Here’s a different take on ‘Scarface’ from the 3:33 crew. Check out their forthcoming EP here. Double vinyl Marcberg re-issue with two bonus tracks available here.

Roc Marciano - ‘Scarface [33:3 Mix]‘

First video from from the Dr. Lecter album. produced by Tommy Mas.
Video directed, shot and edited by Alexander Richter & Tom Gould.
Cop that Bronson LP here. I’ll be posting my review shortly…

After beginning his career as a child prodigy of sorts, Keyboard Money Mike went on to have a long and varied career in the music game, and was involved in the earliest records of Ultramagentic MC’s and KRS-One before he was made the Vice President of B-Boy Records. These days he’s involved with everything from producing dance music in Europe to TV commercials, and was kind enough to take the time to talk to Unkut about the old days.

Robbie:How did you get your name?

Keyboard Money Mike: Two ways that name came up. I was always Money Mike. When I was young I had money because I was on Broadway shows, I was performing in jazz bands, so as I kid I was always making money. I became Keyboard Money Mike – we was on tour with Latifah, MC Lyte, Awesome 2, Public Enemy, Tim Dog, it was a lotta groups on tour. We was at one of the hotels, and Flavor Flav played piano. So I said, ‘Flav, let me play a little something for you’. So I got on the piano and start playing and he says, ‘Yo, man! Keyboard man!’ I said, ‘No, no, no. It’s Keyboard Money Mike’. He said, ‘Yeah, but you’re the keyboard man!’ ‘No, you call me Keyboard Money Mike, Flav’. He like, ‘Who the hell gave you that name?’ And then I said, ‘Ted Riley‘. I did a show with Ted one time, and the way I was playing the keyboards at one the rehearsals, he called me ‘Keyboard’ Money Mike, and that’s when I kept the name.

When did you first start working with B-Boy Records?

Let me just go through my history real quick to let you know how it all came about…Sesame Street is a very popular TV show for children. Big Bird and all those guys. Now I was one of the first Black kids to be on Sesame Street. When I was young, I got into a lot of different things. At the age of four, I got into playing piano – I was very musical when I was a young kid. Every Halloween they have something called ‘Trick or Treat’, where you go to different doors in people’s house and they give you candy and money. Well, when I went to one of these houses when I was young I saw a piano playing by itself, and I ran to the piano and my sister was like, ‘Get back over here!’ Because it was a stranger house. I just ran to the piano, so the stranger said, ‘It’s OK, let him be’, So he cut the automatic piano off and said, ‘You wanna play?’ So I just started bangin’ on the piano like the rhythm that I heard. He was like, ‘Hey, your brother go talent here! If you don’t mind, I’ll teach him?’ My music career started from that day on.
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Visuals for a new Marcy feature with UK-based producer Telemachus. Available on limited edition 7″ and digital download here.

Doo Wop & Snaggapuss recruit B.R. to unleash speech over the classic ‘J.Beez Comin’ Through’ instro.

Bounce Squad feat. Black Rob - ‘Live At The State Building’

Artwork by Mr. Kiji

New Bronson heat from the forth-coming Dr. Lecter LP, dropping 15th March. Produced by Tommy Mas.

Black Thought - ‘Toca Tuesdays Freestyle’

One of the reasons you persevere with this rap shit just might be those increasingly rare moments when the flow, cadence and wordplay combine into a moment of pure rap supremacy. Back in Feb 2010, Black Thought had one of these moments when he unleashed two non-stop verbal tidal waves as he proceeded to demonstrate what might commonly be referred to as ‘blacking out’. Even though he was suffering from strep throat or whatever happens from too much cot-damn rappin’, it served as a refresher to – those of us who have become too accustomed to associating him with ‘sophisticated’ Roots songs – just how raw he can get.

It also got me thinking – what is your favorite moment of an MC absolutely slaughtering a beat or ‘blacking out’?

A little something from their 2009 maxi-single in case you slept.

Doppelgangaz - ‘Timbuktu’ [Remix]

Another winner from Sidewalk Science, which drops on CD, vinyl and digital on the 12 March on Ill Adrenaline. Production & cuts by 12 Finger Dan.

Beneficence feat. Prince Po & Lord Tariq - ‘With My Real People’

New Will Vill, produced by Chaze from Grim Team.

Will Vill - ‘Operation Reacquisition’

As Unkut Dot Com returns from hiatus, what better way to set things off than the first installment of a new series of regular features written by QB Rap pioneer Tragedy Khadafi…

The Intro

Rising above form and into substance…that’s what this is primarily about. Learning to think outside of the box and for some…outside of the block – as it relates to hip hop and life in general. We are officially in ‘that’ era where virtually anything is possible when applying the right information and utilizing the right kind of power…the people of Egypt manifested an aspect of that raw power in recent times by alleviating what they deemed as their ‘oppressor’, ultimately by acting upon knowledge. Does knowledge equate to power? Not exactly. Sure a lot of us have heard the cliché ‘knowledge is power’…but it’s a lot more to it than that…knowledge is nothing if not properly utilized or put into ACTIVATION. Just how the majority of hip hop is straight ‘zombie-music’ with no life in it because most of the vital information that has been released and or developed over the years is no longer being infused in the music we’re being fed, therefore the only thing where acting upon is MISINFORMATION. This basically means that the misinformation isn’t developing real knowledge for anyone to act upon which will produce real wealth and power in the lives/minds of the listener. And this produces no growth. Growth isn’t or shouldn’t just be equated to what an artist or entertainer in the industry is making dollar wise or generates based on sales. Because that isn’t really a sign of TRUE GROWTH. Just as a person’s wealth can’t be defined by the cars, jewelry, and or clothing they possess. But as stupid as it is, that’s exactly how a lot of us define wealth and growth.
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