I could have gone with a hundred different Beastie Boys videos or tracks to lead this post off, but I decided “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn” was fitting for a couple of reasons. The opening skit they perform embodies their entire career. They are 100% hip-hop but have blended many genre lines since their inception. Plus this is arguably their most recognizable song of their vast catalog.

I can remember back home in Rhode Island almost never hearing Beastie Boys records on the rap stations, maybe when I was in high school and they’d throw this song on the lunch-time-rewind shows. But WAAF in Boston played their fair share of Beasties, as did WHJY in Providence, both stations predominantly rock-based. There is no editorializing here, it just always struck me as odd that it worked out that way back home. But, that’s radio. And they do fucked up things.

My best friend from elementary school through high school and I would rock his brother’s Beastie Boys tapes until they wore out. I remember buying him Paul’s Boutique for his birthday one year. At Strawberries for probably $19.99. I remember he got the Anthology for Christmas the year that came out and we made his mom play it in their Suburban. We would listen to the Beastie Boys and stare at his posters of Jenny McCarthy scantily clad for hours on end. The trio was on in the background during our first halfies, that’s for sure. Shout out to Jenny McCarthy, where ever the fuck you are.  My brother and I would blast Ill Communication at inaudible levels whenever we had the house to ourselves. The liner notes had lyrics in those days so “Get it Together” was one of the first rap songs I can recall reciting. I can’t believe I can still remember all the lyrics. Whenever someone says “the phone is ringing” to this day, no matter the instance, I finish and say “Oh my god!” in my best Q-Tip voice.

Fast forward to this morning, May 4th, 2012. I slept in because my insomnia kicked in full speed late last night, so I hit the snooze at 9:00 A.M. I briefly checked my phone as usual and saw all the nonsense I get every morning from Living Social and random Twitter updates. Nothing of any importance. Back to slumber I go. When I got up for good about an hour and a half later I checked my phone and saw a text from my close friend Angela who knows of my love for Beastie Boys, or at least my appreciation of them, and a fellow huge music fan herself. It read: “Adam Yauch what the fuck.” I asked,”Adam Yauch what??” in reply, but why else would she have texted me that exact phrase.

I knew as soon as I read it. My heart sank before I had a chance to get out of bed and drink a glass of water, before I could get the shit out of my eyes, before I even sat up. I immediately hit my Twitter time line to skim all the up-to-the-minute reports and cats where already quoting MCA lines and saying R.I.P. “Rest In Peace?,” I was thinking, “how can we be saying that already, I JUST found out. Let it sink in for Christ’s sake.” I scrolled through more trying to find a glimpse of hope, wishing it was another “Twitter-death” that some sick fuck somewhere started. But HipHopDX.com’s account verified it and then AP and all the other news outlets. Fuck. It’s true. The first actual words out of my mouth today, ten minutes after battling the news in bed, telling my girlfriend who was at her desk working already; “MCA died.” She of course already knew.

I see the public outcry when celebrities die all the time and I almost always find it foolish. I’ve never once been sad when someone in the public eye passed on. When Guru died I wasn’t sad. I was extremely angry, but not sad. I get sad when his anniversary comes around each year now, but I think the anger out weighed the sadness at the outset. Mainly because he was victim of a “Twitter-death” himself before his passing, so it took awhile to set in. Then all that bullshit that Solar put out seemingly five minutes later. That dude needs to be in the ground, not Guru or Yauch.

But there was something different about MCA. He was there in rap-form with me and my brother, with me and my best friend Joe, for so many years. And he was with me well into my blogging career, always in heavy rotation, many years later. Songs and albums almost as old as me, still spinning in my car, computer, and headphones. It finally hit me that he was gone once I tried to open the ‘fridge and get my day officially started. It made me realize that a piece of my childhood died. Which is the most cliché thing I’ve ever written but that’s the only way to explain it. I was in a funk all day, removed from my reality and distant.

