What's upper! The "RapAttackLives.com Exclusive Promo Only Double Vinyl-Volume One" will be dropping this month roughly between April 14-21st. We are mastering the vinyl now. The response from artists, dj's & labels to get on this has been overwhelming. This is not a tool that I'm trying to make a profit from cause if you noticed what we're charging to get your track (clean & dirty version) on the vinyl, gettin' 500 vinyls pressed to service our Rap Attack panel exclusively & mail out the vinyls to our panel & selected labels, you are getting more than your moneys worth! I felt Rap Attack needed to figure out a way to help up & coming artists & labels who don't have a big budget to get their ish pressed & mailed out & a way for us to help your artist get the best groundbreaking support & airplay from our dedicated panel of dj's who break the majority of new Hip-Hop music first & of course very reliable & honest when they send you feedback. As big as record mogul Tommy Mattola is, he's even picked Rap Attack as a means to break his new signing of NSS16 & put their debut joint on our debut "Volume One" vinyl. Big thanks goes out to my potnah, Ahsan "The Golden Child" from WRSU in NJ & D-Media Group who is helping me with this new venture. Here's who will be featured on our "Volume One" vinyl compilation. Stay tuned as "Volume Two" dropping in May 2004 is already near sold out:

Strange Fruit are two emcee's, Stonehands and Ol' Soul based outta L.A.'s "818" & "213" area codes. Rhyming together as a group for the past four years, Strange Fruit describes their sound as raw & uncut Hip-Hop bordering between the sounds of Outkast to Black Eyed Peas. "We don't just use samples in our music but incorporate live instrumentation," says Ol' Soul. Strange Fruit can best be described as the neo-soul & ambience of Hip-Hop & after you peep their debut "Who Killed Hip-Hop (Gangsta's Die Young)" you will soon see & hear this group becoming the next big ish to break out big from Southern Cali!

Ex-NFL linebacker & former member of the Denver Broncos & Seattle Seahawks, Hillary Butler, aka Hill-B is no stranger to the mic since he was 13 years old! Just completing his 1st solo album debut as a Producer/Artist with "Different Game, Same Aim," you'll get to peep his debut single "It's A Fiesta" on your one's & two's. Unlike other kats from pro NFL & NBA status turned part time rapper, Hill-B stands out on his own & has the lyrical skills & production skills to prove others wrong as he takes his passion to full time status. Hill-B expects nothing less than the same success "off the field" that he has experienced "on the field" as he focuses on his new venture into the music industry.

Specifics is a three man crew outta Montreal, Canada with local DJ Goser from Montreal, Think Twice originally from the west coast U.S. & Golden from Vancouver, B.C.. Together as a group for four years, the name Specifics comes from attention & detail to the beats, lyrics & cuts. Already making a huge buzz & big noise in Montreal, their name speaks for itself, "Expression & learning about each other through music & making people come together & nodding heads!" Each group member's musical influences ranges from Dean Martin to Pete Rock to Busta Rhymes. Get ready as Montreal blesses the U.S. with their single, "TGIM" & the name Specifics becomes one of Hip-Hop's household names as our Rap Attack panel gets the opportunity to be the first to break & make this group!

Get ready as these four very diverse girls (African American, Asian, Latina & White descent) hit the mic! NSS16 is their name & they've landed a sweet record deal under  record label mogul, Tommy Mattola's new label, Casablanca Records. "OopDeeWopDee" featuring David Banner is produced by Grammy winner & hitmaker, Gregory Lawson. NSS16 covers it all musically when it comes to pop, Hip-Hop, r&b and soul. Rap Attack is very privileged to be picked as one of the outlets in breaking NSS16 via our loyal & dedicated Rap Attack dj's! "OopDeeWopDee" is Hip-Hop meets reggae & again, we get the opportunity to be the first to break NSS16 before this group crosses over!

