Mood – Hustle On The Side

Mood – Karma

MC’s Main Flow & Donte & Producer Jahson made one album together back in 1997 called, Doom (They’re rap group spelled backwards). From what I’m told they were originally a christian rap based group, yet their debut album features a Parental Advisory sticker. Whatever the case may be they are a hip hop hidden gem.

The group came to prominence when DJ Hi-Tek produced the 1996 single “Hustle On The Side”. From there the group made their debut album with DJ Hi-Tek & Jahson splitting up the production & Talib Kweli featured on 5 tracks. They wrote and produced their own videos & have seen some success overseas. According to wikipedia (which source cannot be confirmed) they are following up with a 2nd album.

Check out the producer Kid W.I.K.

Making Our Way In

It’s SHOW TIME!!!

Ya boy Petey turns 22 today!

Evidence – Chase The Clouds

Off of 2007′s The Weatherman LP

Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass

Off of 2007′s None Shall Pass

Happens that both albums dropped in 2007. Call it intertwining fate, but both MC’s have inspired each of the members of Southbay Unltd.’s Petey & Mayhem Slimm, respectively.

Evidence, with his feet deeply planted in the bravado hip hop scene that is west coast underground. He speaks from the heart & pours his emotions  in his lyrics, often portraying scenes of his childhood up til the present. Originally from the group Dilated Peoples, Evidence emerged as a solo act proving to be a great artist on his own, in 2007. He has a couple of projects in the works including an album with him & usual collaborator The Alchemist as the duo Stepbrothers & his follow up to The LAyover EP, Cats & Dogs being released on Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2010.

Aesop Rock, with his often quirky wordplay & abstract lyricism comes off as a refreshing breath air for hip hop.  Deeply rooted in the underground hip hop scene, often working with acts such as Atmosphere, El-P & Living Legends, this Definitive aux MC takes the genre of underground hip hop to an alternative level.  Can be an acquired taste, Aesop shows that to be different is to be original & proceeds to stay prevalent due to artistry. His upcoming projects includes producing Felt’s (Slug & Murs) Vol. 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez as well as releasing his 6th studio album sometime in 2010.

Nice & Smooth – Sometimes I Rhyme Slow

Taking you to the days of way back! Nice & Smooth was a duo that emerged from the east coast hip hop scene. This was off the duo’s 2nd studio album Ain’t a Damn Thing Changed, released in 1991. The song “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow” samples Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”. The melodic guitar loop complements the duo’s lyrical ode to AIDS & drug abuse.

The duo has worked with acts such as Gangstarr & Beatnuts. They released 4 albums together and were prominent in the late 80′s to the mid 90′s.

This week Mayhem Slimm chooses:

Atmosphere – Guarantees

From the group’s 5th studio album, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Sh*t Gold, comes the guitar ladened track Guarantees. Producer Ant (Anthony Davis) drifted from his production style with a little more instrumentation approach. It is evidently clear on tracks such as Shoulda Known (which incorporates synthesizers) and Yesterday (using Rhodes). Slug (Sean Daley) incorporated more stoytelling in his rhymes. A lyrical virtuoso, Slug lays down heartfelt lines that continue to contribute to Atmosphere’s underground success.

The album also was the most successful album, on the Rhymesayers label, to date entering #5 on the charts.

A feeble attempt to “Extract” genuine laughter

This past summer, there were a handful of comedies that stood out from the crowd. Films that not only delivered laughs, but also included depth and opened up room for discussion. Such films come to mind: “The Hangover“, “Bruno“, “500 Days Of Summer” and “Funny People“. Unfortunately, director/writer Mike Judge, the creator of Beavis & Butthead and Office Space, fails to resonate with audiences in his new film, “Extract”.

The premise is as anomalous as it is original. A owner of a food extract factory, Joel (Jason Bateman), is faced with a dilemma. This is during a day when two older women are disgruntled with other employees in the factory. They allege that the other employees do not work as hard as they do. They ignore protocol causing a halt in the assembly line, which in turn has boxes of artificial food flavoring causing a freak accident. The victim is would be floor manager, Step (Clifton Collins, Jr.), who walks into the disaster only to graphically lose a testicle. Step is ambulanced to a hospital and will eventually receive a huge settlement from the factory. This is printed in the local paper, which catches the attention of the mischievous drifter, Cindy (Mila Kunis). Cindy with her stunning good looks and disarming personality, develops a plot to get what she is after. This means to establish a relationship with Step, as well as to have her fingers securely wrapped around Joel’s uh…heart?

Joel is sexually frustrated at home with his wife, Suzie (Kristen Wiig), upholding a policy of no sex after 8pm. Once she has a pair of sweat pants on securely tied, there is no chance of them coming off. Joel confides in his slob bartender friend, Dean (Ben Affleck), about his bouts of sexual tension. Dean concocts a plan to solving Joel’s problem. The solution is for Joel to get away, Scot free, in having an affair with Cindy. This plan comes into fruition when, under the influence of a horse tranquilizer, Joel agrees to Dean hiring a dim-witted gigolo, Brad (Dustin Milligan). The plan is to have Brad pose as the new pool boy at Joel’s house, in order to discover if Suzie will give into Brad’s desires. This sub plot becomes the funniest segment in the film.

What doesn’t make the film work is flat characters such as Cindy. Mila Kunis, whose known for her bright comedy, on TV’s That 70’s Show, doesn’t project in this film. It’s as if her character was written for the sole purpose of eye candy.  She doesn’t mean well and never is perceived as a person, but more an object. Even when her character is faced with redemption, she doesn’t come off sincere. There are bit parts for seasoned actors such as David Koechner as Nathan, the pestering neighboring and a older employee at the factory Brian (JK Simmons). Yet, these characters play merely in the backdrop, limiting their talent in the film. The ridiculous cameo by a rock star in the history of cinema has to go to Gene Simmons, as defense lawyer Joe Adler.

Late in the film comedy attempts to reveal itself, but never quite makes up for the rest of the film. The first half of the film is a comedy’s worst nightmare, a rather sluggish snooze fest. What remains is a more subtle offbeat comedy. The laughs come sparingly, with lines that cause merely a chuckle. Jason Bateman is an endearing character, who makes up for his flaws towards the end of the film. There is always that one actor who surprises you in a film and in this one hats go off to Ben Affleck. He is not the dashingly handsome leading man he is prone to play, but rather a shabby looking fella with greasy long hair. His slacker character provides the film with the comedy it so desperately needs.

Stars: *½ out of 4

OUR VIEW: Extract is like a trip to the dentist office, its like pulling teeth

SUMMARY: Joel is an owner of a food extract company that goes under fire when a disastrous incident occurs