Rest of video coming soon.  If you haven’t checked out the Electric Purgatory Part One EP yet, download the promo version below:

Thank you!

I just got in from having some drinks and i feel like reflecting tonight. I feel a great deal of gratitude for everything that i have been given and the friends i have, as well as the experiences that have been granted me on this path i have chosen.  And i want everybody who has ever supported or encouraged me to continue this thing because it means a lot.  Tonight i realized that there are so many things that i wouldnt have been able to see had it not been for this gift i have been given; no matter how big or small that gift is, it is a gift nonetheless, and i dont take it for granted anymore.

I now look at everyday i am fortunate to wake up and do something i love as a blessing, not something i earned, or something that is a quick phase in my life. it is what i make it, and if i choose to do nothing with it, then it will be nothing. but if i choose to love it and nurture it then it will grow and blossom–and i dont mean monetarily or in terms of shit like that. i mean in terms of what it is and the joy it brings to myself and others.

We don’t love flowers because of what they can do for us. We love them because of what they are.  It would be selfish to do otherwise.  so whatever role that my path plays in the role of others joy i fully accept and embrace. not because it makes me money or because otherse need me, but because that is simply what i am to them, and what i am to be.

This may sound like some drunken rambling, and i admit that i’ve been drinking tonight but feel my sincerity on this. Read the rest of this entry »

I haven’t blogged much the past few days because we’ve been busy preparing for and shooting a music video for the Greenhouse song “Cold Out Here” from the Electric Purgatory EP.  The video will be premiered at 11pm during our free show this Saturday January 30th in Columbus OH @ Carabar.  My friend Greg is directing/filming it and here are some quick shots:

[View with PicLens]

 

First, Weightless Recordings would like to thank everybody who has picked up the Electric Purgatory EP so far, especially those who also picked up the Greenhouse Hoody + CD combo deal.  Since spring is arriving soon, we would like to announce the next deal which is a Black & Silver Greenhouse T-shirt (printed on American Apparel t-shirt), plus The Electric Purgatory CD/EP w/ instrumentals, and an 11×18 electric purgatory poster for only $15.00.



Thanks for your Support! And yes, I do mail out all orders myself!

Weightless Web Store

In light of the Blueprint Who EP announcement, i figured i would post this (4 parts):

Read the rest of this entry »

While i usually try to keep this blog/website pretty positive and upbeat, i couldn’t help but write something in memory of Teddy Pendergrass who died tonight/last night at the age of 59. For those who dont know, Teddy Pendergrass was a serious, serious, soul singer. He had one of those rare voices that could go from real smooth to real grizzly in a heartbeat, but right when you needed it to be.

When i heard he died tonight I was at the bar and his song “turn off the lights” immediately popped into my head. I will always have great memories of him and this song. I remember buying the tape that “turn off the lights” was on just to get that one song. Hell, i cant remember any other songs on the record, but “turn off the lights” was like 6-8 minutes long and made the purchase well worth it by itself. The wildest part about this song is that it wasn’t even a song i grew up on. My parents actually got busy to it. I just remember it being on around the house sometimes, and when i went thru my exploratory phase of R&B that song just took me there.

At any rate, I will admit that Teddy Pendergrass may be the first (of many) R&B singers that I actually stole lyrics from and used them on a girl:

Read the rest of this entry »

After I posted about the upcoming Blueprint Who EP, I was informed that the link i had to Blueprint vs Funkadelic wasn’t working for everybody so I decided to fix it (so that i wouldnt have to worry about it going down again), and also so that the people who may have missed it the first time around can actually get up on it before i put out the next release in the series.  If you already downloaded it when it came out in 2008 this version I’ve uploaded is at CD quality, as opposed to the lower quality mp3s that were previously available.

http://greenhousecrew.bandcamp.com/album/blueprint-vs-funkadelic

Please take a listen and if you like it please spread the word.  The delux version of the release is available HERE and ships with an 11×17 poster (see above image) and all instrumentals for $7.99. Listening is great but supporting is even better.

