@RasKass - Silver Anniversary (Official Video) @MelloMusicGroup

@DuelingExperts - Dark Ninja (Music Video) @MelloMusicGroup

@ApolloBrown & @JoellOrtiz - Mona Lisa EP

Detroit producer Apollo Brown has made a name for himself as one of Hip-Hop’s most legendary new producers while maintaining a golden era sound. His production credits are a who’s who of Hip-hop greats from Danny Brown to Ghostface Killah, Ras Kass to Westside Gunn. Even Chance the Rapper used a pair of Apollo beats on his debut mixtapes. Known for bringing the best out of musicians, Apollo has a knack for making timeless classics. 

Brooklyn’s Joell Ortiz started on none other than Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label and built a huge buzz in the industry. He’s worked with legends like Just Blaze among others. He then signed to Shady Records as ¼ of the supergroup Slaughterhouse. He’s worked with Hip-Hop titans Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, Akon, and Big Daddy Kane. 

Now the pair of Hip-hop luminaries have their first collaborative album on Mello Music Group. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece: Mona Lisa.

@ApolloBrown & @dalocksmith - No Question (EP) @MelloMusicGroup

West Coast Berkeley grad, battle rapper and musician Locksmith has hammered out a reputation as one of Hiphop's most enlightened no punch pulling emcees. From his early appearances on MTV's Freestyle Championship to his frequent Shade 45 appearances, Locksmith always brings cutting lyricism that not only questions the status quo but offers deep truths for reflection. Meanwhile Detroit's Apollo Brown has built his illustrious career on emotive production that draws the best out of already legendary mic kings. From his work with Ras Kass and OC, Skyzoo to Ghostface Killah, Apollo repeatedly creates eyes shut, head nodding, soul stirring perfection for our greatest storytellers to lay their truth bare.

So when Richmond & Detroit came together in the studio the answer was "No Question" - a new project that finds Locksmith ruminating on everything from advice to his younger self to his continued drive to rise without following in anyones footsteps. Apollo Brown is back June 15th with yet another of the best emcees to ever do it.

@DiamondDistrict (@ODDISEE, @Slimthe78er, @yUthe78er) - Part Of It All (Music Video) @MelloMusicGroup

@TheBlackOpera - Beginning of the End (feat. @JAHJAHMULDROW)@MelloMusicGroup

@The1978ers (@yUthe78er & @Slimthe78er) - OneNine7-T-8 @MelloMusicGroup

@ApolloBrown & @RasKass - Blasphemy (Album) @MelloMusicGroup

In his seminal memoir Soul on Ice, Eldridge Cleaver wrote, "All the gods are dead except the god of war." Ever since Ras Kass titled his 1996 opening salvo after Cleaver's book, the critically revered Carson, CA rapper has waged verbal warfare against all those with aims of obscuring the truth. Rappers, preachers, politicians – none have been spared from the wrath of his sharp, illuminating rhymes.

Blasphemy, the collaborative album from esteemed Mello Music Group producer Apollo Brown and Ras Kass, is a thought-provoking and highly personal treatise on the unspoken. The sub-rattling and operatic opener "How to Kill God," a scathing indictment of major religions and the transgressions enacted in their name, serves as a statement of purpose. No "ism" is out of bounds, no topic too untoward. Whatever you hold sacred isn't above aggressive inquiry.

Behind the boards, Apollo Brown orchestrates with divine aural vision. Though Blasphemy is his first album with a west coast rapper, he doesn't retread g-funk synth grooves. He also forgoes the minimal, rubbery bounce popular with the current crop of west coast talent. Amidst a sea of production crafted for the drug-addled turn up, his work is a life preserver, saving ardent hip-hop fans with hard-hitting beats made buoyant by donuts of soul and blues. On his deftly layered suites, drums hit with the force of an unabridged Bible to the dome, the samples masterfully selected and utilized. With Blasphemy, Brown has created MPC gospel, sonic scripture.

In his seminal memoir Soul on Ice, Eldridge Cleaver wrote, "All the gods are dead except the god of war." Ever since Ras Kass titled his 1996 opening salvo after Cleaver's book, the critically revered Carson, CA rapper has waged verbal warfare against all those with aims of obscuring the truth. Rappers, preachers, politicians – none have been spared from the wrath of his sharp, illuminating rhymes.