I got emotional a second time when I texted my friend Susie about it. I knew her and her husband Michael, who looks a lot like MCA, are big fans too. Beastie Boys had come up numerous times throughout our friendship and she mentioned to me one of the first times she got in my car, I had one of their albums playing. “That’s when I knew you were awesome!,” she said. Which was easily one of the nicest things someone has said to me, and, hyperbole or sincere, I cried in a god-damned coffee shop upon reading it.

MCA, Ad Rock, and Mike D, and a little later Mix Master Mike, grew up with me. Whether that’s fanboy-dom, or being a “Stan” (that pains me, by the way, that Eminem of all people has is credited with that popular hip-hop vernacular … I digress) or whatever, it’s true. Through puberty, first all-nighter, first drink, first joint, first drive with my own license, first car, first apartment, my trip across the country, the pages of my blog, and most certainly my wedding, whenever that jump-off goes down. Oh and can’t forget karaoke. Yikes.

My thoughts are with Adam Yauch’s family and everyone’s life he’s influenced. A girl chasing, Brass Monkey drinking hoodlum, to a non-swearing, non-violent mostly vegan Buddhist, MCA transformed before our eyes and never once lost a fan for it or lost hip-hop credibility. These guys were and are my heroes and Adam Yauch will be sorely missed in the music world. And from now on, every time I hear a Beastie Boys song, more than ever before I’m going to revisit their time spent with me over the years.

If you live in Rhode Island, you know the name. The rest of the world will be catching on soon enough. Milez Grimez. The talented, hard-nosed emcee has been putting in work locally for a decade-plus, and lately he’s been starting to branch out by being noticed, co-signed, and featured by some of hip-hop’s most respected. I was able to sit down with Milez to ask him a few questions concerning his come-up, the music he’s making, and what he has planned for the future.

The full interview can be read after the cut. Enjoy…

Your father taught my senior seminar when I attended Rhode Island College. He’s also a published poet, so your passion for writing being hereditary goes without saying.  Tell me about your parents and how/if they’ve played a role in your pursuit of music.

I’m from a family of artists, musicians, teachers and poets. With that said, I was born with the gift to paint pictures through music. I’m a full believer that my ability as a song writer was handed down to me from my parents, who both have been experts with words before I was brought into this world. They have always supported my craft; I can’t thank them enough for that. The first cassette tape they got me was Public Enemy Apocalypse 91: The Enemy Strikes Black. Once I heard that tape along with much more golden era hip-hop soon to strike my ears, I knew this was a culture I would cherish forever.

Was there a defining moment/experience that helped make your decision to start writing?

I remember getting a set of turntables (Numark TT-1700′s) along with a basic mixer (Blue Dog) in ’98. I actually was trying to pursue myself as a DJ at that time, but being that the tables were belt drive, it was almost impossible for me to execute scratching. I had a decent collection of classic vinyl (90′s Hip-Hop mostly) so I began blending a capellas over instrumentals from my personal favorites. After a couple of months of practicing these routines, I started losing interest DJ’ing with the tables I had. My focus drifted more towards rhyming over instrumentals on the records; nothing serious just simplistic freestyles.

When did you decide to make rhyming a full-time part of your life?

In late ’98 a close friend of mine (who had better tables) was already writing verses in bars, which I was amazed by. I will never forget the day that he pretty much forced me to write a rhyme for one of his homemade mix-tapes. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shook to rhyme alongside this dude, as this was my first time ever writing a verse. About a half hour later my verse was done and we recorded through a cheap mic plugged into his Aiwa stereo. That was one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever felt. As amateur it may sound now, we felt like our lyrics were about to change the world.

Early 2000 there was a Talib Kweli show we attended, where I ended up approaching the stage for the first time. Once again, I found myself nervous and scared of rejection from the crowd. This was a huge audience so it was a must to give it my all. The amount of pressure had me looking at my feet while rhyming, but that feeling vanished instantly when I heard the crowd’s positive reaction about twenty-seconds into my rhyme. I rocked for a good four minutes and it was monumental. That night changed me, I was convinced my destiny was found.