Thanks!

A couple years back i released a free ep called Blueprint vs Funkadelic.  It was something i did for fun in the studio and to kind of pay tribute to a band who i had recently rediscovered thru the wonders of vinyl.  A lot of artists and producers do “mashups”, where they take existing vocals and put them over something else, but i try to do this series of record differently, by writing original material and not recycling rhymes.  If you haven’t checked out Blueprint vs Funkadelic before please check it out and get ready for the next installment.

I’ve decided to do this again, but using music from The Who. Blueprint Who will be released sometime in February.  The promo version will be free to download, and the delux version will come with a free poster, sticker, as well as the instrumentals.  Stay tuned for more specific details.

Thanks for the support!

So last week i turned in the CD master of the Columbus or Bust album to this pressing plant that we take a lot of CD duplication jobs too.  They start processing the order and then the sales rep calls me and is like “i have a question about this master”

I say “sure, what is it?”, and she says “are all the samples on this cleared and do you have permission to use everything on this record”.  I say “nah, not really, but what are you referring to”, and she says “i think i heard a vocal sample from an Officer and A Gentlemen on there”.  I’m kind of off guard but I’m like “hmmm, well there are samples but that’s not what its from”, and she says that she thinks there’s going to be a problem with their “licensing department” with the samples and they might not be able to press the record.  I basically say hey whatever y’all decide to do just let me know.  I didn’t tell her any of the samples because really its none of her business and also if somebody is gonna catch me then they’re gonna have to do their homework. I’m not gonna do their job for them and narc on myself.
Read the rest of this entry »

Lots of jewels here for any aspiring musician out there:

For those that forgot who Dick Dale is. Peep him tell his Quentin Terrantino story:

Word is Blog

This is something that i peeped a few months ago, and wondered why it didnt have that many views, but then i came to the realization that if it had more views it would have been pulled from youtube already.  But as many of you know i’m a big fan of Radiohead (hence the Greenhouse Effect vs Radiohead CD), so it was cool to see this documentary that chronicled what they were going through around the time they released Kid A, which was a huge departure from their previous album which had almost universal critical acclaim.  If you’re bored at work or a Radiohead fan like me peep it:

Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday January 30th – Columbus, OH @ Carabar – FREE SHOW
Thursday February 25 – Champaign, IL – venue tba
Friday February 26th – Minneapolis, MN @ The Triple Rock
Saturday February 27th – Madison, WI @ The Annex

Bitch, its Greenhouse! Hope to see you all out!

p.s. as always if you havent peeped the free greenhouse ep yet, download it here

In last weeks issue of the Columbus Alive, The Electric Purgatory EP was chosen as the best local hip-hop release of 2009. If you’re reading this and haven’t heard it yet DOWNLOAD IT NOW you lazy bastard!! If you’ve already heard it and would like to help us spread the music to friends of yours please use the share button on the player to post it up on your facebook, myspace, twitter, etc. We do what we can, but its no secret that we can reach a lot more people if those who already know about it help us.

Thanks for the support. Part two coming soon.

p.s. If you would like to order the delux version of the CD, go HERE

Imagine that you love flowers.

You love gardening as well.

Imagine enjoying nothing more than spending your free time amazed at how flowers look, how much joy your garden brings to you.   Imagine the beauty that flowers bring to your life.

Imagine buying seeds, shovels, and all types of gardening tools.  It’s nothing to you because you love flowers.

Imagine not wanting to see them die because they bring such joy to your life.

It’s beautiful, right?

Right.

Now, imagine that you love music…help me fill in the rest.

I’ve mentioned this on Facebook and on Twitter a few times before but this is the official announcement and flyer for it. Saturday January 30th, 2010 @ Carabar (115 parsons) in Columbus, OH.  The line-up is Greenhouse (Blueprint & Illogic), Apocalypse Inc, All Eyes Path, and DJ Johnny Cashola on the turntables.  We will also have a bboy battle earlier in the night and debut the “Cold Out Here” music video on the screen there.  If you live in Columbus or the surrounding area we hope to see you all out!

