and see you not laugh a little. We were looked at by Andrew E. as a label that took things to seriously by our demeanor and content. Of course we wanted to invoke inspiration, change and things that make you think -- but on the flip side, we just intelligent goof balls, that why we started having fun with it and still bridge inspiration to people. Shoutouts to everyone involved in this project, and for people who bought this CD and is now mad cause I posted it up, don't worry -- music after a time is meant to be shared. I gotchu and your loyalty is unprecedented.And yo! Anybody who can guess what sample I used for Let Em Get To Know Ya? Let me know!
Alicia Keys - Doesn't Mean Anything (Produced by Krucial Keys)
More good music coming out this September, this should be an all time high for good music the past 3 years. Krucial Keys is a production team consisting of Krucial and Alicia Keys, for those of you who don't know. This team has produced the best A Keys songs since Falling. They were together for awhile til they split up before As I Am dropped. And this single if off her next album which is slated to drop on Nov 24 -- the anniversary of Thinking Mans Hiphop, and the night before my birthday. It's a little to light for me to take, but as a single 2 months before your release, she played this one for the radio. The drum beat is reminiscent of No One, but dude put more 808 kicks on it hmmm -- making it sound like a Swizz Beatz kick. Hehehehe. I am expecting a full grown soul album though. Keep it coming A Keys.
Nimbusnine feat. God's Will - Tilt Your Cap (Dominasau Absoluta REMIX) (Produced by B-Roc)
This version of TILT YOUR CAP appears on a mixtape done by a good friend of mine, Nyko Maca. Off the strength of Tilt Your Cap, Nimbus comes in my studio to re-do his verse as he was invited my Nyko to put a track on an upcoming project. The first verse is the new verse we added to fit that project. Shoutouts to Nyko Maca!
I was so moved by Los Indios Bravoz's brand of music that it sparked a revolution in my beats. Balik Sa Bayan was one of the first beats I made experimenting on a new sound I was calling Jeepney Crunk at that time.It's basically 808's and old rondalla music. LIB was already doing this heavy and I just wanted to add my own flavor to it. I remember making the beat for Tilt Your Cap and just bugging out dancing in the studio by myself and bobbing my head to it, acting a fool basically.
I've been asking Nimbus to rock this beat for a minute before we actually did something with it. Mike asked us to make a To The Billboard song and so I had Gdub and Nimbus in the studio to do it on this beat. We were having a hard time making a hook for it, so I had to pitch in a couple of lines. It was me, Nimbus & Gdub standing in the studio vibing to the hook part and creating lines. Suddenly I remembered Gino's line from years back.
When Dirt Off Your Shoulder came out, me and Nimbus loved it so much we wanted to do our own version. You know how Pharell would dance and dust his shoulders - Jay-z put that gesture into words and came of with "dirt off your shoulder"; I challenged Nimbus to do the same, find something people do that hasn't been named so we could brand it orginally ours. He came up with "tilt your cap" which is what heads do with they New Era hats as form of acknowledgement and just to carry out they style.
Tilt Your Cap is an amazing song and I wish it would've been recognized as the song of the year the way people loved and embraced it. We had Jae Spillz from Canada doing a remix of it and a couple of other cats from NYC. The original version of this song appeared on our Tippin' The Scales album, early 2008. Enjoy this rare Nimbus verse.
NOTES: Picture taken from the cover of Burn Magazine NOV DEC 2007 issue. This issue also features Sinag in its pages. Did you know Brandon Vera walked into The Octagon against Frank Mhir using a B-Roc beat with Mike Swift & Quest on it? He eventually won that one and lost 2 in a row, maybe its cause he didn't use our song as his entrance theme music. I heard he is fighting Couture soon, should be a good match!
Singapore has really been a trip for me, hell the whole of 2009 has. God places people in our lives for us not to forget the goodness in ourselves. Sometimes we're too quick to dismiss the good we've done over the years and how its affected people. I am a go getter after all, and as long as I live I will try my best to be better.
