ZION I, Amplive solo set, & Helladope w/ Boomzilla
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This duo of genre-bender pride has made a name for itself on the Bay Area scene by successfully mixing spiritualism and hip-hop. Oakland’s MC Zion and DJ/producer Amp Live blen…d hip-hop and trip-hop beats with lyrics focused on a message of unity, hope, and spiritual awareness. After a couple of indie hits, the duo slowly made inroads while opening for rap royalty like De La Soul, Rakim, and Run-D.M.C. Their debut album, Mind Over Matter, was released in May of 2000 and features collaborations with fellow Bay Area rappers Rasco, Planet Asia, and the Grouch. Although Zion I operates out of Berkeley, the group was originally formed in Atlanta, making their music difficult to classify as strictly West Coast hip-hop. Their musical style makes them even harder to define. With a style that borrows from hip-hop, trance, drum’n'bass, and reggae, Zion I’s style is equally mystical and mystifying
AMPLIVE: http://myspace.com/amplive
Amp Live is building a rep as one of cali’s most talented and diverse music producer/djs. After his dreamy soulful beats for the hip hop group Zion I, he has been able to produce for major and independent artist such as Akon(Warner), Flipsyde(Interscope Records), Nicole Schercenger of the Pussy Cat Dolls(Interscope), Tokyo Police Club, MGMT, Linkin Park , Goapele, and Mystic. Most importantly Amplive’s most recent success has been his critcally acclaimed “Rainydayz Remixes” album for the rock group Radiohead’s In Rainbows LP. Always experimenting, Amplive has also done rock, dance, electro, mashups, and drum ‘n bass.
In the past years, Amp Live has been a part of the video game industry, having his production being one of the main features for the Sony Traxxpad and also a basketball player character in the NBA 2K6 to the newly released 2K10 video game. Finally, Amp’s beats have been featured on a number of movies, tv shows, and commercials, which include Nestle’s “Wonka Candy-Feed Your Imagination” series, “So You Think You Can Dance”, “Dirt” by Courtney Cox, “Friday Night Lights”, “Honey”, “Big Fat Liar”,”Leperchaun 4″, “Americas Top Model” by Tyra Banks, ESPN Sports center, and the “Jamie Kennedy Show”.
HELLADOPE: http://myspace.com/helladoper
hella dope–a term I should never use again. The local hip-hop duo has been making some noise around the scene (though, admittedly, I’m late to the party) with their interstellar soundscapes and playful lyrics. Listening to Seattle natives Tay Sean, 21, and Jerm, 28, put me in mind of Outkast, Cee-Lo, Lil Wayne, and several other MCs unafraid of skirting the stratosphere with their weirdness. And, yes, that’s a good thing.
During a phone chat earlier this afternoon, Tay, who does all of the duo’s production, described Helladope’s style as “that space-age funk” and/or “neo-soul funk-jazz hip-hop.” He went on to cite J. Dilla, Organized Noize, and Platinum Pied Pipers as influences. You can hear their influence, to varying degrees, on “Thee Trip” below, along with a member from THEESatisfaction (a female duo/couple who live with Tay) delivering another interpretation of the strange brew Helladope has concocted: “Pyschedelic space-rap jazz for that ass/Sci-fi hyphy twilight zone razzmatazz.”
PRESENTED BY BUILDSTRONG:
http://www.buildstrongproductions.com/
http://www.facebook.com/buildstrong
http://www.twitter.com/buildstrong
WILD BUFFALO HOUSE OF MUSIC:
http://www.wildbuffalo.net/
http://www.facebook.com/wildbuffalomusic
http://www.twitter.com/wildbuffalo
