Modest is a young rapper from the Burlington area and part of the Hustle, Loyalty & Respect roster. His name came up a fair few times during Sunday's recommendation marathon, so I'm spotlighting a video of his that VTHH duly slept on.
"Out My Mind" is a cut off his recent Hard Times Bring Harder Rhymes mixtape, which dropped late last year. 2017 was a busy one for him: Modest added a lot of shows to his resume and he's been hard at work in the booth, too. First up for 2018 is No Feelings, a Lil' Wayne style "remix tape."
This hilarious animated video is the first cut on the Underground Hustlin' 62 mixtape, which is hosted by Connecticut legend Apathy and available for pre-order now. It also features a few of the 802's most motivated rappers: Jibba "The Gent" alongside the tag team of Krypto Man and Eyedos, better known as JynxINC, one of Vermont's longest-running and most prolific groups.
And everyone is on their A+ game here, because...well, you know: Apathy.
Machete Ish Records has been putting in a ton of work in 2017. Eyedos has released a killer solo LP, Guerrilla Bars, which features Ruste Juxx, C-Rayz Walz and Kool G Rap. (That track slaps, too -- check out "Gun Smoke" if you haven't already.) Then he dropped another album, the sprawling posse cut blitzkrieg that is Minds Eye Tribe.
Still to come in 2017, though, is a new JynxINC full length, "Devil May Care Too" -- a sequel to their '05 album which drops on Halloween. Guest features include Slaine, Intrinzik, and Killah Priest.
Jibba "The Gent" and Eyedos will both be playing sets next Saturday (Oct. 14th) at the Khaosity Birthday Bash at Social Club & Lounge. 7 pm. $2 until 10 pm, $5 after that. 21+.
Monday Motivation: we've got a brand new video to get the week started, courtesy of BulletProof Dolla and the tireless team at DVP Cinematography.
BulletProof Dolla delivered a triumphant set at the "Vermont's Finest" showcase on Sept. 14th, and his new video is a smart move to keep the momentum rolling. "Intro" is a fast, flashy piece of work that showcases Dolla's ability to flip between flows like he's channel surfing. It's a hard-hitting introduction and a great looking business card for the Youtube era.
You can catch more of his work -- including a new mixtape - streaming on good old Soundcloud.
This video is both low-key hilarious and exceptionally well shot.Budnick has been evolving into a prolific rapper with an understated flow and a healthy sense of humor. This video is a pretty perfect introduction to his world. Director / photographer Ben Kennedy does expert work with framing and light here -- this looks awesome, front to back.
Daaaaaaaaamn. This video represents a lot of work. Props to Texas-based Eric Power for a fantastic piece of art.
The Aardvarcheologist is a producer from...well, the hills, let's leave it at that. He's recently released an album, the Vermonster Mash Mixtape, featuring a big cast of Vermont artists. (Stream it here.) There's a lot of talent on that tape -- check it out.
The state of the art for local rap videos has been upgraded in the past few years. "Maple Syrup," which was shot by Matt Graham Visuals, is a standout on par with Chyse's excellent "Too Cool" video from late last year. It's a smooth, professional piece of work.
It's also an unambiguously fun song, and they clearly had a blast making this.
Jibba the Gent has recently made a remix-ready version of Maple Syrup available on Soundcloud. As long as you credit the producer, ThenWhat, along with Jibba & Jun Fargo on the hook, anyone can lace their own version of this single. If there are any standouts, we will definitely post them here.
Vermont's dirty south is poised for a damn strong 2017, with solo releases from Jibba the Gent and Vazy, the continuous rise of Maiden Voyage, and the tireless hustle of Legit Lioness and the Street Religion crew. Expect to see a lot more points on the board before this year is through.
This sun-drenched video is a great introduction to Pensive & LoKi of the MilkHaus Records collective. Over a funky, driving beat by producer ET, they take you on a tour of their home base -- and whole aesthetic.
This is the first video off S.I.N.siZZle's latest album, Winters in Vermont. This was shot by Trezise Productions and holy shit, does it look good. Cinema grade product, bud. The beat is a cold, mournful banger and Mr. Instant Classic laces it up right - clearly laying out the theme for this project and his goals as an artist.
Journalism demands that I do some research on what this "One Take Contest" is, but all that matters is that this is dope, right? Whatever this is, Jarv should win: this concludes my nuanced, carefully considered opinion. An entertaining performance with a hell of a strong finish.
If you want to vote & participate in this contest, do so via this official link. Dude needs a minimum of 300 "shares" on Facebook to qualify. The future is stupid, but hey, we're all stuck here.
Jarv has had a busy 2017, leading off with his album The Boiler Room -- (reviewed here, TL;DR it is quite damn good.) You can listen to and purchase that puppy right here, right now.
