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The online Colorado hip-hop show Out Tha Box TV will celebrate two years on air next month and they’re beginning their third year with a bang. The online show will be heading to television sets on May 14 on the ION Network at 3 p.m.
“We were looking for a station that was on the move, and a company that we could grow with,” said the show’s director and producer, Rob G. “ION (which was previously PAX) was recently purchased by NBC/Universal , and they are in a growth process, so we figured we could help them and they can help us... It's a great fit! We were in talks with other stations but ION is much better suited to our audience because they have a broadcast signal as well as cable and satellite feeds.”

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When former Sony exec Adelio Lombardi moved back to Denver several years ago, he had a vision of launching a state-of-the-art recording studio in the metro area for local and national acts. Lombardi officially opened Side 3 Studios last year, and has already seen visits from Bow Wow, Omarion, T-Pain and legendary rapper Masta Ace. Located at 725 Mariposa St, just outside of Downtown Denver, the studio features a rotating control room surrounded by two fairly good sized studio booths as well as facilities for full service video production. There’s also a cool lounge with a big screen TV, couches and pool table, just in case you need to take a break between recording sessions. But even with all of its success in the last year, the studio got its biggest guest last weekend. See who after the jump...

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For the last decade or so, F.O.E. (Father of Enemies) has steadily been putting in work, first as a member of the group Hilltop Click, then as a solo artist and now as vice president of Jewell Tyme Records. But just because he’s helping run one of Colorado’s most promising record labels doesn’t mean he’s slacking on the music side. He’s releasing a new project called King of the Mountain, this week culminating with a release party on Saturday April 26 at the Snake Pit, 608 East 13th Avenue.

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Joe Thunder isn’t known for his skills behind the mic. He isn’t known for creating hot beats either. He’s more likely to just listen to records than mix and scratch them. And you’ll catch him nodding his head before he’d bust out in a backspin. So what does Joe Thunder really do? He’s a Colorado hip-hop ambassador. He reaches way out to East Denver, grabs a rapper or two, heads to West Denver to tap a producer, goes up north or down south to snatch another rapper and then puts them all in the studio together and tells them to create.

And it’s been working. The results have been a collection of mixtape-style compilations featuring rappers and producers from across Colorado giving the listener a pretty good sampling of what Colorado hip-hop has to offer. And most of the time the music is free.

But now Joe is making Colorado hip-hop history by somehow finagling 25 Colorado rappers to appear on a single song. That doesn’t even happen in the national hip-hop scene nowadays. That’s probably why it took so long to get it done.

“Almost a year,” Joe Thunder. “We started recording it then we hit a few bumps in the road; some of the verses were not lining up right. We had to record some of it over. The hard part was getting it just right making sure the flows were tight all the way through, just keeping people interested throughout the whole track.”

The song, “Mile High Kings”, is just over 10 minutes long and features some recognizable names, some up and comers but also omitting some very well-known Colorado rappers like Dent, Spoke In Wordz, Maneline and several others. But hey, Joey said he tried to get as many people as he could.

“I called all the heavy hitters to get down on this project some people were down, some people weren’t, some people said they were down but never came through,” Joe said. “A lot of people always want to get down and this track was the perfect opportunity for me to reach out to them. I had to make a lot of phone calls. I’ve worked with most of the people on the track before so it was nothing for them to jump on the track.”

The song is featured on the upcoming album, Go for Broke, dropping in a couple of weeks. Plus Thunder has a compilation album, a project with B Blacc and Deca, and new projects with Jewell Tyme artists 800 The Jewell, F.O.E. and Meezly coming in the near future along with a sequel to “Mile High Kings” featuring even more local artists.

“I just want to get it out to as many people as possible, and let everyone know what Colorado Hip Hop is all about,” he said.

Isn’t that what ambassadors are supposed to do? Check out the track:

Produced by Flawless (of On Point)(In order of appearance) Swiftfashoshot, Six O’ Clock, B Blacc, Contact, Meezly, F.O.E., Status, Deca, Distrakt, Life The M.C., Eazy, SidFly, Rie Rie, A.V.I.U.S, Tension, Kevin Pistol, Tytanik, Johnny Rocketz, Lett Loose, 800 The Jewell, MDz, Bub, Out O Lyrical, Manic, Mr. Verbal, O.N.E.

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Local hip-hop artists and their fans rarely get to hear their music played on the radio. But in recent years, opportunities for local hip-hop artists to get their music on the air have grown immensely. Local hip-hop artists like Dent, Babah Fly, Catch Lungs, Infinite Minds, Deca and a host of others have seen their music get some local radio love in the last few months. There’s a hope that the exposure will help the Colorado hip-hop scene get some attention the way the Colorado rock scene recently has.

For over a decade, Radio 1190’s Basementalism hip-hop show (Saturdays, 4-7pm, 1190AM) has had an open-door policy in regards to Colorado hip-hop artists and have at least one song from a local in each three-hour show.