But today, I had to pause -- and realize that hey, I've done great regardless of what 2009 brings me. I've helped people move an inch closer to their dreams and helped them grow as persons as well. I met up with a good friend of mine who extended me time and a gift from Pinas, a Golden State Warriors Chris Webber jersey. Anybody who's ever been given the chance to know me beyond this hiphop music knows I'm a die hard Chris Webber fan.
I appreciate it bro. The gesture of you finding this one and giving it to me in this manner is priceless. No song we've done, award or times we've shared contemplating on hiphop in my house comes close. Salamat. I know you appreciate the things I've done in your behalf and it goes without saying. I look up to you, you just don't know. I understand life is throwing you a curve ball right now, know that rest gives you a clearer mind to move forward -- so invest in resting. Find the time to rest. You always came through for me, when I needed a verse, when we needed to fix your verse, when we got things to celebrate and more. Your family and your dreams are in my prayers man. Thank you for remembering.
You are an all-star in my book man. I want you to know Andre Harris of Dre & Vidal gave me an Iverson jersey when I met him in Taiwan; LDP gave me a Lebron jersey to celebrate KINGSHIP -- but this jersey holds more meaning to me than anyone will ever know.
NOTES: I had a Chris Webber Washington Bullets jersey during his first year playing for that team. He had changed his number for that year to 2 since somebody was already using 4 prior to him coming in. I loved it so much that I wore it till all the paint was faded and had worn off. Damnit, I wish I just saved the jersey, its nowhere to be found nowadays.
Nimbusnine feat. Savannah Lumen - Too Late (Produced by B-Roc)
This song appeared on the B-Sides album, in 2005 and started my production credits in the R&B scene. I remember Gino excitedly wanting to let me hear of this woman's voice. And I wasn't quite prepared for a woman in the studio since my beats were all souled out. Decided to flip this Tyrone Davis sample, which I thought was really sexy. I think, if wasn't mistaken, I wanted to give this beat to someone else when I made it. It had that sexy Kanye beat feel to it which was hot at that time and I was thinking someone rhyming over it more than singing. Savannah and Nimbus wrote this on the spot and I remember we finished this session in two separate days as we had to find the right rhythm for both artists, as I didn't wanna make a track out of sheer excitement alone.
I remember this song almost didn't make the B-Sides album and I fought everybody tooth and nail for this one as it showcases the labels depth production wise and that we transcend the borders hiphop was stuck on at the time. I also wanted to make a video of this with the concept of the girl leaving for the airport and Nimbus is the Limosine driver. A couple of months later, Chrizo and Nimbus went back in the studio to remix this song. Will post that one up in a few days.
NOTES: Savannah Lumen is the daughter of Francis Lumen, owner of MTV Philippines. She had cut an album earlier, even before we met. She is a jazz souled out singer and has been playing at jazz gigs around the metro when she's not somewhere around he world. Also, she appeared on the cover of UNO Magazine 2 years back if I'm not mistaken.
I gotta hand it to Jay, this shows real heart behind the people making Rocnation a top notch label. Jay-z and Beyonce, no matter what happened at the VMA's, stuck with Kanye's greatness. One mistake doesn't take your body of work away. You might have to climb your way out of the whole you dug -- but clearly Beyonce, Jay and Rihanna already have their hands out for Kanye. One artists' mistake isn't the face of a label rather the footprint of learning. Team Strong 2009 as I said and yeah, September brings madness. Also, check the performance out, that DJ scratching at the back who is a mainstay in all of Jay-z's live performances is a Filipino named DJ Neil Armstrong.
Nimbusnine - If Loving You Is Wrong (Produced by Traumatik)
This has gotta be one of my favorite Traumatik beats. I remember meeting Jess and Ted one early morning at a Tapsi joint near the gate of my village and Jess being all excited to let me hear this beat Teddy made, he had his A&R game early on ninja. He played it for me in his car and I said, I want to write to it and rhyme over it. I gave Nimbus a copy as well, and one day he asked me if I had already done a song over it and I said no, and he asked whether he could lay something on the beat for personal use only. I said go ahead but later on realized that what he wrote is exactly what I was hoping to convey. This song is pretty special to me and Nimbus. Nimbus dug deep to write this one. And here he blesses us with an all too honest song, too truthful that it aches. This song will appear on the Three Kings CD. Dedicated to RJAY of LDP. Keep on keeping on.