Any requests?  Hit up the comments section and let us know!

Printmatic

Back in 2005 Greenhouse Effect released a record called Columbus or Bust right around the same time that 1988 came out.  Because we wanted to try to get better distribution situation for the record we licensed it to a label called Raptivism records.  Boy was that a bad idea.  Basically, they didn’t do anything they were supposed to do and looking back we would’ve been better off releasing this album ourselves.

Columbus or Bust has been out of print for a very long time (mostly because we didnt want to risk them pursuing us legally) but as far as I know Raptivism isn’t even in business anymore, so we think its high time this record was released properly.  So, in January we will be rereleasing a delux version of the Columbus or Bust.  It will be available for the first time Tuesday January 26th on iTunes, and the delux 2CD version will ship from our site on the 26th.  We will also release the promo version on the 26th.

The delux version will include revised artwork, all instrumentals, as well as a 11×17 poster, sticker, and maybe even some other promo that’s not listed yet.  For now check out the below song to get a taste of what the album sounds like:

Download and help spread the word.

Word is blog

In 2005, shortly after my album 1988 came out, i was on the Scribble Jam tour with my dude DJ Raregroove, Mr. Dibbs, and Glue.  The tour ended in Portland, OR but instead of driving back with everybody else, me and raregroove decided to spend a few days in Portland kicking it and then fly back to Ohio later that week.  Considering everybody else on the tour was gonna be trapped in a bus for 2 or 3 days in route to Ohio, getting drunk everyday and kicking it in portland seemed like a much better option. So we played darts, went out, dug for records, and while i was there i recorded a song with my fellow rhymesayers brethren Grayskul.   The song is called “Blueskul” and its produced by Coley Cole.

It was intentionally slated for their second album Deadlivers, but the song didn’t make the cut.  Considering I hadnt heard the song since i wrote and recorded it (and had never heard a version with Greyskuls verses on it), i was was pretty happy they sent it to me last week.  Either way the song is now 5 years old and since nobody has really heard it i figure i would give it to you all.

Here is a link to the song:

http://www.divshare.com/download/10028499-93a

word is blog

I’m only posting this because it’s hilarious. Get up on that hot new Flavor Flav joint:

T-Pain better watch his back.  Flav is coming for him.

Word is blog.

As many of you know, I run a independent label called Weightless Recordings based out of Columbus, OH.  We’ve been putting out records since 1999 and our artists include myself, Illogic, Envelope, Zero Star, Greenhouse, and DJ Rare Groove.  Many people first heard of me via Soul Position, and some first heard of me via my solo debut 1988.  However, I have many albums that aren’t available in stores nor through Rhymesayers and are exclusive to our label Weightless Recordings.

At any rate, we have a webstore and are going to have a holiday sale where everything is 20% off with the coupon “20OFF.” Not that our prices were high anyways; we charge 4.99 and 7.99 for all our CDs, but we 20% off that is a pretty decent deal.  The sale lasts from now until 12/31.

As you all know, it costs money to put out records, especially in this era where record sales aren’t what they used to be.  We are here pretty much because of a number of dedicated fans and supporters, not because any of us sell a ton of records.  That being said, anything support you all can give in the way of buying CDs, Vinyl, and T-shirts goes a long way towards keeping Weightless, or any other independent label in business.

But enough of that.  Take your ass over to http://weightlessmerchandise.com and check it out.

Thanks for the support!

Printmatic

I hate when I’m in an almost empty restaurant and somebody sits at a table that’s not at least two tables away from me.

Even worse is when they sit at a table that’s one table away from me and sit in a direction facing me. It makes me feel like they’re watching me eat, or that every-time I look up I look like I’m watching them eat.

If I go to see a movie at a time when its not busy it bugs me when people sit anywhere near me. I’m a firm believer that if there are less people in the movie than rows in the theater, everybody should have their own row, and one row apart preferably so nobody has to hear anybody Else’s dumb ass comments or have somebody kicking the back of
their chair in an empty ass movie.

