Rapper Justin "Jonezy" Jones has the necessary bravado to rock the mike with authority, but he never lets his ego — or his rock-star-size dreams — get too big. The first two tracks on CO$TOMBS refer to his soul-sucking day job and being broke in a manner that's both funny and refreshingly realistic. This undercurrent of anti-materialism gives the disc its distinct flavor. "CO$TOMBS" (pronounced "costumes," in case you missed Ke$ha's dollar-sign-as-consonant lesson) rides on a florid sample of classical stings and an almost Tom Waits-ian chorus that asks, "How much does that costume that you're wearing cost?" It may not be a Zen riddle, but the social critique permeates much of the disc without becoming overbearing. Jonezy persistently rails against style over substance — the hard-edged "Intrinsick" reaches for hip-hop's brass ring of authenticity by questioning the genre's status clichés while rapping atop the disc's most blasé and by-the-numbers beats. It's unclear if the irony is intentional or not. He's better off with more adventurous samples such as the slinky horns that give a nice pivot point to "Blow It Up" or the Bob Marley licks that give a little Clavinet-fed funk to "ExitUS." The sluggish and cavernous drum-machine beats on "It's Now Time" produce a narcotic effect, and the bellicose guest verse by Tef Poe contrasts with Jonezy's more relaxed flow. Across thirteen tracks, 45 minutes and precious little fluff, Jonezy shows he can work in multiple styles while speaking truth to power and — amazingly — not sound preachy in the process.
posted in: Conversations with God, Happiness, What would God say?
CHECK OUT TUCKER BOOTH'S TRIBUTE TO THE FFS ON KILLRADIO.ORG! We start this show off with tracks from the very first Frozen release, J-Toth's 2002 LP "Brainwashing: The Art of Hip-Hopera". We fast forward to 2012, and Sci-Fi-Delta-9's "Thru The Thinking Glass". The rest of this show is songs from the upcoming "Frozen Food 10-Year Retrospective" CD, along with a few mixes from DJ BoB-E. We close out the show with a freestyle from TDB. Tune into Radio Sendiddy LIVE every Saturday night from 8pm-11pm PST on LA's own www.killradio.org
"This year brought 3 official ice-cold releases from the FFS as well as some mixtapes being circulated by Tucker. Kamatoth Cocktails with Kama from the Earthworms the Men With Beards album produced by new Frozen producer Mike G and The Book Of Toth, the 4th solo release from J-Toth. “I love pressing music, although it’s not always possible, some products are digital. We make as much music as possible and then pick through what sounds good” proclaims Toth." -Locash Magazine LOCASH MAGAZINE
"I shot Osama, but that was just a part of plan, he ain't get a body bag, I put him in a garbage can! But that sh*t's classified. It's what the military likes to call, 'preparing the country, for a perpetual state of war'...it's just good business."
This concept piece by Kama and Toth is about life, being Irish and figuring out just what the hell to do with it. Justin Tolentino did an AMAZING job on this 16-page art project.
The CD is in the back cover, and the pages all represent the songs, lyrics too: $15 (shipping and handling included)
"The timeline surrounding the creation of Tucker Booth's latest project, exFiles, is long and convoluted. It includes heavy drama and lost beats, trips to airports, jail, the hospital, and finally the cemetery. Central to the story is the loss of collaborator and compatriot Helias and the collapse of at least two serious relationships. The end result is probably as exacting to make sense of as it was to write, and equally as rewarding. Like much of Tucker's work, exFiles is very personal. His lyrics are emotional but remain upbeat; a portion of the tracks explore the feelings surrounding getting dumped, while the rest delves into the sentiments of his group after losing a close comrade. Helias' production, which represents a compilation of his work over the span of years, draws on an eclectic mix of drum beats and samples, ranging from the horn-heavy to the guitar-driven. As an album, exFiles is funky, clever, and poignant. As a tribute, it is something for the family and friends of Helias to reflect on and be proud of. -Mike G, Eleven Magazine, St. Louis, MO
FREE DOWNLOAD
Tucker Booth and Helias [RIP] get another nod from the River Front Times: RFT REVIEW
R.I.P. HELIAS...you will be missed.
All proceeds go to Helias' foundation for the arts, thanks for contributing.
Goodbye friend and fellow musician. You truly were unfuckwitable. Thanks for the memories...
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