Mach 5 - I Love Women and Music

(L to R: A.Ware and Corey Davis) “Yo, this is for the ladies. My name’s Corey Davis,” Corey smooth talks into a computer mic. As the only female around, I didn’t know exactly how to respond but he wants you to know that he is very considerate, not heartless, and is looking... A.ware and Corey of Mach 5 get around. They keep their hands in everything. The gifted guys are into the development, visual, and of course, musical side of things involving the industry. It doesn’t take a 13-year-old boy studying three degrees at Morehouse College to realize that these guys are an automatic pick for the “Return of the Duos” theme at Perfect Attendance these weekend. But they are not too proud, they respect her for what she does and are excited about Saturday night. “Fadia is an innovator. Her name holds a lot of clout. So if she wants us to be down we know she’s legit, we’ll fuck with her,” Corey shows love. They fail to truly acknowledge how much clout their names hold. Mach 5 have one of the most viewed lifestyle and entertainment blog sites in the state. Greedmont Park is not just a blog anymore, according to the duo, it’s that second lifestyle you live once you get home. Our Greedmont Playground, a musical compilation is a project that keeps them in touch with music. Artists like Big Sean, Mums FP, Young Lyxx, and fellow Perfect Attendance performers FatKidsBrotha have tracks on the mixtape. With over twenty bloggers, the site may turn into something that will allow others to social network but for now, they are mainly looking to financially expand the brand and site very soon. “Top secret, classified, and confidential. But you’ll be the first to know,” Corey explains. Their blog may be a favorite of many, but they have their personal blog list. “Oh Snap Kid, Art Nouveau, Femme Fetale, and The Girls I Love are all blogs we check out,” states Corey. Taking it back to the music, the duo will not be placed in any type of box, category, or group. They refuse to participate in genre-fication, if you will. “We consider ourselves very versatile. Our music is universal so if anything we would be pop. But more like a powerpop,” Corey says. “Yeah…powerpop,” A.ware slowly agrees. They have cuts that mimic their diversity. The 2009 album Sex on a Sunday has upbeat, bouncy instrumentals and others with that slow grind and hi-hat in the beat. They work so hard that they don’t have time to keep up with everyone in the underground hip hop scene, but they do enjoy Niko Villamor, Pill, and Donnis. “If you fucking with Niko, you’re listening to good music,” A.ware confirms. They admit though, that the underground scene in Atlanta can be redundant and they have to reaffirm what why they do this where they do it. I’m passionate about my shit. We are all like crabs in a barrel sometimes, all this climbing over each other. We really need to make a ladder, climb to the top, and knock all these other wack niggas down,” he continues. As they attempt to upgrade pop music, March 6th they are just trying to perform and have fun. “We want you to leave with some kind of feeling,” A. ware expresses what he wants. And it’s a competition, so the show doesn’t change just because there is an exceptional wager. “I want to get on stage and do my thing. Music is us. We do that,” A.ware ends. Point. Blank. Period. Mach 5: www.myspace.com/mach5soundtrack www.greedmontpark.com

FatKidsBrotha - It's the God In Me

(L to R: Dav.E and Johnny) Barely-legal, well lucky Dav.E will be 21-years-old next month, these kids live the lifestyle. They claim to be the little brothers of people who are living an even better life. “FatKidsBrotha is like we are the little brothers of hip-hop. We are trying to be like the Jay-Zs and the Jeezys. They got fat pockets. We are trying to eat and be like them. That’s an –a at the end of brother by the way, NOT AN –ER,” Dav.E exclaims. He’s very avid about the spelling and what’s in his sandwich. “Turkey breast, lettuce, mayo, salt and pepper, and cheddar cheese. And if we talking Subway, gotta have that Italian Herb and Cheese bread toasted,” he describes. Their recent mixtape What’s In Your Sandwich is a metaphor. It’s definitive to what makes them the artists they are and what makes their music what it is. The young brothers have opposite content lyrically, but they seem to make it work. “I rap about girls, money, my shoes, me,” younger sibling Johnny says. Being a little older, Dav.E tends to stick to the more relative subjects like his part-time job or his Nissan. It’s being that age that still gets him talking about the ladies and his nightlife. Baby face Dav.E and bearded Johnny have been making their way onto the stage of some of the hotness performers out of 2009 since the beginning of this year, including North Carolina emcee J. Cole and New Orleans lyricist Curren$y. It’s no wonder they were recommended to Fadia Kader by the folk at Governed by Loyalty to be apart of the duo showcase. Musically, they have the lyrical talent and presence of any superstar running the game right now. Quite humorous individuals, their playful attitude and conceptual thinking makes for quite a record. Interestingly enough, the duo has been sticking it out since 2008. Back then there were four members, fabulous group names, and no loyalty. “Changes make changes makes changes and they happen. But we had some trashy names though,” Johnny started. Dav.E continued with their un-appealing group names. “FAB was fabulous and balling and FAB was fabulous and fresh,” he finishes. Their fabulous-ness can be a lot to take in, but they wear it well. Homegrown but nationally known fashion designers Fli Pelican has collaborated with the group many times in styling situations and now we may see their own personalized t-shirt on Saturday night. Groupies wait in line, they’re not sure if it’ll be ready just yet. But their performance will be ready, full of energy and a presentation of some young cats making it about more than rap. “No stiff boring show. We really wanna win this because there’s a lot at stake. It’s says a lot to go to South by Southwest. We want to make sure the whole south knows about FatKidsBrotha before anything else comes out,” Dav.E adds. As for projects following the showcase, no more mixtapes. Johnny is waiting on the mail. “I was on Ebay today. I got those OG 99 5’s[Jordan] and ain’t nobody else gonna have them. Rare!” So everyone, what is it you think you see? FatKidsBrotha: www.myspace.com/fatkidsbrotha www.twitter.com/daveoffkb www.twitter.com/johnnyoffkb

