Friday, April 22, 2011

Lincoln High EP: A Trip Down Memory Lane

Lincoln Blache is songwriter, producer, rapper and singer out of Mississauga, Ontario. In 2009 Lincoln had his first shot at international success with the hit single “Runnin”, teaming up with successful Dj’s Doman & Gooding. The song went number one in the UK and also gained heavy rotation on MTV Europe beating out moguls Beyonce, Lady Gaga and new comer Kid Cudi for the top spot on the dance charts, earning Lincoln his first nominations: JUNO (2010)-Best Dance Recording and Canadian Radio music awards (2010) – Best Rhythmic/ Hot AC Recording.

In his very own recording studio, the 20 year old also writes Pop, R&B and Rock music to go along with his own urban pop spin. Lincoln is working on his debut album “TELEPATHY.” Teaming up once again with Grammy Nominated production team Tone Mason along with Chuck and Joe, he is ready to perform a musical makeover.


Lincoln High - YEAR ONE(PILOT) from LINCOLN BLACHE ™ on Vimeo.

April 20th 2011 marked the day that Lincoln Blache released his debut EP "Lincoln High". The EP includes 10 tracks recorded with a concept based on Lincoln's High school experience as a young man reaching for the stars and taking the ultimate risks in achieving his dreams of being a successful recording artist. "Lincoln High" was conceptualized, written and recorded in multiple cities including Toronto, Atlanta, and L.A due to traveling tour dates.

The EP is diverse and it showcases Lincoln's numerous attributes such as writing singing and rapping. It captures the essence of High School in a rhythmic motion. Love stories, heartbreaks in a cool, calm and collected manner. Lincoln is an individual you need to keep on your radar.





Stream Lincoln High EP here
Download Lincoln High EP here


Doman & Gooding ft. Dru & Lincoln - Runnin'

The Overwerk Project

Edmond Huszar, a London, Ontario habitant, is an up and coming Electro House producer with the alias Overwerk.

"My original passion was visual art & graphic design. I was actually working on a design portfolio that I had named “overworked” because I’m always working on so many projects. I really liked the ring it had and decided to use it when I went solo. I changed “worked” to “werk” in tribute to “Kraftwerk” who were pioneers in the electronic music genre." - Edmond Huszar (Vynil Penetration)

He's began work on his first free EP titled "The Nth º". You can find more information and updates on Overwerk by following the social media links posted below.




This is the first post of it's kind on From Toronto, With Love and we're proud to feature a young talented Canadian artist that is making a name for himself.
Latest tracks by OVERWERK

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson EP

The Infamous Mobb Deep member, Prodigy, has not wasted any of his valuable time since being released from a prison sentence. His dedication to his music and his fans is as persistent as ever. He's released a new EP titled "The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson Story EP".

Since being incarcerated for three years on gun possession, the Queens, New York emcee has been working hard in the studio. Since his recent release, he's announced a book tour for "My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy", he's released some tracks, including a shocking one featuring Nas, and he's been in the studio with associates since as early as the first day of his release.

Who exactly is Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson?

Born on October 31, 1905 and died on July 7, 1968, Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson, was a mob boss and bookmaker in New York City's Harlem neighborhood. The main Harlem associate of the Genovese crime family, Johnson's criminal career has inspired films and television. Bumpy was the toast of Harlem, and became friends with many Harlem luminaries such as Bill "Bojangles" RobinsonLena HorneBillie HolidaySugar Ray Robinson. He also became sort of an unofficial crime boss of Harlem; no one could conduct criminal activities in his section of New York without first going through him.

Powered by Complex, the 7-track offering features a guest appearance from Havoc and production from Alchemist, Sid Roams, and King Benny.

The tracklist for Prodigy's "Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson Story EP" is listed below. DOWNLOAD HERE

1. The One & Only (Produced By Sid Roams)
2. Go Off (Produced By Sid Roams)
3. Black Devil (Produced By Sid Roams)
4. Twilight (Feat. Havoc) (Produced By Sid Roams)
5. For One Night Only (Produced By Alchemist)
6. Strong (Produced By King Benny)
7. Told Ya'll (Produced By Sid Roams) (Bonus)

UPDATE

Coodie travels with Lord Nez (Creative Control) to Queens, NY to visit Prodigy. The clip features appearances by Tony Yayo and snippets from "The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson EP". Quotes stuck on the walls full of motivation really display the enthusiasm, seriousness and dedication to the music.


WELCOME from Creative Control on Vimeo.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Kid Kold - U Love



What's there not to like?

From rhyming over a J. Dilla crafted instrumental(if you know this blog, you know how much we love Dilla), from mentioning the very first Aunt Viv(Fresh Prince) to mentioning Mobb Deep, to questioning the Roc-A-Fella break up, to exposing the combo for Shryuken(down, forward, up, y) and to just providing you with a smooth song and a smooth video that comes along with it.

There's a sense of humbleness that you receive from this artist and we support it. We love the sound and we love that it's local.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Cassette Chronicles

The very first time Nitty Scott MC charged her way on this blog, this writer entered a state of excitement and anticipation. She had just dropped her video for her "Monster" freestyle and had released two songs to go along with it.