"How many times have we fought, and we kept our hopes high/ til I realize I was sick of it and so tired/"
Soul break motherfuckers. Here's Corneille's song Back To Life. To all my soul music heads there, this ones for you. I wanna say thank you to the one who put me into listening to Corneille's music. I've been constantly been bumping into good music this September and its definitely one for the books. Watch out this week as I will surprise you and the Philippines with a surprise download of Quest's "Back To Love".
No matter what the tides bring, I will say -- Jay-z is a class act. This clip shows how great he has become. I've been watching his Sept 11 concert for the past few days, hours at a time, and this clip is what catches me time and time again besides the "We was supposedta to Takeover, caught her bumpin Ether" remark. Jay lets Encore ride out as he shows people how accessible he is despite the status. When Jay points at the fans and tells em he remembers a spectator from the Fade to Black concert in the same venue, this definitely moves me. This is what I stand for as a person as well. Give back to the people as they stay loyal to you chasing your dreams. There will only be a few that people will cherish in this fashion so when you do get the platform to be one, soak it in and then celebrate with the people.
Aiyo kids, my bad my laptop got the best of me the past 2 days. I now owe you guys 2 days worth of updates. Well let me just give you fiends what you've been feening for, new Nimbus track -- 3ANGULO, hot from the oven. Not even a couple of days old. Mixed by Chrizo, recorded at The Chop Shop last friday. Nimbus goes in, and gives you a piece of his mind. It might take you two listens to appreciate this, Nimbus blesses you with inspiring notes as usual. Enjoy this one to start you're week. I am on my SEPTEMBER MADNESS mode still iggins. Tons more to share with y'all.
NOTES: Picture taken by Otto Retardo. Let me just get my groove back my iggins. Hehehe. Been hella trippin' on the first Community CD. I'm down to have it for just a free download, I'd have to ask my partner Nathan J is he still wants to put it out on a cd. I just wanna have it as a free download. Whatchu guys think?
Nimbusnine - So Deep (Produced by The Beatmonx)(Directed by August Espino)
"Black City 2050, while its fraud leaders are assembling to silence the remains of the rebellion movement, an underground faction is about to rise." These words, wisely chosen by Direk August Espino of Clayshop are still applicable to more than hiphop today. I remember Chano introducing me to him one day and had expressed to do a video for us. All I said was come to one of the Community shows, I will hand you the music and you pick which song you want to do. He came through one wednesday night and saw how the event was and told me he picks this song. Turbulence shot this video on a July weekend celebrating Nimbus' birthday with The Community. Everybody came through, people I didn't even know came in to support this vision of a video. You name it, they were there -- skaters, graf artists, women, heads from Batangas, Tuesday Troop, Mobbstarr, London Baby, Jonan Aguilar (who plays the bartender) and more.
There was an initial cut of this which had the background as ruins of Manila, which you could get a sneak peek off if you watch the trailer. But that version was lost when they're computer crashed. I remember August telling me the shot of the crowd with the N9 logo sparking took 8 days to render on a quad core system. And they had to buy it just to render this one. We launched this video late November of 2007 at The Prince of Jaipur, when Nimbus was featured artist of the month. MTV picked this video up but never got the airplay that it needed.
The beat was produced by The Beatmonx and appeared on the Philippine Phenom and will also appear on The Beatmonx CD coming out soon. Enjoy this one guys, and yeah -- which Nimbusnine song do you want to see turn into a video next? Let us know, we do keep all you say in consideration.
NOTES: August Espino won various awards as a director and a CGI visionary. He has also directed Young JV's "That Girl", and now he is doing tons of shows and graphics for MTV and is greatly taking care of Mike Swifts' Konektado DVD and To The Billboard THE MOVIE.
PART II of interview: How was the idea of Three Kings brought to the table?
