The Witzard

"The band we know as Phony Ppl is a mix of people, time, and sound that's been nurtured over generations in Brooklyn " currently consisting of members: Elbee Thrie on vocals, Elijah Rawk on lead guitar, Matt "Maffyuu" Byas on drums, Aja Grant on keyboards, and Bari Bass on, of course, bass guitar. Since forming in 2009—amidst self-releasing 3 albums and an EP on Phony PPL LLC — Phony Ppl have had the unique opportunity to perform alongside Domo Genesis , Erykah Badu, Fetty Wap , Kali Uchis, Mac Miller , Odd Future, Princess Nokia , The Roots, Snake Hips , and more. Now, following a brief hiatus, Phony Ppl have returned with their first new material since Yesterday's Tomorrow (2015.) Last week, okayplayer premiered "Before You Get a Boyfriend," which effortlessly blends together Soul , Funk, Hip-Hop , and R&B-leaning sounds into a "noGENRE" musical mix the site deems "an ice-cold summer daydream." Phony Ppl '...

When we last spoke with Third Sight emcee Roughneck Jihad, he was preparing to release his critically-acclaimed 2017 album, THE WRETCHED OF THE VERSE: A MICROPHONE MURDERER'S EXTENDED-PLAY RESPONSE TO UNABRIDGED WACKNESS IN HIP-HOP MUSIC TODAY. Since our comprehensive interview here at The Witzard, Roughneck hasn't slowed down one bit... releasing his IL Torsolo-produced Disco Sinistro EP, The Tarantula Bros. with Third Sight's "The Chef" DJ Du-Funk, and most recently, The Red Herring Mixtape. Next up for Roughneck Jihad is limited edition Tarantula Bros. vinyl, as well as his third solo album, Juan Sequitur (JS) expected to be released this Fall/Winter. JS will feature appearances from DJ Zuckell, Spex, Jason Lee, Abom, IL Torsolo, Sir Dino, Kwantize, and Teran. Enjoy perusing through Roughneck Jihad's Red Herring Mixtape All-around Breakdown below. "Red Herring is made up of tracks I recorded between 2008-12; production duties are held down by Mr....

Yawning Towards Heaven!!!! by cunabear Savannah, Georgia -based rapper and producer cunabear (@cunabear) has returned with his 40th studio album, YAWNING TOWARDS HEAVEN!!!! cunabear is the co-founder of tape label, BearTooth Collective and recently appeared on "untitled" alongside wc tank on 'i's ' .and then there was flowers EP . YAWNING TOWARDS HEAVEN!!!! was produced by cunabear 's Quasimoto/Madlib -esque alter-ego sp00ks , as are the majority of his recent releases. " YAWNING TOWARDS HEAVEN!!!! is something of a sequel or sister-project to i pray [that] you enjoy your life ," cunabear recently told The Witzard , via email. "They were originally, one whole project and in the very beginning, it was less of an "album" and more of a "pet-project" that I wasn't going to release. I was experimenting with production styles both old and new, trying to breathe new life into what foundation I'd built so far,...

Floating Polygons by Googie The Witzard regulars may recognize Googie 's name (sometimes, spelled "GooGiE" ) from "Innate Communication" from Henry Canyons' 2018 Album of The Year contender, Cool Side of The Pillow . Googie & Henry , actually, previously collaborated on a we are the karma kids' 2016 non-album single entitled "The What Ifs," which was later remixed by BRZOWSKI/Vinyl Cape affiliate and beat-maker C MONEY BURNS as #Goth Dancehall -tinged C$ Burns "Nocturnal Twinz" Remix. NYC/NJ -based emcee Googie is a member of Lt Headtrip 's East Coast Hip-Hop crew, we are the karma kids AKA karma kids and has issued a number of releases on the crew's in-house label since first joining forces around 2013; Googie 's karma kids releases include singles "All The Pretty Lights" & "Champion Sound," 2013 mixtape The Logic Is Sound, BALD AFRO with Lt Headtrip , and his 2016 debut full-...

Acid Lab Records (ALR) is a Los Angeles-based record label/crew established in 2011; it's members include BeOND , Express Fresh, Gajah , Myk Mansun, Olmeca , OneWerd, Upword , and 3-man emcee posse, Acid Reign AKA Gajah, BeOND & Olmeca . ALR 's members have released a wide array of solo and collaborative projects since 2011 with each other and a handful of affiliates and frequent collaborators, including Kenny Segal , Le Parasite, Willie Green , Japanese emcee MC GEBO, Chrono Triggers , Herrmutt Lobby, Mute Speaker , Destruct, Scotty "Sixo" Trimble , Awkward, and Uncommon Nasa on Gajah 's Hand of Gold Are Always Cold . While Acid Lab Records features a wide variety of talent, all of which can be streamed or purchased on ALR 's Bandcamp page, this very piece will primarily focus on Gajah & Mute Speaker ... hailing from Los Angeles and Cambodia , respectively, Gajah & Mute Speaker are currently gearing up to release their third collaborative ...

Hip-Hop super-producer and Red Apples 45 co-founder, along with A.G. of Diggin' In The Crates (D.I.T.C.) Ray West (@RedApples45) recently formed a free-spirited, one-off project—cleverly dubbed "Ray West & The Soul Misfits"—with A.G. of D.I.T.C. AKA Andre The Giant, Dave Dar, L-Fudge, Nelson Dialect, Moonshine, Phil Moffa, John Robinson, and Jay Rivera. Ray West & The Soul Misfits' initial collaborative sessions were held at Butchasound Studio during "a born day gathering" for West's 40th birthday and later, curated, further detailed, and finalized at Red Apples 45's home studio in The Bronx. "We had the MPC3000, John Robinson's SP-404, Phil Moffas's illustrious set-up of vintage drum machines (TR-808/909,) and his various synths," Ray West told The Witzard, via email. "My good bro, Jay Rivera AKA Jay Sidious, came with his vintage guitars. We all just [collaborated on] production and concepts..." West charismat...

Wasted Time by Beach Rats Beach Rats is a New Jersey -based Hardcore band consisting of vocalist Ari Katz , guitarist Brian Baker , guitarist Pete Steinkopf , bassist Bryan Kienlen , and drummer Daniel "Dubs" Winda s. Amongst them, Beach Rats have about 32+ collective years spent recording, touring, and melting faces within countless New Jersey & New York -based Punk/Hardcore bands. Brian Baker alone has played with Bad Religion , Dag Nasty, Dead F**king Last , Doggy Style, Government Issue , Junkyard, The Meatmen , Minor Threat, Pavement (no, not that Pavement ,) and Samhain. Ari Katz has spent his time playing with High School Sweethearts , Lifetime, Miss TK & The Revenge , and Zero Zero, while Pete "The Pete" Steinkopf & Bryan "Papillon" Kienlen have both been long-time members of The Bouncing Souls . Drummer Daniel "Dubs" Windas , the greenhorn of Beach Rats , has spent his early years between 1999-2007 and onward play...