Bling47 Radio

BONUS VIDEO: Bling47TV presents... Invincible "Sledgehammer!"

Bling47 Group — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:02:35 GMT

Second video from Invincible's debut album, ShapeShifters, available now on CD & MP3

Directed by Kareem Edouard
Song produced by 14KT & Haircut of the Lab Techs
Cameos by Finale, Elzhi, Haircut, Andres Reyes, and Arab Summit

"You want good music? You gotta support it!"
Share this video, buy and review the album on iTunes & Amazon.com, and spread the word!!

Catch Invincible on tour Europe this summer & fall!:
8/22 - U.N.I.T.Y. Stage at Hip-Hop Kemp (w/ Bahamadia, Roxanne Shante & more) @ Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
8/23 - U.N.I.T.Y. Stage at Hip-Hop Kemp (w/ Bahamadia, Roxanne Shante & more) @ Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
8/29 - We B-Girlz Women in Hip-Hop International Festival @ Berlin, Germany
9/02 - w/ Bahamadia, Roxanne Shante, Yarah Bravo, Stacy Epps, Eternia & more @ Linz, Austria
9/03 - Club Desi w/ Bahamadia, Roxanne Shante, Yarah Bravo, Stacy Epps, Eternia & more @ Nürnberg, Germany
9/04 - Kuppel w/ Bahamadia, Roxanne Shante, Yarah Bravo, Stacy Epps, Eternia & more @ Basel, Switzerland
9/05 - Dachstock w/ Bahamadia, Roxanne Shante, Yarah Bravo, Stacy Epps, Eternia & more @ Berne, Switzerland
9/07 - Les Caves de Manoir w/ Bahamadia, Roxanne Shante, Yarah Bravo, Stacy Epps, Eternia & more @ Martigny, Switzerland

Bling47 Radio will return to our regularly scheduled program with a brand new episode soon... so stay tuned & hold tight!

Bling47 Radio - Episode #3: THE INVINCIBLE EDITION

Bling47 Group — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:27:02 GMT

To commemorate the release of Invincible's lifetime-in-the-making debut album, ShapeShifters (in stores TODAY!!), we dedicated this month's entire podcast episode to the latest & greatest of Invincible's collaborations & compilation tracks - plus as always, some B47 exclusives.

1. Invincible - 1996 WJLB FM98 Freestyle
I was 15 on this, which is why it sounds like I'm on helium. I didn't know how to count bars yet so if you listen close you can hear them trying to cut me off. but i just kept going. LOL!

2. Invincible - Pick Your Poison (prod. Waajeed) (Fat City/Bling47)
This was on Waajeed's The War LP, and he originally made the beat for Tiombe, but I fell in love with how off-and-on beat it sounds, almost like a staggering drunk. On the surface this is about Hip-Hop addicts but if you listen close the meanings of the lyrics are as layered as the beat itself.

3. Dabyre feat. Invincible & Finale - Viewer Discretion (Ghostly Intl.)
Dabrye once told me he makes beats on some MSDOS program with the green and black screen, which is why his beats sound like UFOs. For the subject matter and sample in the middle I dug up one of my favorite flicks of all time, Born In Flames, to inspire me and Finale.

4. Invincible feat. Helixx - Perfectionists (prod. Supa Dave West) (Rawkus)
Originally slated to be my first single on Rawkus back in '99, another version of this later appeared on Lyricist Lounge's Underground Airplay mixpilation. The incredibly talented Supa Dave West produced this and is singing on the hook as well. This is still an ANOMOLIES anthem to this day.

5. Athletic Mic League feat. Invincible - Got ‘Em Sayin (Turn It Up) (prod. Haircut & Forekast) (Lab Technicians)
From AML's official debut, Sweats & Kicks. The craziest story about this song has to do with AML pressing the vinyl single up in Eastern Europe somewhere where they found a really cheap deal. When it got to the airport Customs called them in and had them re-sticker every single record because it had the wrong country code.

6. NowOn feat. Invincible, Illite & Vaughan T - だれか (Who) (prod. The Lab Techs) (A•Side Worldwide)
I left home when I was 15 and crashed on Mikey from Now On's couch that whole summer. We would do nothing but get twisted and cipher all day everyday. This was our first official collaboration since so it meant a lot to me.