In my opinion, it was birthed when the batangenyos Matt (God’s Will), Mike Swift, B-Roc and I were hanging in Soul Fiesta like almost every single day. Each one of us MCs, individually, had our own “kingdom” to project, since we were all on some “King” shit, back then! and somewhere along the way, after certain collaborations with us 3 MCs in it, and recording other songs that pretty much tied in with our collective state of mind at that time, we somehow decided to just put the songs together in one project to make the local hip-hop movement a stronger force to reckon with.
If people from other places wanted to know more about Philippine hiphop music, which 5 songs do you think they should listen to?
There are so many cats to look out for over here. From the pioneers that were building and making it out here, like Francis M., Andrew E. & Dongalo, DJ ArbieWon, SVC, MastaPlann, 7Shots, Madd World, Legit Misfitz, Pamilya D. etc. To the more recent heads coming out like Talk Sic Ways and Audible, Ampon, AMP, PhD, Datu, Ron Thug, Tuesday Troops, Stick Figgaz, 2Tay, Text, Luzon, Dash, Peoples Future, PKSO, Hotnixx, Quest, Dos Fuertes, OBS, LDP, QYork, Kimmie, Ill J and Monique, DJ Red-I. Toooooo many cats to mention!!! Jeezz, just search YouTube, type in one of the names mentioned above and everything else will link up. Furrrr shhhhure!!!
Some songs that have been on heavy rotation on my personal sound box though, from local heads are: (in no particular order)
(1) Los Indios Bravos – Dunong (2) Gods Will – Ika 6 Na Misterio (original and Traumatik remix) (3) Bambu – Jeepney (4) Marquiss - I Am The Greatest (5) Verse 1 – What If
Out of your trip to meet Jin and Loon in 2006, what piece of advice or insight did you get out of this experience?
The 2006 trip to Taiwan was off the hook!!! Ang lakas talaga nun, I will always remember that trip. That awesome experience opened my mind to a whole lot of stuff as well as exposed me to a bunch of fresh waves of thoughts. The folks of Liquid Lifestyles definitely know how to take care ov their peeps.
Actually getting to hang and smoke with Loon and his crew was one of the dopest. I would listen to that dude’s music before getting ready to go out and party, all the time, sabay, in almost a blink of an eye, you’re right next to the dude as he is giving you so much useful advise and just spreading his knowledge of the game as well as his own personal shit na parang magkatropa lang kayo. That stuff was real slick!!! I’ll never forget that!
Meeting Jin was sick too! Especially since he is one of the “pioneers like a sound system” of the Asian hip-hop community. My train of thought, at that moment, was running like: One minute you’re watching him on YouTube, lyrically one inch punching his opponents to extinction, then the next minute you’re kicking it in a hotel lobby exchanging music and conversing. It was pretty cool and it left me star struck being around artists of that caliber.
I had a running discussion here about what emcees should invest on? Whats you're take?
I think, depending on what goal or level an EMCEE sets his/her mind to attain, the investments vary. On a basic scale, skill wise, an MC should really invest TIME into researching, devoting and honing their craft and developing it. Check out Mos Def’s verse on “Hurricane” tells it all, as well as Talib Kweli’s “Manifesto”.
On the materialistic sense, the first thing an MC should invest in are two things that have withstood the test of time: THE PEN and THE PAD. (The pen is mightier than the sword). Hmmm maybe a lot of books, comics, movies, clothing/gear, music, and an “inebriating weapon of choice” would do the trick.
On a grand scale though, I think an MC should invest in PEOPLE. Whether it be building solid relationships, partnerships, being in an organization, respecting others or simply just being friends. PEOPLE are the foundation of this very planet. I take this quote from my momma and despite any short comings I may have had in the past, I constantly keep this in mind: “PEOPLE PAY.. (PAY) ATTENTION TO WHAT PEOPLE SAY.”
You've been highly involved with a company doin' commercials, film and have been watching movies for as long as I remember, what is your top 5 favorite movies?