“There aren't all that many outlets for MCs and groups in Colorado to get their music heard,” Basementalism host Judgemental said on why they support the local scene. “The actual amount of music we receive has increased so much over the years and we listen to everything we get but it's just impossible to play it all. So for every really solid track we get sent there are two or three songs that need work before we'll put it on.”

DJ Chonz, host of KS107.5’s Future Jamz show (Sundays, 7pm to 8pm on 107.5 FM), agrees with Judgemental on keeping nothing but the best quality Colorado hip-hop on the airwaves. During his show he has a “Local Spotlight” where he showcases a new song every week from a local artist.

“I just want to inspire artists in Denver to continue to do their music,” Chonz said. “I also want to show the different kinds of sounds we have here in Denver and, of course, to raise the bar in quality. Artists can hear other artists and understand the quality of the local music that is being played is the best of the best in Colorado. So if you aspire to be the best no matter what type of hip-hop you do, you are listening to the top quality in the state.”

Even though DJ Bedz has recently scored contracts with 107.1 One FM (Sundays, 9-11pm) in Denver and 96.1 The Beat in Colorado Springs (Saturdays, 8-10pm) for his own mix shows, he’s playing local artists on a national level during his White Shadow Radio Show on XM 66 Raw every Friday from 7-8pm.

“We're all in this together, and it's just my way of trying to help raise the national profile of all the hip-hop folks out here,” Bedz said. “I have a lot of Colorado pride built in naturally. I want our talent to have the opportunity to be heard.”

KGNU’s The Eclipse Show is the longest running hip-hop show in the Denver/Boulder area headed by Chris Nathan with DJ Notch, DJ Dsrn, Z Rok, Matthew Martinez and a revolving door of hosts and guests. Every Sunday from 7-10pm on 1390 AM or 88.5 FM, you can hear the latest in hip-hop, both local and national. And the good thing about all these shows is that most of the DJs upload the previous shows to their websites.

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In the fall of 2006, A.P.O.S.T.L.E. - aka Jeff Campbell -- left Denver for San Francisco with his crew, Heavyweight Dub Champion, with hopes of making a bigger splash outside the Mile High City. Fast forward to spring 2008, Apostle is no longer working with Heavyweight Dub Champion and released his first solo album in almost eight years. The album, Lyrical Activism, was co-produced by Mark Pistel, known for his work with Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and Meat Beat Manifesto, which gives the album an electro, dub sound rooted in classic hip-hop energy. When it comes to the lyrics, A.P.O.S.T.L.E. is spitting what he has been known to spit for years.
“The intention is to provide information as well as inspiration to do the impossible through the power of music,” A.P.O.S.T.L.E. said. “I don't make music for people who wish to escape from their day-to-day lives; I make music to rejuvenate the people who stand without fear in the face of injustice on a day to day basis. We are ready to hit the East Coast with this. They are starving for something different. It’s original, independent, underground music. No samples, no 'n' word, no materialism, no sexism, no apologies, no excuses. A shock to the system for an audience weaned on such addictions.”

The album is doing pretty well so far, garnering three stars in URB Magazine and debuting at #29 on the Hip-Hop CMJ charts. He’s been touring the west coast with legendary turntablist DJ Quest (who also appears on the album), and even though he’s looking towards breaking into the Midwest and East Coast, he’s still running workshops and giving hip-hop lectures to the public.

“I'm consulting with people around the country who facilitate their own after-school programs,” he said. “I also do my workshops that I developed at Colorado Hip-Hop Coalition for a living. I still do education, only now I do it on the road, along with rocking parties. My plans have not changed since the first time I ever grabbed a microphone. I will continue to utilize the most powerful communication medium known to man to advance the way of the soldier.”

Here’s a taste of what’s on the album:

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In 2006 The Pirate Signal, consisting of rapper-producer Yonnas and DJ A-What, released a self-titled EP that brought a breath of fresh air to the Colorado hip-hop scene. But because the stagnation most hip-hop artists face here in the Mile High, Yonnas moved to Brooklyn, New York, with hopes the The Pirate Signal would breakthrough and bring some attention to the local scene here.

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This year, Basementalism will celebrates 10 years of airtime. What started out as a small CU student-ran hip-hop radio show on KVCU 1190 AM in Boulder has turned into the must-stop show for hip-hop artists traveling through Colorado, and one of the only consistent radio shows (KGNU’s Eclipse show is the other) to feature and nurture home-grown hip-hop talent.

“Basementalism was one of 1190's original shows,” says longtime host Judgemental. “Every Saturday you can expect the best three hours of hip hop radio in the country, straight up.”

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DJ Low Key is doing big things in Denver right now. The last year was a big one for the Basementalism Radio Show alum and 2008 is looking to be just as big. He ended 2007 having his mixtape Median’s Relief in the Making (hosted by 9th Wonder) on several critical year-end lists and he continues to make similar moves. He just completed a mixtape with hip-hop group Tanya Morgan and their artist Ilwil called Beat Thieves 2 (download it for free here). and is, at present, promoting his Thursday nights, “The Solution,” at Funky Buddah and his Friday nights, “Refresh Fridays,” at Club Vinyl, which will feature Pete Rock on March 14 and Nicolay & Kay on March 21.