7. PPP feat. Invincible - Detroit Winter (prod. Waajeed, co-prod. Saadiq) (Ubiquity)
I originally wrote this to a really dark and depressing beat that Waajeed and Georgia Anne Muldrow co-produced. Randomly, Waajeed called me one day and put the phone up to the speaker with this industrial march sounding track that he had flipped it to and as they say "the rest is history!" The line from the hook was inspired by the same phrase written on a shirt my homegirl Bri from Detroit Summer found at Value Village

8. Finale & Spier1200 feat. Invincible, Wordsworth & Jazz - The Ring (Rawkus 50/Soul Step)
From the Develop album just released last year, we wrote this several years ago. Soon as we heard that ringtone in the background of the track we knew it had to be the "love/hate relationship with phones" anthem.

9. Finale & Spier1200 feat. Invincible & Elzhi - Eye Of the Beholder (Rawkus 50/Soul Step)
This joint is also from the Develop album. Finale asked us to write a poetic beautiful verse about all the ugly situations around us. The vibes in the beat really set the tone.

10. Lacks (OKA TaRaach) & Invincible - Real To Reel (prod. Waajeed) (Bling47) *****VINTAGE EXCLUSIVE!****
TaRaach (then known as Lacks) and I ran into each other at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, and he was with Waajeed (who was passing out the Bling47 mixtape "Best Kept Secret"). I hadn't seen either of them in years so we met up a few days later to catch up and ended up writing and recording this track on the spot.

11. Buff1 feat. Invincible & Guilty Simpson - SUPREME! (prod. Waajeed) (A•Side Worldwide)
Originally Buff asked me to be on a more laid back and emotional track, but when he played me this Waajeed banger I asked him if i could get on this instead to just straight spit and throw off people's expectations.

12. Grooveman Spot feat. Invincible - Who's This (Jazzy Sport)
This is a straight spitting joint which I rarely do, but when I heard this Grooveman Spot beat was so laid back and jazzy I wanted to contrast it with some raw lyrics.

13. Dabyre feat. Invincible & Finale - Get It Together (Ghostly Intl.)
Once again Dabrye makes beats like an alien, and me and Finale have fun trying to match it. The track is so hectic it was a perfect canvas to paint a picture of how crazy our daily hustle is.

14. Invincible - The Place Where We Dwell (Part D) (prod. Waajeed) (Fat City/Bling47)
Off The War LP, this is my ode to one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite groups of all time, Gang Starr. Neither of them are from Brooklyn, but both now call it home. My relationship to The D is similar, since I didn't grow up here but I call it home. The drums reminded me of the original, so I tried to get that monotone Guru style on too.

15. Invincible - Sledgehammer! (prod. 14KT & Haircut) (EMERGENCE)
Dilla said it best... "pay attention maaan!"

Compiled by Kenny Fresh, Jackie O. & Waajeed for the Bling47 Group
Hosted & Mixed by Waajeed for Bling47 Radio

INVINCIBLE's NEW ALBUM, SHAPESHIFTERS, AVAILABLE NOW ON CD & iTUNES

For more on Invincible, check:
EMERGENCEmusic.net
BLING47.com
myspace.com/INVINCILANA

Bling47 Radio - Episode #2: THE PATTY HEARST BEAT TAPE

Bling47 Group — Sat, 24 May 2008 04:42:26 GMT

This month, instead of the normal DJ mix/radio format, we decided to re-release one of the most highly requested projects from the Bling47 vaults - Waajeed's The Patty Hearst Beat Tape. Originally released as a free Bling47.com giveaway in January of 2006, Patty Hearst was a concept Waajeed came up with to present his latest beat demos in a fresh storytelling format. Only a few hundred CD's were ever pressed up - all of which quickly sold out and were never released again - until now.

B47 heads will recognize early versions of both "Get Live" & Invincible's "Pick Your Poison" from last year's The War LP - as well as a rough draft of what would become PPP's "Funkin For Jamaica" cover (as heard on our last episode) - all included on the beat CD. This project was also an inspiration behind Invincible's recent collaboration with her ANOMOLIES crew, "Ransom Notes," from her new album ShapeShifters. For more on the Patty Hearst concept, check this Bling47.com exclusive interview with Waajeed:

1) What intrigued you about The Patty Hearst Story?