The Canz - She's Your Queen

(L to R: Prominent and Foster) Coming to America was one of the funniest movies made in the 80’s. There appears to be a real-life Prince Hakeem and Semmi in Atlanta, Ga. Brothers Prominent and Freddie Foster are the West-African raised, Georgia-bred duo slowly rising to the top, but quickly scheming how to stay there. Their departure from Ghana to Athens in the 90’s sent them on the hunt for a queen in the form of good instrumentation, skilled lyricism, and amazing performance. She was Atlanta hip hop. When they found her, they rocked with the local competition. “We’re always grinding, grinding, grinding. Doing shows, putting shows together, doing mixtapes, working with other artists,” Foster says. What they started over a decade ago hasn’t stopped and the hard-working attitude helped their network and net worth. Local heavy hitters like Fadia Kader and Stadium Music saw what they were doing in town and built relationships immediately. The brothers aren’t about ego shit but will not act as if they are not always looking good. Every next step can be considered a pose. They’re always on, always working, always grinding. Their sound is so smooth on one cut and aggressive in the other that The Canz flow can cross barriers as it has already in their most recent mixtape. Their fall 2009 release, The Slow Rise, national recognition through online sites, and creating an experience earlier this year with SMKA and The 808 Experiment, Volume 2 really made up for all those things upcoming artists go through. The mixtape is a trip through the lives of the average artist that is trying to break into the industry. The skits on the mixtape are loosely based off of The Canz life as an up and comer but showcases predicaments new artists come across when trying to make it big, or even small. “We used to send our stuff to the popular music blogs and it would never get picked up. After this mixtape, it started getting picked and we started getting exposure,” Prominent described a mixtape skit that was mainly true. The Canz have been a bit of everywhere lately, getting together other artists to collaborate and work with them on their upcoming videos and sequel to their last mixtape. Properly named The Slow Rise 2, P and Freddie agree that it will take them over the top. Since they’re around people that know good music, like Mike and Blake from SMKA and Mick Boogie, they won’t go unnoticed anymore. “Mike recognizes music. Mike sees your talent, your grind, your hustle and he’ll fuck with you. And Mick is a good dude. He is selective with the artists he works with but he’s not caught up in his status, he’s caught up in good music,” Prominent explains. All this talk about good people and good music, Saturday night should be no surprise. Six duos will be hitting the stage in east Atlanta village and they should expect a show. The Canz are all about performance. They look at local indie and major artists like Yelawolf, Janelle Monae, and Ludacris to express examples. “Performance is very important. If you just go on stage and you not giving the fans anything extra, than their not getting their monies worth,” Freddie begins. “But that night, those dudes should expect to be embarrassed. We gonna embarrass ya’ll!” The Canz www.myspace.com/thecanzmusic Download Slow Rise mixtape