“I'm also working on some stuff with Red Bull for the Music Academy, a mixtape with Spitkicker that’s going to be on some Tony Touch 50 MCs type stuff (it'll be Mixing In Action #3), and I executive produced a video for hip-hop duo Blu & Exile last month that should be online in a week or two,” LowKey said. “For the last year, I've been real focused on working on projects that I think are cool. Not top 40-ish to pay bills, which isn't a bad thing, but right now I'm trying to work on the kind of nights, projects, etc. that I'd want to go to and check for.”

If it seems like it’s too much to keep up with, it probably is. That’s why Low Key keeps his people up to date on his website/blog with upcoming events, his current playlist and of course free mixtapes.

“Right now there's a ton of great stuff that I'm fortunate enough to be involved with, both locally and nationally,” Low Key said.

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Locals Only: Beatsource launches a “hip-hop iTunes”

It’s been the talk of the town for the last several months but Beatsource.com has finally launched and features a few local artists as well. Based here in Denver, Beatsource.com is an online hip-hop music store that targets DJs and features classic and new hip-hop. And yes, local hip-hop artists are encouraged to sell their music through the site. As of the site’s launch late last week, Denver artists featured on the site include Playalitical, Spoke In Wordz, DJ Vajra, Don Blas and Melissa Lujan. But DJ Chonz, Beatsource.com’s Label Manager, stresses that the music has to be top-notch.

“We’re open to accepting music from Colorado hip-hop artists, but it has to be quality music,” Chonz said. “We’re not just taking anything. But it's a chance to be heard worldwide, to be in front of the most passionate music lovers - DJs.”

Think you got that fire? Submit your music to Chonz at djchonz@beatsource.com and see if you can get that money!

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Locals Only:
It’s been about a year since former executive director of the Colorado Hip-Hop Coalition, Apostle, aka Jeff Campbell, left Colorado to focus solely on his music career with his group Heavyweight Dub Champions. But the impact the Colorado Hip-Hop Coalition had in the late '90’s and early 2000’s is one that many former high school kids will remember. Below is a previously unreleased documentary on the Colorado Hip-Hop Coalition and how it helped high school kids use hip-hop as a form of expression. The 10-minute film was directed by donnie l. betts.

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Locals Only: DJ Bedz Joins XM Radio

DJ Bedz has been handling business with Denver on his chest for quite awhile now.

From spinning the weekend mixes on KS107.5, to reppin’ as the official Denver Nuggets DJ, to mixtaping the heck out of the Mile High City and even appearing on BET’s Rap City as the in-house DJ., what else can he do? How about get a coveted one-hour mix show on XM Radio’s 66 Raw every Friday night? Bedz debuted his first show last week and he couldn’t be giddier.

“I can go crazy and play whatever I want, including hip-hop from Colorado artists,” Bedz said. “I have 100% control of my show within the parameters of the station. We play new, raw hip-hop as long as it falls under that description. No R&B. No dancehall. No ‘snack pack rap’ like Soulja Boy and ‘A Bay Bay.’”

But getting the gig took patience and time.

“I sent demos and radio demos to all the satellite radio programming directors relentlessly over the past three years,” Bedz said. “Then I befriended one of the personalities over at Raw 66, DJ Furious Styles. He put in the good word, and eventually the program director Leo G. hit me up and requested a demo show. He liked it and brought me on board to become one of his raw shogun mixers.”

Any local artists wanting to get their music on the air should hit up Bedz at djbedz@gmail.com. And your chances are greater if you spit lines that big up Bedz, White Shadow Radio, and 66 Raw. For more info, playlists, and online rebroadcasts of Bedz show, check out his website.

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Ever since he started roaming the streets of Denver last year and then putting the footage on YouTube, Maestro Jeff Hughes has been a hot commodity. As Colorado’s own hip-hop violinist, Hughes impresses even the most critical of hip-hop haters by deftly adding a classical touch to hip-hop classics. But now Hughes is getting a bunch of attention for covering the Foo Fighters’ “The Pretender” for the My Grammy Moment contest making the top 15. On Monday February 4, the top 3 instrumentalists will be announced. But for now, check out Hughes covering Jay-Z, The Firm, and Lupe Fiasco at The Roxy earlier this month:

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When it comes to hip-hop, one of the main requirements in making the music is to represent where you’re from. Although Colorado may not seems as fresh as places like New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta or Chicago, most Colorado emcees are very proud to represent the state where they reside. And here are two Colorado sons who are proud to do just that:

"Colorado Stand Up"
SP Double feat. Procise and On Point

"Tha Box"
F.O.E.

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Veteran Denver emcee D.O. The Fabulous Drifter is still putting the finishing touches on his new album D.irector of O.perations while working overtime for a collaborative venture. He connected with Canadian songbird JaQe for a project called His and Hers, a combination of hip-hop and soul that D.O. has dubbed “retro electro.” The album, Resilience, is slated to drop this summer but the duo blessed us with their first single, aptly titled “His and Hers,” produced by Solpowa. Check it out:

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