In general, how do you believe hip-hop has changed since you’ve started? Feel free to state and elaborate on the positives and negatives.

At that particular time hip-hop was beginning to change dramatically, not for the better. Just like any other genre of music, it was becoming commercialized. I’m thankful of being born in ’85; any later I might have missed out on the peak of the culture. I was raised on rawness from the 90′s, and also studied a lot of ’80′s hip-hop searching for the roots of where it was created. In my opinion, this music made a drastic turn once the new millennium hit.

How does it feel to grow-up idolizing artists like Crooked I and Rock, then having the opportunity to work with them?

Developing as an artist has kept me sane through the best and worst points of my life. Having the opportunity to work with legends such as Kool G Rap, Rock (of Heltah Skeltah), Fredro Starr and Crooked I is incredible. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. As a youth I was obsessed with these specific artists, memorizing every word of their songs. I used to look in the mirror and spit their verses like I wrote them. So to go from that to later in life collaborating with them is an honor I can’t even fully express in words.

You’ve also established yourself amongst the names of heralded locals such as 8th, Romen Rok, Swann Notty, and DJ Mekalek. 

My experience being an emcee from Rhode Island has also been amazing. Many people outside of “the smallest state” don’t realize the amount of talent RI has to offer. I became familiar with local legends 8th, Swann Notty, Romen Rok, Mekalek, Izma, Chachi and way too many more to think of off the top. In the beginning of my recording days (in official studios), I was still very young and couldn’t believe how much skilled work I was witnessing. I became a fan of many artists out here, instantly. My relationship with most names listed above has become much deeper than music. Everyone was about keeping hip-hop alive and active. I think that brought all of us much closer on personal levels.

From open mics/Unity to battles to Swat Team to Wundahground — tell me about your journey and how it has helped shape you as an artist.

Back in 2000-’01 I heard about a local open mic night called Unity. This is where I met most of my fellow RI artists, including 8th, Swann, and Izma, who have impacted me to stay focused on music ever since. Unity is also where I met Swat-Team, a crew full of vicious emcees which I ended up joining from ’02 up until ’05. I learned a lot about recording during that time; it was still fairly new to me. When Swat split-up I was back to looking for studio time. I consistently kept in touch with 8th, as he always impressed me with his production as well as his rhymes. If I ever purchased a beat, 99-percent of the time it was from 8th. It was in ’07 when he offered me to become a part of Wundahground and I of course agreed with the quickness. This has all inspired me to take my lyricism to the next level.

You recently won RA’s “Most Murderous Lyricist” competition over hundreds of contestants. So far, what has come of your victory? Has it helped form any new relationships? Open any new doors?

Last year I entered R.A. the Rugged Man’s “Murderous Lyricist Competition” for a chance to be on his upcoming Bad Biology soundtrack. There were hundreds of entries and I was crowned the winner, and the outcome so far has been unbelievable. Right before my victory I got a phone call from Ruste Juxx of Duck Down Records, asking me to get on his new album titled Hardbodie Hip-Hop. Before this phone call, I haven’t been hit up to be on a project by an established emcee. At that same time I was going through financial problems, so Juxx was a big wake up call to me. I also just recorded for R.A.’s Bad Biology project. I have been a big fan of R.A. and Ruste for quite some time now, and I’m blessed to be involved with their new releases.

“That’s Not Your Boy,” your song with 8th, has received some positive attention. Care to share and details?

I’m currently finishing up a project with 8th titled 8th & Milez Grimez present… When Sleeping Giants Awake. We put in a lot of time in on this for the past year, and it’s shaping up to be a classic. A little while back we were approached by a record label based out of LA about a single deal for our new song “Not Ya Boy” that’s produced by Apathy.