Clan Destined - We Make Waves, We Don't Ride 'Em

(L to R: Dt and Yamin) They’ve seen Atlanta hip-hop come and go, diminish and grow. As Yamin and DT prepare their fans for a destined rebirth, they are getting Atlanta ready too cause it’s time. “Since Outkast, people have been waiting for somebody to takeover from Atlanta from a grassroots aspect. It’s been a minute but as far as the underground scene, things are looking up,” Yamin begins. The duo has known each other for a decade. Yamin is DJ Amdex once the turntables are in front of him and DT is top chef in the kitchen, with a couple spinning skills as well. Individually they make things happen and together nothing less can be expected from artists and fans alike. They’ve been compared to Farsyde, Outkast, and other native tongue reps. The music they make is very reminiscent of that era. “We’ve got a good foundation. No one is carrying the torch and we on that dirty south soul type shit,” DT expressed. CD gains supporters instantly with their easing yet skillful flow. It just so happens being at the right place in the right hour gave these best friends a chance to make a relationship with Perfect Attendance promoter Fadia Kader. “Peace to Fadia and SMKA for opening doors to artists like us and letting us perform,” Yamin shows respect. They have such an appreciative attitude for those showing love to them in a time when Atlanta music is being propelled to the top and the its’ surface is not what’s real. “From the top layer, what everybody sees from Atlanta is bullshit. There is nobody in particular but I don’t like 80% of the stuff coming out from Atlanta,” DT jumps in. They respect what these cats are doing but they know what they have to offer is what the game’s been missing. Believing in it is not good enough; they need to buy into it as well. “We love everybody and everybody rapping in Atlanta is family, but you can’t diss shit in one hand and purchase it in the other.” The twosome expects more from a city that is all about supporting the region and the home team. However, growing in a place that is meant to shape you musically and not place you musically can be hindering. CD is fighting their way to the top and they have the VJC family backing them up. “Vinyl Junkies Click is our entourage. It could be up to twenty people at a time!” DT says jokingly. “Okay seriously, it’s our core group of people. It started out as a DJ thing. Now we’re surrounding ourselves with people that want what we want and believe in us. Everybody can’t be the artist,” he becomes serious. Their history with Rawkus Records tells the story of everyone trying to get on and out at once, but they’ve since moved forward with VJC and Domination. And For Their Next Trick, well that’s their new album. It has several unreleased originals and remixes from recent work and their 2007 album Abbracadamn that are sure to grip those just hearing and hold those over who’ve been waiting. Increasing anticipation, the Fuck A Mixtape release will drop later this month with a performance at Masquerade on March 26th. Clan Destined is real simple. Just expect the good music you’re used to from these guys and a classic set. “We’re seasoned, but we’re not in our prime,” DT ends. Get ready. Clan Destined: www.myspace.com/clandvjc

The Fresh - Patience and Persistance

(L to R: Mic Masters & Shot J) “Say it with some feeling boy!” Mic Masters of the Fresh encourages enthusiasm in his partner, Shot J. “I’m just ready!” he continues. Originally a bigger entertainment group called the Genuine Fresh Style, the pair of an eager one and laid back other grew into their name the Fresh when they realized their sound was getting fresher and fresher since their start in 2005. Both halves of the duo grew up with music in their households. Shot J was introduced because of the his genetic musical ties and Mic Masters fell in love with a Del La Soul album cover at grandpa’s house. The rest was unexpected history. Shot J, a DJ at heart with digital files as far as the eye can see, remains the technical side of their partnership and produces The Fresh’s main instrumentals and Mike takes care of the track lyrical substance. When they were really getting into the industry over four years ago, Masters and J were coming in at a time when they feel Atlanta was at its’ peak. Fans and listeners would look to the song for its’ content and not the immediate catch of the chorus. With the change we’ve all seen in the past years with Atlanta music commercially, they are here to make sure content becomes the focus again. “It was very grimy, lots of samples with a New York style, intelligent rap. It wasn’t about the hooks, like it is today. It was about what you said in the verse. People held that with a lot of esteem,” Shot J says. And they love Atlanta, from the Raheem the Dream days to going from Golden Glide all the way to Lenox. They respect and are pleased with what’s coming out of their town. “I’m proud to be from Atlanta. I never left. My home’s the best,” Mic exclaims with a big smile. The Atlanta market is one of those things that is unpredictable and against the grain. “It’s one of those unique markets that have all the levels, very diverse. It’s a beautiful thing and we're glad to be apart of it,” adds Shot J. And the camaraderie they experience in this Atlanta underground scene is priceless. The Fresh are fans and friends alike to the many that are trying to break through worldwide. Some of their favorite local artists are NiceGuise, Adult Porn Stars, Homebodies, Jaws of Life, and Perfect Attendance duo performers Clan Destined. The releases throughout their underground career (7th Letter, The Chronicles of Mic Masters, and Tear Zero) are reminiscent of keeping everything in a ziploc bag. And like so, their time at Perfect Attendance on Saturday night will be a tight set of good music with some flavor at the end. They are releasing some new stuff that night that is sure to put the crowd on their side. Their upcoming performance and summertime release, We Make Contact, is guaranteed to make noise across the nation and really put them in the place they want to be this year. "We made a pact years ago that every year we gotta be ahead of where we were the last year. So far, we've been doing it." The Fresh www.gfsnoise.com www.twitter.com/thefreshstyle www.myspace.com/thefreshstyle