The above theory also applies to any form of public transit. Read the rest of this entry »

Fresh pictures of the Greenhouse crew in action.  All photos taken by Danielle Kline.

Click on the thumbnail to enlarge.  From there you can scroll left or right through the album. Read the rest of this entry »

SHAPOW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wblToK27Nrg

Say word.

Just in case you’re still sleeping, download this shit.  It’s purgatorious.

Word is blog

Here’s the link to the Columbus Alive feature on Greenhouse for those that missed it:



http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2009/11/26/ca_m_greenhouse.html?sid=108

In the decade-plus since Weightless Recordings began as a street-level hip-hop enterprise, Greenhouse (formerly Greenhouse Effect) has been the label’s flagship group, comprising label head/rapper/producer Blueprint and various other rappers. For Blueprint, aka Al Shepard, it was often an exhausting ordeal.

“Creatively, I had to drive so much of the Greenhouse thing, whereas I think a lot of people just sat back,” Blueprint said. “I couldn’t get dudes to do anything.”

Last winter, after a falling out with last remaining group member Manifest, Blueprint took a step he’d been eyeing for some time, bringing longtime collaborator Illogic into the Greenhouse fold.

Though they had never recorded together as Greenhouse, the pair has a long history. Blueprint produced Illogic’s first two albums, and the rappers have guested on some of each other’s best tracks. It only seemed natural to establish a more permanent partnership.

“He and I have a real similar work ethic in terms of our output,” Blueprint said. “I could sit around and do the production for a whole EP in a week or two. He could sit there and write all his rhymes in a week at work. When we come together, it’s really fast.”

The fruitful collaboration spun out into unforeseen directions last winter while the duo was working on forthcoming full-length Bend But Don’t Break.

“We were getting into the album heavily, and I think I just had a period where everything I was doing sounded really dark and wintry,” Blueprint said. “Usually when I get to that point, I won’t let anybody hear the beats because I’ll feel like, ‘Oh man, this weather’s affecting my sound too much.’ But this time around we just kind of embraced it.”

The artistic detour resulted in the first in a series of new EPs, Electric Purgatory, Vol. 1, to be released Saturday with a show at Skully’s.

They plan to crank out a second volume of seasonal-affective jams this winter and may drop more similar releases in the future rather than expand the concept into one self-contained album. They said they prefer to work in short, focused blasts.

“Most classic albums are short,” Illogic said. “You look at most of the classic albums and they have 12 songs max, usually. EPs are perfect for that. You don’t have time for filler.”

This six-song set is built on ominous strings, gnarly synth blurts and cold, heartless drum machine patterns, a foreboding musical climate that sent the MCs to some of the more shadowy corners of their brains. There’s a distinct feeling of unrest throughout these 28 minutes.

In particular, Electric Purgatory addresses a trusty meta-theme so prevalent in hip-hop: the artist’s struggle to endure and create in the face of hardship.

The Greenhouse guys wisely don’t beat the dead horse of me-versus-the-world martyrdom, but the EP is littered with references to the obstacles facing aspiring artists and the glories of going it alone – consider lyrics like “Waiting on a record deal is like waiting for FEMA,” track titles such as “Never Gonna Make It” and an interlude that declares “99.9 percent of bands never get paid.”

In light of their lyrical subject matter, the rappers had a laugh about how much the hip-hop landscape has changed since they started hawking self-released albums at a grassroots level in the late 1990s.

“When we first started selling tapes, people kind of looked down at us because you could still get signed in that era,” Blueprint said.

Illogic chimed in: “Now people looking at you crazy if you trying to get a deal.”

word is blog

This video is probably the freshest video I’ve seen in a long time.

Pick up the Felt record if you haven’t already:

Word is Blog

In light of it being thanksgiving and all that, I wanna say thanks to everybody who has checked out the Greenhouse EP, Electric Purgatory Part One. It’s been a while since Illogic and I have done anything together so we just want to get the music that we’ve been working on for the past year out there, but the response has been very good overall and very encouraging in terms of what we have planned in the future.