Basically, this is an opportunity that doesn’t come to you every day, so we will not let it pass us by. I have faith this label will help spread our music, and that’s what matters.

***BUY on iTUNES or AMAZON***

Concepts are something you seem to excel with — “Standing in Line,” “Ray’s Life,” “Leave Me Alone,” “What Used 2 Be.”  Ever consider making an album like Prince Paul’s A Prince Among Thieves or Black Trash from Sticky Fingaz?

Lately I have been cheffing up a lot of concept tracks. I feel like it brings out a different side of me on the mic, even though I’m known to prefer the punchline, in your face type of style. Concepts are mandatory if you are serious and want to be successful. They catch the listener’s ear much more than just going in with battle rhymes. I wouldn’t say I’m planning a concept album such as Prince Paul’s or Sticky’s, but there will be a great deal of topics on every project I am involved with.

What’s to be expected from Milez Grimez?

I have many plans in store for the near future. Aside from the highly anticipated 8th and Milez album, I have a solo project on the way that features an untouchable line up of guest appearances. There is no release date at the moment; I’m hoping to get it out by next year. It is done for the most part, but I have to make sure everything is solid front to back and more importantly the timing has to be right. I’ve come a long way and have no thoughts of slowing down, music is my life and always will be as long as my heart beats.

—

Now that the story is known and the music has been heard, keep it locked into TECB for all things Milez Grimez. We’re constantly updating the site with dates to his shows (check the sidebar to the right) and with all of his newest music.

A lot happened on Thursday night. Dinner on Thayer; Almost puked at The Apartment; An entire bottle of Cafe Patron, post-closing time; Spilled my guts to a few of my friends; Fought over worldly issues such as Bizarre Ride II v. Labcabincalifornia, Reachin’ v. Blowout Comb, and Madlib v. J-Zone. It was truly a night for the books.

During our debate over The Pharcyde, I mentioned their exclusive Record Store Day release you see in the above video. It’s quite possibly the illest RSD release I’ve seen to date, and I’ll surely be hitting the stores early to guarantee I leave with one in hand.  Last year I showed up an hour after doors opened and was stiffed on the Deftones vinyl I had been drooling over, but that’s neither here nor there. This is what my shopping list is looking like this year:

• The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II: The Singles Collection
• Regina Spektor - ”The Prayer of Francois Villon (Moltiva)” 7″
• Neil Young – Zuma
• The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 
• Outkast – Stankonia (for the second time)

And probably a couple of hundred others. A duplicate copy of Soviet Kitsch being one of them.

Let us know if you plan to celebrate the holy day, what stores you’ll be hitting, and what you plan to buy.

I grew up pissing my pants to Friday the 13th movies; legitimately scared of Jason and how he was going to axe me in the middle of the night. It was probably because I lived in a woodsy town and perhaps the fact that my house was a stones throw away from an actual body of water named Crystal Lake. Who knows. I do know this, though — I still watch the entire series of films on the regular and love almost all of them unconditionally. I don’t piss my pants as much anymore, but, when accidents do happen, it’s typically from laughter. (This scene being a personal favorite.)

Urine-talk aside, I’ve written the above simply as an introduction in sharing this dope design from Meta P’s new Kill Swag line of t-shirts. The work was done by our friend over at Third Electron, and supposedly he and Meta have a few more slasher-related Kill Swag ideas bubbling like burning flesh.  Although, for now, just a few more of these limited run tees with Jason’s mask are still up for grabs over here, so go get one before they’re gone.

Jubien is back with a new track off of his forthcoming mixtape, Wet Laundry, called “Cali Smog.” This track is produced by a local (Los Angeles) cat named DJ Jawa.

Stay tuned to TECB for more info on Jubein’s mixtape. As it stands now it will drop in the middle of April. Freestyles over local beats will be the theme, so be prepared to breathe in some of our LA Country air quality.