My reaction to those songs is as follows: "Her charismatic aura plus her critical yet soothing delivery of words and rhymes reminds me so much of Lauryn Hill. Not only that, but this particular female is like the wittiness of Jean Grae fused with the rawness of Foxy Brown. I know comparing a new comer to Lauryn Hill may sound ludicrous but believe me once you listen to her, you'll love it."

The second time I found myself posting about Nitty, I found myself in a state of competitiveness and joy, these were my words: "Watch out mainstream, there might be a new queen knocking over the current multi-hair-coloured-aesthetic-silicone-filled "top" female MC. (Cheap shots? I think so)"

She has just released her first mixtape titled "The Cassette Chronicles" presented by Mick Boogie. Cover art and download link after the jump.

Just Another Love Story?

Produced by D-Animals, Mike-Dash-E gives you the sequel to the "Thrill" video as he fast forwards to being a part of the industry. This song is off his solo debut album "Dash with Me" which is now available on i-tunes, rasputins and mikedashe.com. The video also features Thomas Pridgen who is a famous Gammy award winning drummer.

The song features vocals by Viveca Hawkins, a young singer from Berkley, CA. Viveca has performed and recorded with a who’s who of soulful hip hop outfits, including Blackalicious, Goapele, Soulive, The Coup feat. Blackthought & Talib Kweli, MF Doom, Pharoah Monch, Cee Lo, Slum Village.

Aris Jerome, the director of the video, continues to build an impressive resume with his exceptional and captivating videos. This video elaborates on a story of how fame and money changes relationships and the people engaged in the relationship. The video does an amazing job of capturing the emotions and frustrations of the video members.

Just another love story or just another lesson to learn? You be the judge.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Free At Last And Back In The Lab: Prodigy's Return

Ever since Prodigy, Grammy Award winning rapper and member of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep which also consists of Havoc, entered the industry, he took it by storm. Countless classic albums by Mobb Deep and Prodigy alone have solidified the Queensbridge duo as hip hop legends.

Havoc and Prodigy started rhyming in 1986, then later they both attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City. Havoc took the role of producer and secondary MC, while Prodigy assumed the position of primary MC. Originally dubbing themselves the Poetical Profits, the duo later changed its name to Mobb Deep in order to "reflect their reputation on the streets." To this fan, Mobb Deep is perhaps one of the greatest hard-core East Coast hip-hop groups of all times. Prodigy and Havoc are best known for their dark and hardcore delivery, gritty instrumentals and their never-ending vivid exploitation of the harsh realities in today's ghetto neighbourhoods. Below are two of my favourite Mobb Deep videos; Shook Ones Part II and Quiet Storm. Quiet Storm is probably in my top 5 videos of all time.

Mobb Deep as a group have released 9 albums: Juvenile Hell (1993), The Infamous (1995), Hell on Earth (1996), Murda Muzik (1999), Infamy (2001), Amerikaz Nightmare (2004), Blood Money (2006), The Infamous Archives (2007), The Safe Is Cracked (2009).


Recently, Prodigy served a three-year prison sentence in a midstate correctional facility. He was officially released on March 7, 2011.

Prodigy comes from a musical family—his grandfather, Budd Johnson, and his uncle Keg Johnson are remembered for their contributions to the Bebop era of jazz. In the year 2000, Prodigy took a temporary break from the group and released his first solo effort. "H.N.I.C." which stands as an acronym for "Head N**** In Charge". Prodigy enlisted a number of producers for the album, including The Alchemist, EZ Elpee, Rockwilder, Just Blaze and his Mobb Deep partner Havoc. The single "Keep It Thoro" (embedded below) received moderate video and radio rotation. A sequel, H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 was released April 22, 2008.



Since his release from prison, Prodigy has been locked up inside the studio with Havoc, close affiliate The Alchemist, a hip hop producer, DJ and rapper from Beverly Hills, California. I stumbled upon a UStream of Prodigy in the booth and the excitement became a constant build up until I saw Prodigy enter the recording booth and start reciting these rhymes that had me reminiscing the old Prodigy. A new song has been released titled, "Dog Shit" which features previous affiliate turned enemy and now friend, Nas.



It feels like it's the return of the late 90's. Keep your eyes out for new music by Mobb Deep and Prodigy.

From Toronto, With Love is BASED



OMG, God damn is he really going to make a post about this? WOOP yes he is!

There has been quite the controversy surrounding this young man as to whether this kind of music is destroying the rap game, or is it just the type of music that has an impact on what is hot right now? Lil B the Based God, also part of The Pack, has been making progress with his career, from his social media following on Twitter, to his millions of views on YouTube. He's been featured on the XXL Freshmen's list this year and has even had Diddy bring him out during a show in Texas.

Lil B has garnered a huge following and strong fan base, and has a lot of people "cooking". Want to know how to cook? Check out the video embedded below.



