Division East Records Presents:
New Albums from Hip-Hop elite TAME ONE and Undisputed Rookie of the Year, SHAPE! * Read, Listen, and Prepare to Sh*t Pants
SHAPE
"Raised Near The Powerlines"
(June 5th 2007)
Introducing one of the most exciting and groundbreaking emcees and producers in the latest wave of constantly forward thinking hip-hop community, SHAPE.
Raised in West Orange and currently residing in the Journal Square section of Jersey City, New Jersey's SHAPE (who recently turned 24 on Valentine's Day) began writing and rhyming in High School at the age of 15, shortly afterwards purchasing his first MPC 2000, and began waiting tables to put together his own studio at the age of 16.
SHAPE's mind-bogglingly talented, at times goose-bump-inducing, debut album "Raised Near the Power Lines," is a completely self-produced album and speaks worlds of this young artists potential to transfix his listener and transform many aspects of the current state of hip-hop. Recalling and inspired by the likes of Nas, Rakim, Public Enemy, Rick Rubin, The Bomb Squad, The Dust Brothers, George Martin and RZA, track by undeniably ridiculous track, "Raised Near the Powerlines" plays like an "everyone else can eat a d*ck" schooling on what great hip-hop and producing could sound like, not so much in it's attitude but rather in the skill level on display.
Album opener, "Introduction to Powerlines" is one of the handful of beautiful instrumentals which loops and leads into the slow jam "Darkside of the Sillohuete," greatly and instantly displaying SHAPE's writing and rhyming abilities. The song also features a sick sample of Val Kilmer in "Masked and Anonymous" who asks and explains the question "why is man here?" - pretty amazing. Track 3's "Every Step Forward (Two Steps Back)" is an apocolyptic dedication to Jam Master Jay, "Stereo Gun Unplugged" is the jumpoff first single from the record (video coming soon), a hilarious and ripping track which ends w/ some classic Arnold Schwarzenegger quotes. "Rock Like This," featuring Atbash Cipher, is what happens when whatever's on tv creeps into your dream and shakes you awake, and is another crazy display of Shape's rhyming abilities (also hugely single worthy). "Empeecee2k" is ill, Track 11's Early Mourning (interlude)'s sample is trivia worthy, Track 12 features fellow Ax-Thrower Tame One, a dizzying onslaught of some of the best rhyming over a laid back three minute beat and leads into jumpoff number two Wu-Tang-style Gary Oldman and features Jersey's talented underground up and coming MCs of the scene including Bullymouth, C-Minus, GDP, Atbash Cipher, and DefDom. Take a sneak peek at NJ's underground, these MCs can constantly be seen rockin various small clubs around Jersey and Brooklyn (most recently, especially Shape, w/ the likes of Pumpkinhead, C-Rayz Walz, Juggaknots, Mr. Len, and more). GDP's Del-tha-funky-Homosapian inspired mind fuckery takeover on OMG (I'm Going Crazy) drops "oh shits" on faces, Super Heroes feat. Bill Hicks is a serious / not-too-serious look at today's on-going world issues and Fox News, which flips out in the end like Shape got lost in this shit, a major stand-out / hidden gem on the record. Track 17, The 7th Hour, is evil, depressing, and heavy, its instrumental couterpart is spaced the fuck out, frightening, and meditative, and prepares us for the album's closing track "Heart Beats" where SHAPE provides a grooving sound of a heart beating (you can hear it) using live drums and sax, growing faster to catch up w/ Shape's flow about life, love, loss, death, and blessings.
SHAPE Live:
Mar 30 2007 Hidden Cities New Brunswick, New Jersey w/ GDP, Fun, beer, basements, rowdiness
Apr 4 2007 Galapagos Art Space (.com) Brooklyn, NY w/ GDP, Prolifik, headliner tba
TAME ONE
"The Grudge - Fuck The Industry" Mixtape
(Produced by Shape and Tame One, out now through Fatbeats, digitally available June 5th)
"Tame One displays pure lyrical skill" - Rapreviews.com
After the untimely demise of the legendary New Jersey rap group The Artifacts (1992.-1997), 1980’s graffiti icon turned hip hop legend has again risen from the ashes like the fabled phoenix .
After his contract with Atlantic Records subdivision BigBeatRecords was up, Tame One reappeared a few years later for a short stint on Eastern Conference Records- the then home of supergroup The High n Mighty aka DJ Mighty Mi and Mr. Eon, The Weathermen's founder Cage Kennylz, YakBallz, and super producer Camu Tao (circa 1999-2006) After appearing on numerous Eastern Conference Records projects (i.e.- "EASTERN CONFERENCE RECORDS ALL STARS" volumes 2, 3, 4 and 5, The Weathermen's album "THE CONSPIRACY", Cage's "WEATHERPROOF" EP (The first debut of our collaboration as "LEAK BROS.") Camu Tao and Cage's collaborative concept album "NIGHTHAWKS", YakBallz's Definitive Jux debut "MY CLAIM" , Cannibal Ox’s Vast Aire and DJ Mighty Mi's "BEST DAMNED RAP SHOW" album. High & Mighty’s "THE 12TH MAN" as well as two solo albums(the critically acclaimed "WHEN RAPPERS ATTACK" and the purposely underground effort "O.G. BOBBY JOHNSON") both featuring the stellar production of Boom Skwad's DJ Porno and Camu Tao, J-Zone, DJ Mighty Mi and RJD2.