When not eviscerating MCs and poking holes in theologies, Ras Kass surrounds himself with a rogue's gallery of decorated veterans. Pharoahe Monch, Rakaa Iriscience, Xzibit, and Royce Da 5'9" are among the handful of the elite lyricists present. Each delivers their singular bars in top form, making the songs on which they appear some of the best posse cuts you'll hear in 2014.

Above all, this album displays Apollo Brown & Ras Kass' undeniable synergy. Their sacred writ is the same, their blasphemy for those who want to think as they nod to the rhythm. When Ras Kass crucifies supposed facts over Apollo's beats, it's clear he is the West Coast's preeminent philosopher. When Apollo's blaring suites soothe your soul, it's an ontological fact that he ranks among the best producers in the game. With Blasphemy, the duo has delivered the truth.

@LOrangeMusic - Need You (feat. @HerFavColor) || Official Music Video @MelloMusicGroup

@7evenThirty - The Problem (prod. @gensudean) || Official Music Video @MelloMusicGroup

@Has_Lo & @CSTLNOVA - Good Feelings || Official Music Video @MelloMusicGroup

@yUthe78er - Never Burning Out (Produced By @DrewliusDave) (Single)

This song will be featured on an upcoming EP from Drew Dave called "Sumthin Slight". Perspectively speaking.. What if I could get close enough to exchange in conversation with the brightest, most seasoned & experienced "star" in our realm, the Sun(or Amen-Ra), who in convo, would tell of some of the things its seen throughout the many trips around this universe. And after comparing, both the sun & I, realize that "the main thing we have in common, in our heart there's a fire, never burning out".

*I dedicate this song to my father, Michael Willingham Sr., who just passed on Fathers Day. The song kinda reminds me of how he'd break things down to me. Of how he didn't exactly understand my world, being 18 years older than I, but by principle, we still found things that we could relate on. As people, we all are different, but still very similar when u get to the root of things.

-yU

@UglyHeroes - Michael & Scottie & Horace Prod By @ApolloBrown (Music Video) @MelloMusicGroup

@7evenThirty - Hook Heavy (feat. @SeanPrice) (Produced By @gensudean) (Music Video) @MelloMusicGroup

7evenThirty "The Problem" https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-problem/id871081038
Producer: Gensu Dean
Director : Jay Brown
FX : Paul Mihailoff
PA : Sam McKenna

Executive Producer: Michael Tolle
Mello Music Group 2014.


About the new album "The Problem"
7evenThirty and Gensu Dean. Rapper and producer. Mello Music Group stalwarts and Jackson, Mississippi natives turned Dallas denizens. Their working together was fated, rooted in shared soil before it was written in indelible ink. With 7evenThirty's sophomore album, The Problem, the duo have committed their destined collaboration to wax, giving rap listeners an album that wrestles with the rapidly changing present and carves out a much-deserved space in the forever-uncertain future.

Though 7evenThirty's first solo effort, Heaven's Computer, was written as a semi-autobiographical sci-fi narrative, he's landed squarely on terra firma this time around. In fact, his previous interstellar retreat inward has resulted in an incisive outward gaze at his home planet. The city buildings might be crumbling, the bars and beats of other rappers and producers homogenized, but there's hope.

With his delivery sharper than ever, 7evenThirty is comfortable and confident no matter where Dean's snares and kicks hit. He moves in and out of double time with deceptive ease. Furthermore, his styles are markedly varied throughout, ranging from rigid and rapid fire ("Russian Revolver") to bouncy and playful ("Foot On the Ground").

Still, 7evenThirty's dexterity behind the mic doesn't supersede his thought provoking lyrics. Case in point, "Making of a Vigilante," which deftly outlines a scorned and vengeful woman's haunting and convoluted attempt to enact justice. 7evenThirty also tackles several other emotionally and sociologically rich topics. The perils and paranoia associated with our dependence on technology ("Off the Grid"), the problems facing the next generation ("Generation Why") -- amidst the rubble, he leaves no stone unturned.