Yes I have! Hmmmm this question is just like asking George Washington Carver what to do with peanuts; there are just too many answers to pick from! Might go nuts choosing!! But again, if I had a choice, top of the mind, because of their personal significance to me as well as their cinematic visions, it would have to be:
(1) Vanilla Sky (2) a tie between Scarface & Get Rich Or Die Trying (3) Fade To Black (4) a tie between Kill Bill (1&2) & Matrix (series) (5) V For Vendetta
Whats youre favorite B-Roc beat?
Dude, this question is more difficult than you think. As everybody who has been to the SoulFiesta studio knows that B-Roc’s lab is just like a mine from Africa, there are a whole lot of gems to find in their, and most of them are diamonds.
I’ve seen this dude grow, evolve and perfect his craft like watching a white belt neophyte transform into a black belt master. Initially patterning his style to dudes like Dr.Dre, Kanye West, Just Blaze etc. with a loco local vibe to it, eventually progressing and developing a unique style of his own to the point where kids now emulate him. Real talk.
In order for me to really asses which one is my favorite, I have to break it down in terms of sentimentality more than skill and sound, since you know all the beats B-Roc comes up with has that init in it. So yeah, the winner would be “NY to PI” That joint is real special to me. It wasn’t only the beat but the entire creative process behind it that sets it apart in my books. I had a hook in mind, B-Roc challenged me to push the concept to create a wider spectrum; and when it came time to make the beat, we did it from scratch. No samples on that joint. Bong just got on his beat making station/computer, laid in the drum pattern, played and fiddled with the keys and made a classic. No matter what anyone sez, that beat is my personal favorite.
Any advise for aspiring emcees?
Constantly sharpen your skills, hone it and own it. Know that once you get in the game, it takes more than just pure skills to survive in the playing field. Hustle hard and stay humble no matter how many times you lyrically rumble in the jungle, young boy or girl, "the world is yours for the taking” -- just make sure when you do it, do it right. “Repetition is the father of learning”; “Practice makes perfect, so make sure you practice the right stuff all the time.
The concept of "The Community" was one of the greatest undertaking Turbulence had, how do you feel about not having The Community show this year?
Well, it has its pros and cons/ups and downs. My feelings towards this year not having a Community show is sort of 50/50. A part of me a gives a thumbs down while yelling out BOOOO!!! Kasi nakakamiss talaga yung energy of a solidified and cohesive local hip-hop series of shows. Like how you describe it, B, it’s really like summer camp. On the flipside though, I feel like the previous Community shows (3 years deep) has already given birth to a plethora of similar events which takes place on a daily basis, the whole year through; so it’s like Community’s within communities. Which was one of the core purposes of the show anyway. So either way is all right. Hopefully the next one, if there ever will be a new one, would be a real dynamic one like with international heads and the real big names partaking in the festivities.
Being limitless. Being free to touch on any and every subject, thing, race, topic, you name it. Reaching places that only exist in imagination and seeing it actually being there or coming to life right in front of your eyes.
People get intrigued and a question we got from PHD & RJAY of LDP was, who in the international and local scene do you look up to?
Locally: Legends and label mates aside; (1) I’d really have to say Los Indios Bravos. I am not too sure if they are still solid as a group/unit to this day, but based on their past performances, their Kalye Musika mixtape (2006) and over all style and sound, I think they were one of the new school dudes that elevated the way people would look at local hip-hop.
(2) I also look up to Nyko Maca a lot. Her music may be classified as more of a hip-hop, sambatronica, worldy mix, but her presence live and just hanging with her as a person gives you such a “warrior of the light”, majestic type of feel, all the time. Plus she’s surprisingly one of the few females in the local scene that consistently holds it down.
(3) Lastly, among the local talents, I’d have to say the Philippine All Stars. They’ve all inspired me both as a whole and as individuals. Their aura, talent, discipline, drive, achievements and success has inspired kids of all ages here and the world over. And it’s a really a spectacle to have my contemporaries attain so much in what seems like so little time. I’m definitely proud that the current generation of Filipino youth has been able to witness such a magnificent group conquer and inspire stages and crowds from almost every corner of the globe.
