The Bloody Beetroots are an Italian Dance/Electronica music duo. The members of The Bloody Beetroots are Bob Rifo, and DJ Tommy Tea. On their 2010 tour they introduced a new member, Edward Grinch who plays with them for live shows. The Bloody Beetroots broke out onto the dance music scene when in 2008, their EP Cornelius was in the Top 100 International iTunes Downloads.
Living Legends is a hip-hop group from California. Living Legends has eight members, two of which were already featured on this site (MURS, and The Grouch). The Living Legends were previously known as the Mystik Journeymen, and are one of the biggest success stories in independent rap, behind Wu-Tang Clan.
Skream (Oliver Jones) is a Dubstep producer from Bromley, London. In his early career, Skream worked at Big Apple Records, which is one of the places that early Dubstep originated. Skream claims to have over 8,000 songs in various stages of production. Skream rose to prominence when in ’09 he remixed La Roux’s “In for the Kill.” Skream is considered a founding father of Dubstep and is still prominent in the Dubstep scene today.
Freeway is an American hip-hop artist who gets his name from the infamous drug dealer Ricky “Freeway” Ross. Freeway has been associated with Jay-Z and Kanye West and was signed to Roc-A-Fella records for the early part of his career. Freeway is currently signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment and Cash Money Records. Freeway is known for his “gravel like” voice which he delivers in a higher pitch than many other artists of the same genre. Freeway is also known for keeping a long beard, which relates to his Muslim faith, and even put his career on hold to do the Hajj (a spiritual journey to the mecca that all Muslims must take in their lifetime) and get in touch with his Muslim faith.
Talib Kweli was born into a highly educated household, his mother being an English professor, and his father being a Sociology professor. In his early years he was associated with groups such as Doom, Mood, and Blackstar. Talib Kweli grew fame by appearing on such shows as The Chappelle Show, and MTV’s Wild ‘n’ Out. Kweli’s lyrics retain “socio-political conten.” Kweli collaborated with DJ Hi-TEK to release a new album Revolutions per Minute on May 18, 2010.
MURS (Nick Carter), is a hip-hop artist from L.A. His name is said to be an acronym for numerous things including “Making the Universe Recognize and Submit,” and “Making Underground Raw Shit.” MURS has an impressive independent career, but he is also known for being a member of The Living Legends, as well as often working with 9th Wonder, and collaborating with Slug of Atmosphere in a duo called Felt. MURS is known for making commentary in his songs about how he is dissapointed with rap nowadays and says in “Can It Be(Half a Million Dollars and 18 Months Later)” that “All these rappers wanna talk about is guns and dope, Don’t they realize, we all at the end of our rope?” MURS has recently gained more attention to his music, and has even appeared on MTV. MURS’ new album ForNever was released with 9th wonder on April 13 2010, and has recieved much critical praise.
The Fleet Foxes are a Seattle based quintet who describe themselves as “Baroque Harmonic Pop.” Lead man Robin Pecknold and Skyler Skjelset formed the group, and they released their first EP in 2006. Since then, the EP “Sun Giant”, and the full album “Fleet Foxes” have garnered critical appraise, and the Fleet Foxes are now known for their “refined lyrics and vocal harmonies.”
The Grouch (Corey Scoffern) is a hip-hop artist from Oakland, Ca. The Grouch is known for his independent work as well as being a member of the Living Legends, G&E, and The CMA. The Grouch has a steady underground following, and his music covers a wide variety of topics from relationships to being an ex porn-addict.
Bon Iver is an American Indie Folk group founded by Justin Vernon. In 2007 he released his debut album For Emma, Forever Ago independently. Vernon wrote and recorded the majority of this album in a log cabin in Wisconsin to spend time alone and to cope with a bad breakup. Bon Iver’s voice full of emotion and unique style can be appreciated by anyone, which is what makes their music so brilliant.
Brother Ali (Ali Newman), is an albino hip-hop artist from Minnesota. He converted to Islam while living in Minnesota, which is a big influence on his music according to the song “Good Lord” where he goes on to say “Best believe that the Koran influenced all of my songs.” Brother Ali’s music projects both the good and bad aspects in his life, and you can really hear the emotion in his voice when he raps, which is just one of the reasons his music is so enjoyable to listen to.
Scope This. 