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The First 5 with BOAC

BOAC, an acronym for “Banging Out All Classics”, is an independent hip-hop producer from San Francisco’s Bay Area. He is a founding member of The Earthlings, a group that has played and toured with names like De La Soul, ODB, KRS-One, Rakim, Living Legends, Hieroglyphics and Jurassic 5, just to name a few. On top [...]

The First 5 with Benzilla

It’s been a big year for Benzilla, especially with his collaboration with BK-One for the release of Radio Do Canibal. Benzilla is a producer born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, a state, it seems, with limitless talent specifically in the genre of hip-hop. He’s worked with many well respected artists and groups such as [...]

The First 5 with UNO Mas

For this week’s edition of The First 5, we caught up with UNO Mas. UNO is half of the group Cook and UNO, as well as a founding member of the now defunct, yet highly regarded hip-hop collective, L.A. Symphony. He is currently working on his and CookBook’s latest project, “C&U Music Factory” that has [...]

The First 5 with Jade Fox

The abundance of quality independent hip-hop emerging from Baltimore, Maryland in the recent years has given new life to the city’s nickname, “Charm City”. We caught up with Jade Fox, a multiracial female emcee that is determined to push herself to be the best there is. With a style that is always evolving, she claims [...]

The First Five with YC The Cynic

YC is a young, inspiring MC, who turns just 19 this week. Check out the official bio and some info on the man doing this thing: It’s not often you come across a young, budding artist who’s thoroughly committed to the art. Since the business is so competitive, many quit before they begin to see [...]

The First 5 – Dusty Melo (Sweatshop Union, Pigeon Hole)

Sweatshop Union, a staple in independent Canadian hip-hop, is a collective consisting of Dirty Circus (Mos Eisley, Metty The Dert Merchant, DJ Itchy Ron), Pigeon Hole (Dusty Melo, Mr.Marmalade), Innocent Bystanders (Mos Eisley, Conscience) and solo artist Kyprios. Recognized as one of the most successful independent hip-hop acts in Canada, their 2004 album Natural Progression [...]

The First 5: Seezmics

It’s been a big year for the Educated Consumers’ lyricist, Seezmics. First was the release of the well-received The Waiting Room EP, which was followed by Dezmatic’s “Bigfoot’s Dick Tour” that hit eight different venues. Next was the drop of, Hello Big Mama that created cause for the 10-date “Hello Big Mama Tour” with Cubbiebear, [...]

The First 5: Chum The Skrilla Guerilla

Chum Zilla aka Chum The Skrilla Guerilla is a DJ and producer who has worked with some of the biggest heavy-weights in the indie scene. He’d produced tracks for the likes of Styles of Beyond (“Hey You!”) to Apathy (A good portion of Eastern Philosophy) and the rest of the DemiGodz crew. His style of [...]

The First 5 with Jern Eye

Jern Eye is an MC from Oakland who got his start as an artist performing with Spear Of The Nation and Khai Sharrieff in the group Lunar Heights. The release of their group effort, Crescent Moon brought them much local success but it was Jern Eye’s subsequent largely-self-produced solo debut album, Authentic Vintage that has [...]