A native of Raleigh, NC & now reppin' the ATL, J Bully's been rapping since he was in the 4th grade! "When breakdancing was the shit, I was too fat to backspin, & too broke to buy turntables so rapping became my forte'," says J Bully. Describing his sound as "Educated Thug Muzik," J Bully is a battle emcee who focuses on his lyrics but his education & street influences have made his style gutter, witty & unpredictable. Originally known as "Tha Jugganaut" then "Jugga The Bully," J decided to shorten his emcee name to "J Bully" to keep from having to whoop muthaf#cka's ass when they mispronounced his name! "Hot Shit" is the single that's gonna put this bully on the maps via college rap radio, internet rap shows & of course mixtape dj's! Watch the streets, clubs & radio react to "Hot Shit" as J Bully bullies his way onto your wheels of steel!

King Gordy is on the road this week touring the U.S. & we've got the cities & dates. For more info regarding tickets & King Gordy radio interviews in your paret of town, hit up Hahnsolo at WEB Entertainment: Office: 248-414-9100 / Cell: 734-945-5156 / email: hahnsolo@webentertainmentrecords.com.

Dates with Tech N9ne:

April 9^th Minneapolis MN

April 16^th Oklahoma City OK

April 17^th Columbia MO

April 28^th Fort Collins CO

April 29^th Denver CO

May 12^th Reno NV

May 13^th Chico CA

May 14^th Seattle WA

May 15^th Portland OR

May 16^th Eugene OR

May 22^nd El Paso TX

May 27^th Merced CA

May 28^th Sacramento CA

May 29^th Peteluma CA

May 30 Gilroy CA

June 25^th Sioux City IA

Here's what's up with our very own O.G., Tazzy Taz from EnLaCasa.com, " BIG UP to the legendary DJ Rolo 1-3!!!!! Lion King Sound run tings every time!!!! For those who don't know, Rolo is on the 3rd volume of "Sound Klash Ammo" Dub Plate Blends and Breaks. It's a Hip Hop Reggae Party/Break Record. This shit is essential for any DJ spinning on the Radio, Mix-Shows, Clubs and Mix-Tapes. Straight FI-YA!!!! Go to http://www.deadlymix.com/ to hear the tracks and for more info on the Sound Klash Ammo series. These joints are available on vinyl. Ask for it at your local record store. It's distributed by Strictly Hits outta Oakland, CA.. Big shout out to Latin Prince and the Bum Squad DJ's. Peep the site out at: http://www.bumsquaddjz.com/. It's all about where DJ's and music meet. En La Casa Spanish 101: Be on the lookout for Tomorrowz Weaponz with their heater "Mira Mira." I first heard this joint on DJ Vlad's “Hot In Here” Vol. 4 Mix-Tape and thought: instant banger! Don’t be fooled by the language. These cats kill it in both English and Spanish (Spanglish). Real dope track too.
Peep it and holla back with your feedback. http://www.enlacasa.com/music/TomorrowzWeaponzMiraMira.mp3
For you cats with a Latin Demographic, peep Thirstin Howl III "Ya Tu Sabe" at: http://www.enlacasa.com/music/ThirstinHowlYaTuSabe.mp3 and
Cypress Hill feat. Tego Calderon "Latin Thugs" at: http://www.enlacasa.com/music/CypressHillLatinThugs.mp3. Both Latin Hip Hop Flava'ed joints that have both radio and club potential appeal. En La Casa TV Video Show now broadcasting on PCA - Petaluma Community Access," Tazzy Taz... Congrats to Aaron Wade from Milwaukee's WMSE celebrating his 6 years breakin' that phat Hip-Hop on the radio airwaves! You can peep his show online Tuesday nights 9PM-12MID at: www.latenighthypeshow.com. Aaron will be chillin' at the "Hip-Hop Generation" conference in Madison, WI this April 16-18... What's going on at Portland's KPSU? " Big ups to the Visionaries and Lyrics Born for coming by the studio and lacing us up with some in-studio freestlyles and interviews! Soon it should be posted up at: www.kpsu.org if anyone wants to check it out. The Visionaries show was definitely dope and worth checking out if they are coming through your area. Lyrics Born was also ill, especially with the edition of the female vocalist (her name escapes me right now). KPSU is starting its pledge drive soon so if anyone is interested in donating let me know we can work it out so you, your label or buisness can get some on-air plugs. Just let me know," DJ Honeycut (KPSU)... WEAA's "Strictly Hip-Hop Anniversary Special" is coming this April 24th & Vegas is in need of your support to make this anniversary special a huge success by sending him giveaways & radio drops from your srtist. You can reach Vegas at: Morgan State University (WEAA 88.9fm), Room 401 Banneker Building, 1700 E. Coldspring Lane, Baltimore, M.D. 21251. Phone #: (443) 885-1492...