I also want to thank everybody that reposted it on their facebook or twitter pages and helped spread it out. That shit means a lot and you didn’t have to do it. A lot of times its easy to get overwhelmed by all this technology and social networking we’ve got at our fingertips, but I guess the good side is that it can be a good tool to bring people together and spread the word about things. I haven’t really blogged much this week because this week has been so damn busy, but i expect to be back on it next week in full force. Right now its all about filling these mail orders, rehearsing for the show on Saturday, and passing out flyers to hopefully get people out.

That’s about all i got.  Have a good weekend.

Word is Blog.

Sorry about the delays.  Here it is:

If the above player doesn’t work, use this direct link:

http://greenhousecrew.bandcamp.com/album/electric-purgatory-part-one-promo

As always, please use the share button to help us spread this out on twitter, myspace, facebook, etc.

Thanks for the support!

p.s. this saturday in Columbus.  If you like the EP and live in the Columbus area, we would love to see you out.

Yup.  You heard it right.  Friday December 11th @ Al Rosa Villa.

Also, tomorrow (Tuesday November 24th), we will be releasing the free version of the new Greenhouse EP, Electric Purgatory Part One. You will be able to download it from here, printmatic.net, weightless.net. I will post the link in the morning and from then it’s pretty much on.

The delux version of the project comes with the instrumentals and an 11×17 poster. Pre-ordering from the weightless webstore right now for $4.99. We also have a deal where you can get a greenhouse hoodie, the cd, and poster for $25.

Word is Blog

Ok.  Here is the latest leak off the upcoming Greenhouse EP, titled “Damn”. Futuristic, rugged hip-hop, brought to you by Blueprint & Illogic.

After you download, please, please, please help us spread the word about song by hitting the “share” button above. A drop-down menu will let you select where you want to share it (facebook, myspace, twitter, wordpress,etc.), you select the one you want, and bam! its done.    Any help you give us in spreading this music is greatly appreciated.  Even if it’s just one of your friends learning about us, that’s great.  The more the better.

The full free version of the EP will be available on Tuesday November 24th, and the delux-cd (with instrumentals & 11×17 poster) will Ship on nov 27th.  Please visit http://www.weightless.net to order the CD.

Word is blog

I came across this a few days ago and wanted to get everybody’s thoughts on it.  Here’s the article:

http://musically.com/blog/2009/10/06/public-enemy-to-fan-fund-new-album-with-sellaband/#tb

Public Enemy to fan-fund new album with SellaBand

Hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy have announced plans for fans to fund their new album – but also take a share of the revenues. The band are working with SellaBand to raise $250,000 in individual donations of $25. Fans chipping in will get a numbered copy of the album, but also a share of the profits – although exactly how this will work hasn’t been announced at the time of writing.

“SellaBand’s financial engine model goes about restructuring the music business in reverse,” says Public Enemy’s Chuck D. “It starts with fans first, then the artists create from there. The music business is built on searching for fans and this is a brand new way for acts to coming to create a new album with fans first, already on board.”

Public Enemy are the first established act to benefit from SellaBand’s new business model, which now allows artists to hold onto their publishing rights, and raise money in different ways to the scheme originally proposed by the site when it was targeting just unsigned artists. The band are one of the more experienced when it comes to digital, having been one of the first to release music as MP3 files.

“Working with Public Enemy is an incredibly exciting way to take the European success we’ve built over the past three years and offer it to stateside bands,” says SellaBand CEO Johan Vosmeijer.

And then part two of the story this:

Caption: Chuck D of ‘ Public Enemy ‘ performs Coachella Music Festival 2009 – Day 3 Indio, California …. Rap legends PUBLIC ENEMY are on their way to achieving a fan-funded album - they have pulled in donations of $50,000 . Last month , the group agreed a deal with SellaBand, an online fan funding engine, which gives devotees the chance to …