I remember seeing parts of the movie she made when I was a kid and being scared shitless. I remember these scenes of her being locked in this closet and it just terrified me.

2) Why did you choose the Patty Hearst Story as the concept for your beat CD?

The Patty Hearst story is one of America's greatest real life stories. It almost seems fictional, but it's real life. The whole point of starting and ending the CD the way I did was because the story is so ridiculous. This group of revolutionaries kidnaps this heiress. She starts to see and understand their good intentions in wanting to feed people and make change, like on some Robin Hood type shit. She then falls in love with one of the guys, joins the group and by the end is robbing and shooting... and possibly kills someone. It ends with everyone from the group being jailed or killed and she returns back home to "perfect" life, as she calls it, and doing the talk show circuit. It just shows a lot about society and how the rich and powerful are not held accountable for the things that they do... whether it be corporate crime or robbing a bank.

3) What does Patty Hearst have to do with your beats?

Not a lot actually. You get beat tape after beat tape from people and you don't learn shit. I think every opportunity that you sit down and listen to something you should enjoy it musically and/or learn something. So, I thought it was a good opportunity to take all of this great audio I had, and make it into an audio collage and spread the word about this crazy story.

4) What are your favorite tracks on the tape?

I like parts of all of them. 70% of the beats on that tape were just sketches or really rough ideas. They are real basic concepts, almost like Dilla's Donuts. For the most part, I decided to put really short snippets of the tracks because these days with ProTools, people can demo out your music so easily. Motherfuckers jacking your shit off your beat tape is wack, but that's just how the game goes. If I hear some empty drums on a track I get that shit... that's just how it goes.

5) Will we be hearing more conceptual beat tapes or was this a one-time only thing?

I want to try to do all my beat tapes with concepts and different themes. I think it creates more interest. The only problem has been that people have a hard time separating the tracks from the context and start to view the beat CD as a finished project rather than rough sketches that are intended to be developed and used on other people's projects.

6) When will you be dropping your next beat batch?

Soon...

Bling47 Radio - Episode #1: GO LADIES

Bling47 Group — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 04:59:17 GMT

Waajeed takes over DJ Jamad's Afromentals Mixshow on Sirius Radio for an hour-long guest mix filled w/ exclusives highlighting the female talents of the Bling47 crew & all of its affiliates.

1. PPP featuring MonicaBlaire - Funkin' For Jamaica (Bling47)*
2. Ayah - Believe (AyahMusic.com) - prod. Slakah
3. Estelle - Had To Be You (Homeschool/Atlantic)*
4. Neco Redd - No Discipline (CD-R)
5. Invincible - No Easy Answers (EMERGENCE Media) - prod. 14KT
6. Waajeed Interlude*
7. Invincible - ShapeShifters (EMERGENCE Media)*
8. Invincible featuring Wordsworth & Indeed - Keep Goin' (EMERGENCE Media)*
9. Waajeed Interlude*
10. Little Dragon - After The Rain (Peacefrog)
11. Little Dragon - Forever (Peacefrog)
12. Platinum Village (Slum Village vs. Waajeed) - Go Ladies (Bling47)*
13. Jazmine Sullivan - Without You (J Records)*
14. PPP featuring Tiombe Lockhart - Stay With Me (Marc Mac Remix) (Heineken Sessions/Ubiquity)
15. Tiombe Lockhart - Renegade & The Lady Devil Moon (CD-R)
16. Tiombe Lockhart - Twisted (CD-R)
17. Rozzi Daime featuring Lil-Kenny - White Cloud (CD-R) - prod. SA-RA & Brook d'Leau
18. Waajeed Outro*

Hosted & Mixed by Waajeed

*produced by Waajeed for the Bling47 Group

INVINCIBLE's debut album, SHAPESHIFTERS, out this June!!
new PPP album, ABUNDANCE, coming October '08!! first single this summer!

www.bling47.com
www.myspace.com/waajeedandthebling47group