Here is a newspaper review from the Hudson Duster (March 20th) written by Kirsten Ferguson of DJ Toast's 15 years in radio celebration on WRPI! Peep this fam:
For a DJ to last 15 years at a college radio station is no small achievement. Saturday night’s lineup at the Hudson Duster in Troy was an anniversary celebration for DJ Toast, whose popular Friday night hiphop show The Main Event has broadcast on WRPI 91.5 FM airwaves since 1989. For historical reference, that’s three years after the commercial breakthrough of Run-D.M.C. and a good four years before Dr. Dre let loose with The Chronic. DJ Toast’s decade-and-a-half allegiance to hiphop has earned him shout-outs from big names like the Pharcyde and Funkmaster Flex, as well as the respect of the local 518 hiphop scene. So it was no surprise that Saturday’s party was a well-attended, festive affair.

True to DJ Toast’s varied playlists, the bill featured nods to the underground-the headliner was up-and-coming New York City rapper C-Rayz Walz-while referencing hiphop’s “golden age” with a set by Craig G, a member of the legendary 1980s Juice Crew. The rest of the show was dedicated to the area’s undersung hiphop talent, with worthwhile sets by Poughkeepsie native El Gant (a four-time battle champion on MTV’s Direct Effect) and several 518 acts. Local DJs C-Nyce and Kutt Masta Supreme laid down backing tracks and spun music in between sets; area hiphop booster Sev Statik provided feel-good energy in his well-worded performance; rapper JB had a barbed-wire, urban sensibility; and boisterous duo Fund the Mentals warmed up the show with coarse humor that verged on obnoxious, yet sufficiently roused the crowd.

With a bill so packed, it was nearly 2 AM before headliner C-Rayz Walz appeared on the stage. (Actually, it was a balcony, which meant the visibility was good but the neck suffered.) Fortunately, the Bronx native had the energy to keep people engaged at that late hour. Walz records for New York City’s Definitive Jux, an artist-owned independent hiphop label that has fans among rap purists as well as college-age indie rockers. During his set, Walz covered much of the material on his 2003 Def Jux album, Ravipops. A renowned freestyler and battle MC, Walz spat out words in a dense jumble of quick-witted metaphors that referenced everything from pop culture to mythology. (In “The Essence,” he manages to name-check Gandhi, Godzilla, Persephone, Jay-Z and Jabba the Hut alongside low-rent catalogue retailer Fingerhut.)

Walz is the son of a murdered drug dealer, and his rhymes often touched upon the gritty realities of urban life (“We live where heavy metal ain’t a rock magazine/Where children get shot down by Glock magazines/We live where there’s no God in the sky/But we live because we can’t die”). Yet even the grittier numbers were informed by a refreshing positivism, particularly when Walz rapped about his dedication to his children (“Protect My Family”). And his moves were fun to watch, whether he bopped across the stage like a jester or playfully pressed his face against the bars of the balcony railing as if imprisoned by the Hudson Duster...

