Dead End Hip Hop

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apollo brown

Chris Orrick: “Bottom Feeders” (feat. Fashawn) [prod. by Exile]

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Chris Orrick (fka Red Pill) is one of my favorite emcees of all time, his ability to relate to the listener in the continuous human struggle sets him apart from the majority of rappers out there. Two years ago Orrick released his sophomore album “Instinctive Drowning” produced by Ill Poetic where Orrick opened himself to the listener about his personal life, flaws and more.

Orrick has returned to the mic as he gets set to release his third album “Portraits”. Orrick is calling this project a return to form, we gain proof of this in the first single from the album in “Bottle Feeders”. “Portraits” includes production from Nolan The Ninja, L’Orange and more and “Bottom Feeders” is produced by Exile and features Dirty Science emcee Fashawn.

Rapper Big Pooh ( @Rapperbigpooh @ApolloBrown )- “Augmentation” Video

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“Sometimes you have to destroy and rebuild in order to augment an idea. Augmentation is me destroying the idea that a lot of young cats have about a career in Hip Hop/Rap. We are trained to look at the exceptions and accept them as the standard. I just wanted to share some real game with up and comers, spectators, and those looking to make their mark.” – Rapper Big Pooh

Album Stream: Apollo Brown & Ras Kass – ‘Blasphemy’

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This album is a monster and I hope we can review it. Ras Kass and Apollo Brown came together to create one of the best albums of the year. Take a listen to their Blasphemy album below and cop it on Bandcamp.

Listen/Buy: Apollo Brown & Ras Kass-Blasphemy

Apollo Brown – Cigarette Burns EP

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Two weeks from today Detroit producer Apollo Brown will be releasing his newest instrumental soundtrack Thirty Eight. The sound falls somewhere between the end of 70s heroin and the beginning of 80s crack, like day prostitution in Detroit. The technicolor journey continues today with a three track collection of instrumentals titled Cigarette Burns EP from the upcoming album Thirty Eight.

To go along with the new OST, Apollo has created three advance film posters in addition to the EP cover photo taken by legendary photographer Jeremy Deputat.

Download: Apollo Brown’s Cigarette Burns EP

Apollo Brown To Release New Instrumental LP, ‘Thirty Eight’ + New Single “The Answer”

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Detroit producer Apollo Brown announces his first new instrumental album since “Clouds” (2011).  The new album titled Thirty Eight will be released May 6th, 2014 on Mello Music Group.  The LP’s first single, “The Answer,” was premiered by Massappeal.com.  Those who pre-order Apollo Brown’s Thirty Eight will receive “The Answer” as an instant download.

Apollo Brown’s Thirty Eight is a contemporary throwback, inhabiting the realm of reverent reinvention and innovation. It deftly bridges the gap between ‘70s Blaxploitation soundtracks (e.g. Curtis Mayfield or Marvin Gaye) and the hip-hop records that sampled from them.

The tracks on Thirty Eight are presented in gritty, heavily saturated Technicolor, the scratches and cigarette burns as purposeful as they are happily accidental. These are suites sounding from long barrels held by lone men lurking in grimy project hallways. Tinged with revenge and regret, shrouded in thick tendrils of hollow-point smoke, the songs have all the makings of an epic gangster tragedy. They’re also great when paired with anything Raymond Chandler.

Crackle and sample hiss run like electric current throughout, charging the record with a retro feel and resonant warmth. Yet these qualities are only secondary to Brown’s impeccable ear for instrumentation. Thirty Eight is full of funk, soul, jazz, blues, hip-hop, and everything in between. The bluesy guitar twang of slow-burner “Black Suits” and the lush, orchestral strings of “The Warning” are just two examples of the depth and diversity Brown brings to the table.

All singing on the album comes in the form of brief samples, some high-pitched and sped up, others left untouched. Taken together, they amount to glimpses of an emotionally affecting narrative, enabling the listener to fill in the plot and words between the booms and baps.

Brown enlists New York mercenary Roc Marciano for the soundtrack’s two features. With the sharpest of eyes and the frostbitten wit of a Polo clad hustler slanging in the dead of winter, Marciano delivers his best verses in recent memory, his vivid narratives perfectly suited for Brown’s soulful production.

Each CD comes packaged with 5″ inch vinyl featuring the aforementioned Roc Marciano tracks. Quite possibly the first time a CD and 5″ inch record have ever been sold together, cop yours before they’re gone. For fans who want the full analog experience, we’ve pressed up 180-gram vinyl. Each vinyl copy also includes a 45 featuring two bonus instrumentals.

Whether you buy a physical copy or download Thirty Eight digitally, DO NOT call it a beat tape. With this project Brown has created an expansive cinematic composition for the theatre of your mind. Listen, envision, and enjoy the show.

Listen to the first single, “The Answer,” from Apollo Brown’s Thirty Eight above.