Exclusive k-os Interview

June 29th, 2010 | By Big Dom

Interview by Dominic Di Francesco

Kevin ‘k-os’ Brereton is proof positive that creativity is fluid. The Canadian is part recording artist, part producer, instrumentalist, song-writer and stage performer. His sound marauders between hip-hop, electro, pop, rock, and even folk, as if the concept of genre was non-existent. And with four albums and two platinum plaques to his credit, k-os is very much the poster boy for free range artistry.

Credit his creative transcendence to an enlightened childhood where he split time between the island backdrop of Trinidad and the cosmopolitan bustle of Toronto; where he was reared by his Jehovah’s Witness minister father to “strive for something beyond the banal”; where a former NBA star sponsored his exploration of the arts.

It’s clear k-os dodged the clichéd back-story of your average “hip-hop” artist.

Rhyme & Reason Magazine recently shot the breeze with the Canuck about the parallels between hip-hop and religion, his fateful connection with retired ‘baller John Salley, his thoughts on fellow countryman Drake, and the reason he likens will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas to a “dancing monkey”… (more…)

Exclusive Interview: Styles P

June 25th, 2010 | By Big Dom

Interview by The Journalista

Hip-hop should be so honored to have rapper/lyricist/storyteller Styles P in its corner. For years now Styles P [aka The Ghost] has blessed rhyme lovers with his vivid flows and verses. On his latest mixtape, Ghost Dub-Dime, his street-wise lyrics continue taking listeners on a gritty journey through life with its grimey emotions of swag, dirty deals and struggles of day-to-day living.

And now, in extension to his beautiful street rhymes, Styles P has added the title of “Author” to his hustle palette. With a fresh book deal under Random House, his first novel Invincible [accompanied by its equally explosive soundtrack - featuring appearances from Sheek Louch and additional LOX fam] has just landed on store shelves and is the first of many fictional street tales to come from the urban griot.

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Exclusive Interview: Damian Marley

June 22nd, 2010 | By Big Dom

“Had you entered any village on Earth at around 3,000 B.C., the first person you met would probably be your ancestor,” notes Jotun Hein – a statistician at England’s Oxford University. It is a scenario that highlights just how interconnected we all are as a species. Those shallow roots of the human family tree also form the concept behind Distant Relatives, the celebrated collaborative album between reggae artist Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley and rapper Nasir ‘Nas’ Jones.

Damian, the son of iconic reggae artist Bob Marley, phoned-in to Rhyme & Reason Magazine to discuss the lineage between hip-hop and reggae, forging a relationship with Nas, the myriad plights troubling their ancestral homeland of Africa, and the possibility of a follow-up to this chart-topping Distant Relatives project. (more…)

Emwow - Vince for Eminem’s Recovery

June 22nd, 2010 | By Big Dom

Nike Sportswear at The Atrium

June 22nd, 2010 | By Big Dom

The world’s football power houses have taken to the pitch in South Africa. To celebrate, Nike Sportswear has joined forces with The Atrium in Sydney to present the Nike Sportswear Colab collection. This year, Nike Sportswear worked with established and emerging artists from six countries to create alternative National Team Kits that flip the script on the classic football kit.

Each kit available at The Atrium will include either a pair of Nike Sportswear footwear and/or apparel item. Unique twists on iconic silhouettes including the Air Max BW Gen II, Dunk High AC and Nike LunarLite Chukka Woven provide plenty of options to express team pride.

Read on for further details on the Nike Sportwear Colab collection and in-store pictures from The Atrium… (more…)

CD Review: RNB Superclub Vol. 10

June 18th, 2010 | By Big Dom

In a market saturated with urban music compilations, it has become virtually impossible to differentiate one release from the inevitable next. Thankfully for RNB Superclub, they boast one of the strongest urban brands in the Australasian market, helping their latest release RNB Superclub Volume 10 stand-out amidst all the clutter.

This is the thirteenth compilation from the team behind the largest urban clubbing brand in the southern hemisphere; a series which has so far netted more than 400,000 sales. No small feat.

There is no faulting the skills of the seasoned DJ G-Wizard and DJ Def Rok as they preside over this two-disc set, although their track selection is terribly predictable for the most part, featuring usual suspects The Black Eyed Peas, Ne-Yo, Ke$ha, Pitbull, et al.

Void of exclusives and surprises, Volume 10 is designed to serve the very fundamental purpose of a one-stop collection of the most popular urban tunes from the past year or so. And as a snapshot of the urban music landscape circa ‘09, RNB Superclub serves listeners extremely well. Unfortunately, there are a half-dozen other compilations on shelves providing that exact same snapshot – just from slightly different angles.

In an almost stagnant urban music market, it would be great to see RNB Superclub use this amazing platform to serve listeners with a more tailored experience by incorporating some form of exclusive content into the mix. And while RNB Superclub Volume 10 fails to do that, hopefully Volume 11 will act to enhance the urban music scene rather than just sustain it.

Aussie Designs Diddy’s Album Cover

June 3rd, 2010 | By Big Dom

During a 2008 holiday to Paris with his wife, Aussie Jarrod Kimber unwittingly took the photo which would become Diddy’s cover for his forthcoming album Last Train To Paris. Read on to hear this quirky story in Jarrod’s own words:
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