Edgie Kokowski is back with his latest 411 straight outta WUNH in NH: "I guess I was a little sad this week to hear that Dr. Dre has given up work on his album "Detox" and has stated that he will never record another studio album again. Although his two mega smash albums have certainly been group efforts, with some Dre-less tracks on them, it's still kinda sad. Apparently Dre has given all the beats from the album to his other artists. Even if the rhymes are ghost written like before, I'd still kinda rather hear Dr. Dre over Dr. Dre beats much more than Eve or Busta Rhymes over Dre beats. You can't replace a classic character, even if the backdrop is the same. Just ask Coy & Vance Duke. And our good pal Ma$e is planning a return to Hip-Hop, with a new "clean" God-inspired album. And here I thought God was on my side when I prayed to Christ in 1998 that M.A.dolla sign would disappear off the face of the planet! So I took in "Dawn of the Dead" this past weekend, and I have to say, I learned a valuable lesson. It just goes to show that you should always keep a loaded shotgun in your house and several thousand rounds of ammo on hand just in case you wake up one morning to find out that your neighbors and spouse are flesh eating zombies. On a contrary note, "Scooby Doo 2" showed that all you need is a gay van and a few massive tool friends to defeat monsters. Hmmm....which solution would I pick?," Edgie K...DJ Primetime from NY's WRFT is back in his promotions mode as he just laced our panel with the phat new Chief Kamachi joint "The Best" featuring Guru (Good Hands Recording). The label's based outta Philly & the "Mic Messiah" aka Chief Kamachi teams up with legendary Guru from Gang Starr. DJ Kwestion provides the beat & laces the cuts to blaze "The Best." The b-side "Queen," is Chief's tribute to the soul sistas along with "#13" which is produced by DJ Mighty Mi which features fellow Philly up & comer, Reef The Lost Cauze. To get laced & get custom drops, etc., hit up Primetime online at: hiphopradio1988@yahoo.com & peep out their site at: www.goodhandsrecords.com... Check your mail this week for a couple phat bangers from Planet Asia "Right Or Wrong" (Avatar - #323.878-1100) and straight outta the AZ., Survivalist "Bang Bang" (Slave Ent.- #602. 295-0026)... The Urban Network Conference is quickly approaching. The place to be from May 5-8 is at Palm Springs' Riviera Resort. I've already contacted my panel on who has plans on going. I need to know who is going for sure so Christina Alonzo (UN's Rap Editor-see photo above) & I can work on getting hotel rooms locked down for our dj's. For more info you can call Christina directly at (213) 388-4155 at extension 108 or via her new email address: calonzo@urbannetwork.com. You can also log on to: www.urbannetworkmags.com for more info... You know I gotta spread some of my PINOYPRIDE LOVE out to my fam who peeps this column weekly! Click on this link courtesy of my pare' reppin' my hometown in da "206," DJ R-Sin from Seattle's KUBE 93 HotMix Show: Learn About the Filipino Culture

SHOUT OUT TIZIME: Happy Birthday to Brian Samson. Alan Gordon formerly of Rap Pages (great hearing from you homie! back in the Yay & you'll make ish happen again!). Marv Mack reppin' TopNotch Promotions (always lookin' out. thanks potnah). Shemia " "www.shemiamiller.com " Miller (keep ya' head up cause BIG things are comin' your way! Keep throwin' up the "W" in Savannah & I'll see you in Cali soon). To my fam outta FAN (Filipino American Network-Ern Llamado, Kelly Woo, Icy-Ice, Arnold Noche, Kat Corrido, Philip Embuido, Moonie & DJ E-Man (L.A.'s Power 106FM). To my very special comadre', L.A. Nevins (my Korean Beef & Boba ese' por vida! Apurate', apurate'! xoxo)...

PEACE, LOVE & HIP-HOP UNITY (God Bless & Isa Mahal),

Nasty-Nes

(Pinoy Pride4Life / John 3:16)