Internationally: Jay-Z, Talib kweli and Mos Def, Lauryn Hill, D’Angelo, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Nas, Eminem, Big Pun, Andre 3000 , Big L, The Roots. All for their lyrical genius, over all style, distinctive sound, cause of the barriers they’ve transcended and all the other obvious reasons why so many people look up to them as well.
What do you think of hiphop in the Philippines right now? Do you think that Filipino emcees can make it globally? What do you think are steps that need to be undertaken for this to happen?
Right now, for the record, I personally believe the local hip-hop scene is extremely healthy! A lot more kids are getting in to it. Whether it be MCing, dancing, fashion, DJing, Graffiti/art, style or collecting music or memorabilia, the game has evidently grown into massive proportions over here. On the B-Side of that statement, though there has been a lot of activity in our local scene, the majority of the movement still remains underground. It’s kind of cool in a way, knowing that it doesn’t stay stagnant beneath the surface, but it sucks that it’s been this long and is extremely popular among Filipinos every where, yet only minimal groups have truly invested big money in the local scene. Maybe they’re scared or whatever, since it is highly competitive already even without “money involved”. But given a chance, assuming “crab mentality” has been abolished, big bucks means big changes. Listen to the messages. Look at the artistry. Feel the intent. You’ll see what the culture truly contains.
This question reminds me of a conversation Marquiss and I had in a basketball court one afternoon. Just chatting and talking about the game and what needs to be accomplished or what are the next steps to be taken, especially coming from our batch of artists… and after he brought this up, we sorta ended the conversation concluding that the next best step in order for the game to elevate to an entirely different level once again is for a local head to either have a solid collab or get signed to a major hip-hop label over seas; like the Roc A Fellas/Island Def Jam, Bad Boy, G-Unit etc. Like you know how Cassie (who is a Fil Am) is with Bad Boy -- pero kung galing dito yung artists, masmalaking impluwensiya yun kaysa sa isang artista na dun na lumaki.
Hope that answers all your questions, dawgs!!!! Hehehe. This shit was catharsis for me, mayng!!! Hope this pushes whoever reads it to achieve more in their lives! Peace. Love. Rizzzzpect!!!!
BIG BIG SHOUT OUTS and a strong slapping high five to everybody that visits this blogspot (From Talek, Teardrop, Young Lloyd to Gino Fresh, Rjay, Pipoi etc.) and who have been supporting Turbulence Productions as well as other local heads here and abroad! More power to the following organizations/cliques and respective teams (in no particular order): Turbulence Productions, Captial G, G1 Social, Tru Youth, Trilogy, Status Magazine, Pulp, Chop Shop, To The Billboard/Konectado, Fubu, Burn, FHM, SayWhut?, Revolver Phils./Asia, Hit Productions, Soundesign, NoisyNeighbors, Digitrax, ClayShop, Royal Elastics, Commune, Mark Bandigan/Specks, On The Ground Music, PiSo//Bee Eyes, 3rd World, Usual Suspects, AMPON, NM + PG, Playground, Brgy. Tibay, BlueBatt kids, Yun Na!, Fiend!, Vito Crew, The entire TAFT Ave, Side Arm, Post Manila, UGL, J Hoon, Pocholo and his pool of talents, Wings Photography, Transounds, E Music, Cardinal Tank & NSC, Team Atlas, Nick Hernandez, Ninja Kiss, Revolver prod, Amy and Aimee, New Breed, Champ Boxing, Saguijo, Magnet, M Café, Bureau, 32nd Street, Absinth, Alchemy, PSP, SBA, Ecoville Boys, Beat Lounge, Liquid Lifestyle, Capones, Route 196, RX, Wave, Magic, Jam, MAX FM, XS, DLSU, ADMU, UP, AC, Sts.Scho, and all the other venues, radio stations and schools that we’ve rocked and dealt with through out the years… to my family and dear friends!! And everybody else I wasn’t able to mention (my apologies, I’ll catch you on the next long shout out, or when we bump heads in person or online, promise! tooo many folks out there). Mad Love! Pound it!!