Here’s the first glimpse of what’s to come from Jon Hope’s forthcoming album Work In Progress, which will be available May 9th. “Rhode Less Traveled” is the lead single from his second full length album and will also be part of a Nike campaign. Soccer players from across the globe will be making videos to this track in an effort to land some training time with some of the game’s biggest names. Here’s the campaign’s Facebook page for more details on that. But onto the track….

Blaze P provides the backdrop as Jon Hope lays his story down. I’m proud to be from the same home state as Jon Hope and hope for the best for one of hip-hop’s most down to earth dudes. As always stay glued to TECB for more Rhode Island and national hip-hop and big-ups from TECB to Jon Hope. Peace.

Twitter is quite the funny contraption sometimes. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to link with countless artists, and more importantly, I wouldn’t have a vehicle to vent my nonsensical hate towards the stupid and the republican. It’s also funny when artists will randomly search for their name, just to see what is being said about them. Which is useful to scare the crap out of some fresh-faced twitter users, let’s say someone named Verbal Spacey a couple of years ago. I tweeted how I thought the name, IMAKEMADBEATS was kind of wack. Didn’t mention anything about his production skills, which, are anything but wack. I get a mention from the man himself no sooner than 10 minutes later saying something to the effect of “the name has no bearing on the music though, Kevin Kint.” Boom. Roasted.

Fast forward to March 5th 2012, and IMAKEMADBEATS is still making mad beats and he and Doxside Music Group are releasing a “mixtape” to showcase them. Dare Iz A Doxside Vol 2 is available here for free.99 and it includes the likes of Rock from Heltah Skeltah, Has-Lo, 9th Prince, Lil Vic, and a host of other artists that are featured on Doxside Music Group’s label. IMAKEMADBEATS shares the production duties with others on this album, but take a listen to his production on “Put You On” with Blame One, TzariZM and Midaz the Beast:

“He makes mad beats, I drop mad rhymes …” – Blame One

Word that. And I write mad blogs. Oh shit… I think that’s another blog. We might get sued for that. Peace to IMAKEMADBEATS and everybody don’t be shy, grab yourselves some Doxside.

“Write this down. M-A-R-S. Mars, bitches. Red rocks.”

This here might be bigger than our red neighbor in the sky. Mars was the closest it has been to Earth in over one-million years or something the other night. I’d give you the exact number but you have Google, skip. This track, however, might be a bigger deal for me and TECB readers. Cormega has long been one of my favorite emcees and he’s one of the nicest out of Queens not named Kool G. Rap. This is his lead single off of his next album, Mega Philosophy, and it’s dope.

Mega enlists some big names, and Large Pro gets behind the boards as Action Bronson, Roc Marciano, and Saigon fill out the bill. Stay tuned for more information on Mega’s latest album as well as pertinent astronomy news. TECB.

Dirty Hank and Reason and the drunken duo’s recent Monty Brogan EP were featured by Chris Conti in last week’s Providence Phoenix.  In the article, titled “Dirty Hank and Reason Tap the Bottle and Hit the Mic,” The Echo Chamber Blog received a tip of the hat, and, although slight, it was our first time getting the TECB name onto the written page. Admittedly, as a long-standing Phoenix reader and music journalism freak, I was excited about the news. Getting noticed by Conti, a writer whose work I read regularly, and catching a name drop in the paper felt pretty great.  It quasi-legitimized TECB as a digital publication, and validated a lot of the work we’ve put into supporting the local hip-hop scene.

Hank’s interview of psycho hose-beast Sasha Grey — that I edited, introduced, and published back in November – is what landed our name in print.  So, yes, thanks to Hank. Thanks to Chris Conti and The Phoenix. Most of all, thanks to all of my TECB people, especially those who give me hell when I threaten blogging retirement each month.

And peace to Ashtray for the quotable.

Stuff like this (our name included amongst some of RI’s best, and doing so entirely unprovoked) means a lot to super geeks like Verbal and myself.

Much love to Gritty Arts for including TECB!!!