This video was shot in Windsor, Vermont by Ben Kennedy. The Boiler Room has no shortage of singles, but this one definitely captures the vibe. The album is heavy on funky, and nothing about that is bad.
Back from a tour with R.A. the Rugged Man, Jarv has recently been featured on Bucktown USA project, the Building Bridges Cypha. (More on that soon.)
Side Note:Dang, it has been a good year for videos -- in fact, this is the second one Jibba the Gent has released this year. Check out "I'm Dead" if you haven't already. Everyone has been stepping the quality control up considerably.
This is a political jam off Jibba the Gent's upcoming album, The Broccoli Tree. Given the current clown-car climate of our fine country, he felt compelled to release this puppy ASAP, for reasons that will become obvious as you watch it. Enjoy.
Another fresh performance video from young phenom Jarv of Windsor crew Maiden Voyage, running through some signature tongue-twisters. Remember, Jarv is about to embark on tour with RA the Rugged Man on March 13th. Props to local boys done good.
Update: Jarv will be dropping a mixtape to kick off his upcoming tour -- expect more on that shortly.
Maiden Voyage will be appearing at Greggfest in May, an annual benefit festival in honor of the memory of Lyndon State student & musician Jake Gregg.
New product from NEK emcee Freddy LeClair. This is a cut of his upcoming album, Vermont's Boy, and it's filmed on a location that I'm way too familiar with. While there's not a lot of cuts, the explosive fall colors make up for it.
I beat my computer to death last week, so the next month or so will be an exciting time for Vermont Hip Hop. Is this any good?I have no idea! I can only verify that young Mr. LeClair has claimed a lot of excellent shooting locations in the Kingdom, and despite the fact I'm only just hearing of this cat -- hat tip to Dan Bolles! -- he's got a back catalog of videos, too.
(Let me know how this sounds, if any of you get the chance.)
Short debut episode for an impressionist video series. These cats have a nice camera and they're putting it to good use. Footage covers a lot of their recent gigs, as well as the going away party for DJ Transplante, who is currently in Thailand doing awesome Buddhist things. There are also several instances of frikka-frikka-fresssssh.
Catch Self Portrait at Zen Lounge on August 7th, opening up for Nappy Roots alongside Lynguistic Civilians and Bless the Child.
I spaced out when this first dropped last week -- lost in my own Purple Universe, perhaps -- but we've gotta share this, right? New visuals for the title single off the new album from Colby Stiltz. He's collaborating with NH producer BeatsDaily, a combination that clicks nicely.
Colby Stiltz will be live in the flesh at Zen Lounge on June 19th -- more on that soon.
This was released shortly after Barack Obama was elected to his first term. I admit it, I slept. Although the video itself is charming -- and very Rutland -- the real gem here is the comment section. "I promise you dear internet, no one else in Rutland acts like this," pleads one concerned citizen...to which someone replied "RUTLAND IS HARD BODY DUDE WHATS GOOD." Not sure if that was a co-sign or what. Kids these days, you know?
J-Brook is apparently no longer with us because, to his dubious credit, he was not a fake drug dealer but a RICO-worthy case. He is currently doing a decade-plus bid in some godawful sausage party somewhere on the East Coast. Or as one sage commentator put it: "If you haters only knew what this kid did ... he's the type they make movies about."
There is also a comment from someone named "StrapOnFetus." That's real.
Props to Vermont ex-pat Colby Stiltz for refusing to half-ass his crowdfunding: to launch his next album "Down to Earth" properly, he's looking for a five figure budget. Although this is one of the larger Kickstarter campaigns I've seen, it's also one of the most realistic. The cost of doing quality work is huge, and most artists in VT operate on slower schedules than we'd like thanks to budget constraints.
Music is wicked expensive. This simple truth has kept the "Music Industry" alive and well despite 10 years of hype about their impending death. They have scale, they have resources, you do not. A local engineer / drinking buddy who had no interest in speaking on the record told me "You could spend ten grand just on your album, the beats, the sessions, the mix and master. Easy." Folks like him are wary about talking prices in public, and for good reason, too. Artists have no realistic concept of what their money entitles them to, what they themselves need to deliver, and what constitutes a reasonable payment schedule.
So yeah...design, videos, promotion...it adds up fast. Colby Stiltz is going big, and I think it's dope to be transparent about how much that really costs. The kids have to know.
Mertz is determined to make 2014 his year. In the process, he is running a clinic on how to properly promote an album. After two singles to build buzz for his forthcoming album The Good in The Bad, he follows up with a powerful video for the track "Madame Butterfly," filmed at The Groden Center.
"I'm pumped that we were able to capture footage that well-represents my inspiration for the song. It's funny, too, because the best shots we got came from the kids playing organically, with little instruction from us. Everybody had a lot of fun making the video & the parents & families loved it when we showed it at the preschool graduation ceremony, which means a lot to me." -- Mertz
