PROJECT BLOWED! Who the F@#$ is you?
taogoat | the mothership | 04/19/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The legendary Project Blowed open mic night at 4343 Leimert Blvd in the heart of South Central LA began 10 years ago. It was at the Blowed - an extension of the Good Life Café - where MCs such as Freestyle Fellowship, Chillin Villain Empire, Hip Hop Kclan, Of Mexican Descent, Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, and Busdriver honed their skills. The crew as a whole came to be called Project Blowed.
The first Project Blowed comp, put out in '94 by Aceyalone & Abstract Rude, is an underground classic, so the expectations for this 10th anniversary release are ridiculously high. But, the bottom line is: Buy this album. Any collection by the Blowedians is going to have some gems that you won't be able to hear from any other crew. The DVD alone is worth $20. Here's a list of the DVD features:
I. Interview footage (15 min) - a mini-documentary about the Project Blowed open mic, consisting of numerous brief interviews with such Blowed luminaries as Aceyalone, Mikah 9, Abstract Rude, Busdriver, 2mex, Ellay Khule, Ben Caldwell (owner of the Blowed, I believe), Medusa, Subtitle, Otherwize, Sunspot Jones (Living Legends), Adlib (Thavius Beck), Phoenix Orion, Volume 10, Brother J (X-Clan), Kale, Hines, Akil, Jah Orah, and others.
II. Footage from the Project Blowed 10th Anniversary Concert (27 min) -
1.Freestyle Fellowship (Aceyalone & Mikah 9) - Mary
2.Hip Hop Clan (Ellay Khule & Pterradacto)
3.Busdriver - Happiness(`s Unit of Measurement)
4.Phoenix Orion & Sunfire
5.Medusa - Pimps Down, Flows Up (with a capella & beat box)
6.Haiku d'Etat - Triumvirate
7.2mex
8.Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Chu, Mikah 9, PEACE, Ellay Khule - sick flows & freestyles
III. Music Videos (approx. 20 min) - Aceyalone: Mic Check (w/ CVE & a capella); Knownots (w/ Mikah 9 & Abstract Rude); I Think; Moonlit Skies. Good Brothers: Give it Here. Abstract Rude: All Day. Medusa: My Mamma Raised a G.
Ellay Khule & Pterradacto absolutely RIP IT live. Definitely a highlight of the DVD. They're followed by Busdriver, who does a sick live version of "Happiness" from his new album. Medusa's commanding voice flows over beats, beatboxes, & a cappella. Haiku's "Triumvirate" sounds even better live. 2mex rips a medley of verses over a hardcore Franz Ferdinand beat and has all the heads bobbin' & moshin'. The finale is a posse medley of sick battle verses - Mikah 9 and PEACE especially will make your jaw drop. You have never heard PEACE rap like this before, man... he just kills it. There's some technical difficulties & the beat stops when Khule starts rhyming & he seamlessly freestyles telling DJ Drez to bring the beat back. The only bad thing about the concert footage is that it should have been longer.
What are you waiting for, buy it already.
"
Project Blowed, what's the code?
DukeOfEarl | Phoenix, AZ United States | 04/26/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Obviously, with a compilation cd, everybody's not necessarily gonna put out their A+ material, but that doesn't mean they're gonna slack off. The whole cd is actually pretty good. First time through, I swear I wasn't feeling it until like the last few tracks. Tracks #17-21 being a standout portion of this cd. This is a testament to the power and eclecticism of the Project Blowed from L.A. They don't strictly just have conscious MC's. They have a little of everything. What they do share is a high-skill level all-around. Also, most these cats have the ability to flow at high-speed paces.
The two songs I'm feelin' the most are "13th Month" and Longevity & Aceyalone on "Ruff Rhymes," which bangs nicely in the car. The two main parts of this whole album are track #'s 5-10 and 17-21. I really like some of the contributions by the groups: tracks from CVE, Hip Hop Clan, Acid Reign, and Abstract Tribe Unique are excellent. Newcomers Customer Service show much talent on track #4. Other songs worth mentioning are the short "Jazzy Girl Freestyle" w/ Mikah 9, Busdriver, & others and the unexepected twang of "Mama & Papa Raised Right." Pigeon John, Sach, and Ellay Khule have an undoubtedly excellent and uplifting song with "The People." Jah Orah ends it up with energy (don't forget the hidden track afterward with 2Mex and someone else) and I can't forget the Blowed's new anthem "Who The F*ck Is You?" "Cray Crazy" is really different: they're talkin' about computers and robots (in an I, Robot light) and is truly a bug-out moment. Good stuff throughout. Only tracks I'm not feelin' are in the middle, like #'s 13-15.
This also comes with a DVD with some videos (which you can see most of them on projectblowed.com) and live footage of the actual 10th Anniversary. I really liked the documentary that was featured on it: the most rewarding part of this package. The cd is pretty good though, and I recommend it to any true lover of Hiphop and underground who has missed out on this talent from L.A. I heard some more good stuff from familiar voices like Acey, Mikah, Abstract, & Busdriver but was introduced to some talent that I wasn't aware of. I'm definitely gonna look out from stuff in the future from Jah Orah, Phoenix Orion, CVE, Hip Hop Clan & Ellay Khule, Acid Reign, Medusa, Longevity, and Customer Service...names that could go down in Hiphop history. Don't sleep on this. These cats are about something significant and real. Busdriver, Abstract Rude, Mikah 9, Phoenix Orion, Ellay Khule, Medusa, CVE, Jah Orah, Pigeon John, Pterradacto, Customer Service, and, oh yeah...Aceyalone. Get familiar with these names! Best thing about this: it's just the tip of the iceburg of what some of these artists are capable of. Support the L.A. underground scene that has enhanced the lives of so many..."
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1