This Master Chef has released a few mixtapes, the most recent one called "Illusions of Grandeur", which features one single that has impressed many called "Base For Your Face", which can be viewed in the audio below. "Base For Your Face" is produced by 9th Wonder, a hip hop producer, DJ, lecturer and rapper from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A., and it features underground heavyweight femcee(female emcee) Jean Grae and one third of Little Brother, Phonte.



From (insert derogatory female term here) on his (insert the name for the male private parts) 'cause he looks like _________ (fill in the blank with any word you like) to "cooking", to controversial songs. Hate him or love him Lil B can possibly be the hottest thing in the near future.

For your viewing pleasure, check out these videos that sparked a lot of views and see what you think.

"SWAG SWAG"

Everybody Looks Forward to The Weeknd



There's a lot of buzz surrounding this 20 year old singer/songwriter straight out of Toronto, who goes by The Weeknd. With the release of his debut mixtape House of Balloons, which dropped on March 21st, Abel Tesfaye (the man behind the music) could be the next big thing to blow up. The mixtape has smooth melodies and is something the game could use right now.

Toronto native Drizzy Drake shows his support for The Weeknd, as he has recently been tweeting lyrics off the House of Balloons mixtape. With that said, there has been rumors circulating that producer 40 (Noah Shebib) who works closely with Drake, produced the mixtape for The Weeknd. The rumors were then clarified on Twitter when The Weeknd tweeted he didn't have input on the tape.

From Toronto, With Love expect to see more of this young unsigned talent. and if you haven't embraced his talent, follow the link http://the-weeknd.com/ to download the mixtape, or listen to his mixtape embedded below on From Toronto, With Love below.

Friday, April 1, 2011

The Journal of Wonders: Tale of the Phoenix in the Moon Labyrinth

Recently, I made a post about how dissatisfied I was with the state of the R&B genre. I typed away my thoughts and I used Trey Songz as a reference of how R&B had really downgraded down the ladder. I am actually quite relieved to make this post because ever since I began to listen to this artists work I've been listening to it quite frequently.

Born Glenn H. Adams Jr., the gifted Plainfield, New Jersey native has spent the better part of his life on some form of a stage. Growing up on healthy helpings of classic soul singers like Al Green, Sam Cooke, and Luther Vandross provided him with a solid musical foundation; but his more direct influences were contemporaries like Prince, Lauryn Hill, and D'Angelo.

As a member of an extracurricular high school program partnered with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Lenny's original aspiration was to be an actor. After seeing awe-inspiring performances by some of his music idols, he was compelled to try his hand at singing instead, and soon began honing his craft by performing at local talent shows. He eventually crossed paths with veteran music executive Darnell Scott, and was given the "big break" that aspiring artists always dream about.

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    Under the new direction of entertainment and media mogul Forrest Renaissance of BlackBelt Music Group and KYA Entertainment, Lenny recently released his long-awaited full-length debut album, The Journal of Wonders: Tales of the Phoenix in the Moon Labyrinth on March 22nd, 2011.

    From Toronto, With Love is proud to present you with Lenny Harold's full-length debut album, The Journal of Wonders: Tales of the Phoenix in the Moon Labyrinth. This album reconciled this long lost connection I once had with R&B. I feel synced to the music and what it represents. It's a great body of work from an artist with an obvious craving for the music. It paints on romantic canvases a painting of a gentleman in touch with reality and the joys of caressing to the needs of love. This smooth sailing is a sure pleaser to your ears and heart. The album consists of 14 original songs; production by Cass Maya; collaborations with Taylor Ryan and Solomon Cortes of WMC Productions; and the support of renowned musicians/writers responsible for some of the greatest hits in mainstream music history.



    Before meeting Scott, Lenny would find himself on the very stage that inspired him to become a vocalist. Under his old moniker CHANJ, Lenny proved an undeniable force to be reckoned with when he appeared as an "Amateur Night" contestant on Showtime at the Apollo.


    Commanding an audience known globally for its fiercely critical and sometimes brutal reception, he put his own stamp on Floetry's highly received sensual ballad "Say Yes." It was the mark of a consummate performer, as he recalls, "It was a lukewarm reception as I began to sing the song, but I just kept going… it turned into cheers and people standing and clapping." He won the challenge not once, but four times— earning a $25,000 dollar grand prize for his final victory. Footage of his captivating performance of the song on the Apollo and shows at other live venues has generated thousands of hits on YouTube.

    After friends insisted the song’s originators see him pay homage at the Apollo performance, former Floetry vocalist Marsha Ambrosius was equally impressed with his version of her composition and was thrilled to work with him on the track "Give it All." He says of the Grammy-winning songwriter, "Working with Marsha was incredible. I'm such a fan of hers and she wound up being a fan of me too, which made for great chemistry in the studio." Lenny was able to nurture his own budding skills as a songwriter on the project while working alongside a host of industry heavy-hitters. He says, "I really just wanted to get involved with different people with different ideas. And I wanted to learn a lot so that I would have a lot more knowledge on how to really construct a song, or really get the best out of a harmony." In addition to Ambrosius, some of his collaborators included Jaime Foxx, Teddy Riley, Dre & Vidal, Adonis, and Day 26's Robert Curry and Mike City.