As the terms of Tame One's E.C. RECS contract came to a close, Cage Kennylz defected and changed labels, moving on to Definitive Jux, but before leaving, collaborated together under the alias Leak Brothers and dropped the underground cult classic album "WATERWORLD."
After a brief hiatus, Tame One returned joining forces with NJ Hip Hop band The Dusted Don’s (emcees C-Chan and Govone along with DJ Mel-Ski) to form an entirely different entity now known as Slow Suicide Stimulus. The SSS full length dropped within a month of Tame One’s highly praised, intentionally progressive solo LP “SPAZMATIC” on Ahead Recordings. (Produced solely by Xing n’ Fox) But before any of this had even occurred, the "pre-signed" Tame One created his own musical group, formed from childhood friends and co-collaborators THE BOOM SKWAD (established in 1992.) Among the deep, deep ranks of the multi-talented hip-hop veterans, the inner-circle consisting of DJ Rhino CMZ, (Hidden Descent) DJ Porno, MCs Jay Burnz Jaya, Kool Melo Max165, SA'D (Parliament/Funkadelic), New Jersey graffiti legend Jero NRG, and the former art director of Source Magazine Merge 1, have banded together out of the collective to continue the evolution of representing every aspect of the hip-hop culture "in-house" and independently (beginning with the limited edition 12' release ("BOOM SKWAD'S ON ATTACK" produced by GRUFFRYNO CMZ). Tame One is revered for his extensive catalogue and multiplicity of labels and artists he works and has worked with. Bringing us to his latest release “The Grudge” available now on Division East Records. (www.DivisionEast.com). The saga shall and does continue.
About Divison East Records:
Division East began as a skater owned and operated, grassroots skateboard shop in February of 2000. David Dowd single handedly ran Division East Skateshop day in and day out from 11am-8pm, Monday through Sunday offering a variety of skateboards, accessories, sneakers, clothing, apparell, videos, and an in-store half pipe. Companies ranged from big sellers (DC Shoes, Nike, Clarks, Puma, Etnies, Vans, and others) to lesser-known, “underground” companies (5 Boro, LeRoy Jenkins, LRG, 10 Deep, etc).
Dowd ventured into Division East t-shirts, hoodies, bags, pants, stickers, and skateboards in the years to come (designed by graffiti artists Bigfoot, Stay High 151, Tame One, Rime, Chip 7, Kemos, Navy 8, Detox “The Ghetto,”and others), as well as releasing 2 skate shop videos “Daggers” and the New Jersey cult classic “The Final Countdown” which featured east coast legends Andy Bautista, German Nieves, Joe Tookmanian, Kevin Hayden and many more. Division East’s 3rd, highly anticipated skate shop movie is currently in the works by Poppills.com’s own Justin White. Dave Dowd relocated Division East in early-2005 to a much larger, better situated location on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, NJ, where it is still revered as the only skateboarder owned and operated shop in New Jersey.
As a life long fan and enthusiast of hip hop and hip hop culture, Dowd began selling spray paint, markers, black books, graffiti magazines, books, toys, movies, and caps out of the store. He collaborated with writers such as Cope 2, Rime, Tame One, Detox the Ghetto, Stay High 187, Chip7, and Kemos on various Division East products, as well as showcasing and sponsoring graffiti-related art shows.
With the help and advice of some close friends, Dave Dowd began getting his feet wet in the hip hop music circuit. He released a Division East hooded sweat shirt and t-shirt designed by Tame One, and followed shortly after with the “Division East Summer Mixtape” hosted by Tame One, which featured unreleased music from Tame One, Scienz of Life, GDP, Shape, G. Wallace, Cymarshall Law, and many more. Division East began sponsoring and promoting various hip shows predominantly throughout the North East and even down the East Coast with acts ranging from Tame One, Pace Won (Outsidaz), Juggaknots, C-Rayz Walz, Killah Priest, OC, and many more. Division East Records was officially established with the addition of GDP, Shape, G. Wallace, and Bullymouth to the roster. The Division East Winter Mixtape, mixed and hosted by the legendary Mr. Len of Company Flow fame which included music from El-P, Count Bass D, Tame One, Pace Won, GDP, G. Wallace, Shape, Pumpkinhead, Bullymouth, and more. Division East in affiliation with Mr. Len’s own Smacks Records released Bullymouth’s long-awaited “Back to School” LP in late 2006 and is extremely excited to be releasing Tame One’s “The Grudge” street album, Shape’s full length “Raised Near the Power Lines” and GDP’s “Involvement” EP this spring and summer 2007. Division East has become so many things to so many different people that it is no longer just a store, a clothing company, a record label, a show promoter, or a skateboard company; it is a movement. A refreshingly genuine movement, composed of friends helping friends, that is gaining momentum by the day, with a recently launched online store, monthly hip hop showcases throughout the Tri-State Area, and plans for the future that you will have to see to believe. And you will.
For more information, visit:
www.divisioneast.com
www.divisioneast.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/divisioneastrecords
myspace.com/tameoneboomskwad (Tame One)
www.myspace.com/kiddnemesis (Shape)