Working solely with his preferred SP-1200, which only allows ten seconds of sample time, Gensu Dean has once again managed to modernize golden era aesthetics, crafting intricate and fluid beats through stringent composition. Favoring sonic diversity over claustrophobic cohesion, Dean's banging suites are perfectly tailored to 7evenThirty's wide-ranging subject matter. Wherever 7evenThirty goes Dean sidles up next to him, flipping lush soul ("Filthy Rich"), blues-rock ("The Problem"), Ukrainian pop ("Foot on the Ground"), and more.
The sole feature comes from venerated New York MC Sean Price on "Hook Heavy." Over Gensu Dean's menacing production, Price's gruff deadpan delivery proves the perfect counterpart for 7evenThirty's energetic and elastic wordplay.

With The Problem, 7evenThirty and Gensu Dean have cut all but the essential. The twelve tracks are clear and concise in execution, totaling slightly less than forty minutes. Not every question is answered, but the most important are explored. Listen closely for the answers.

http://www.mellomusicgroup.com

@Has_Lo & @CSTLNOVA - D​.​L​.​S. (Single)

Producer Arcka opens "D.L.S." with a guitar pluck driven beat that inspires rapper/mc CASTLE to declare the definition of Swagneto (magnetically attracted swagger). Meanwhile, partner-in-rhyme, Has-Lo, glides in like Jordan on the opening verse.  But rather than go into the typical 16, Has-Lo and CASTLE begin an uncouth rhyme trade off.  But the real star here is the energy between the two emcees as they bounce back and forth spitting, laughing, and dancing through Arcka's lively production that would have served as a perfect backdrop for some Dirt McGirt, if we were fortunate enough to still have him around.

The mixture of drums, closed cymbal crashes, string plucks, and soul sample vocal stabs is a perfect beat backdrop for the two creatively unfiltered emcees to rhyme,  laugh, and enjoy rapping on.  Why? Because it feels good. It's a musical friendship played out with the record button luckily pressed.  Vibe with Has-Lo & CASTLE, and if you like the feeling in your brain-stem when you're done,  pre-order "Live Like You're Dead."

July 29th
iTunes | CD

@BIG_VK1 - Raponomics (prod. @KHRYSIS) (Music Video) @MelloMusicGroup

@BIG_VK1 - Body The Beat (prod. @KHRYSIS) | Official Video @MelloMusicGroup

@CSTLNOVA - Return of the Gasface (The @Has_Lo Passages) (Album) (@MelloMusicGroup)

Castle's Return of the Gasface (The Has-Lo Passages) enters the stage today on Mello Music Group. The record is a frame by frame rewrite of the graphic debut from Castle, Gasface. Unsatisfied with the typical approach to remix projects, MMG vet Has-Lo built the album from the ground up - having Castle re-spit verses, adding verses, ad-libs, a guest verse from Has, and even pair of new tracks. The result is an entirely new wave thematically and cinematically. Conceptually the project is somewhere between Marvel's "Team Up" and "What If" storylines. The synergy between Has-Lo and Castle is that of long-time collaborators offering the best of back and forths.
Lyrically Castle manages to combine the menace of the streets with the reality of home life - an intimate three-dimensional portrait of a man witnessing life unfold through a Hip-hop filter. Castle describes it well: "Pop rappers chastising, claim that I don't stack enough. Art rappers chastising, claim that I don't tap enough." Add to it, Has-Lo's sonic backdrops that seem to help Castle's lyrical displays rise to the forefront, providing well-timed accents that drive it all home.

The original cover art was created by New York artist Josh Bayer, who is best known for creating the opening sequences in the HBO show "Rome" as well as the paintings in Alicia Keys "Girl On Fire" video.  In addition to the cover art, Bayer created an entire booklet of original pieces to go along with each single for Castle's album. Mello Music Group is proud of the marriage created between lyrics, production, and original artwork.

Castle, "Return of the Gasface (The Has-Lo Passages)" hits digital retailers today with vinyl and cds on the way shortly hereafter.  Now tell your girl to get off the phone so Castle can drop one off in her drawers.

@DrStokley - Lung Specialist (Music Video) (Prod By @JAHJAHMULDROW) @MelloMusicGroup @RFFMRCY @patchdkeyes