I Need A Raise Records

January 25th, 2010 | By Steven Potter

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

Created by emcee Mic Virus in 2003 while living in Milwaukee, I Need A Raise Records has become one of the definitive Madison Hip-Hop labels since he moved it here just a few years ago.

“Ask anyone who’s into Hip-Hop around here — they might not like us all as individuals or whatever, but they know we’re out here,” he says. “They know we grind, they know we hustle.”

Indeed. As one of the best-known labels in town, INAR regularly cranks out albums, mixtapes and other projects while performing almost restlessly around and outside of Madison. “We’re a known presence,” he adds.

THE ROSTER AND INAR’S BEGINNINGS

Currently, INAR serves as the outlet and vehicle for a roster of nine members, including Mic Virus, NV1 Continue Reading

Release Reminder: Air Jordan VI Black-Varsity Red

January 24th, 2010 | By Logan

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

This morning marked the first “real” retro release by Jordan for 2010.  They are the pair Michael won his first championship in and retail for $150.  Although there are some slight changes to these, like the varsity red used in place of the original infrared color, they still are one of the hottest Jordans to date. If your a Jordan fan you know the history behind these and won’t miss picking them up.

Continue Reading

Legends Zion-I are headed to Madison on U.S. Tour!

January 22nd, 2010 | By 608

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

“Zion-I has earned a reputation for having a dynamic live act as well as for putting out high-quality albums for the better part of a decade” –Erik Arnold, SF Weekly

Oakland hip-hop duo Zion-I start 2010 off by hitting the road on a three month U.S. tour supporting their new album, The Takeover. The twenty city tour will start in Anaheim at House of Blues on January 13 and end up at the House of Blues in West Hollywood on March 6, 2010. Zion-I will be performing an all ages show at the Majestic Theatre in Madison, WI on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010.

Ten years after the release of their debut single, Zion I released their 6th album, The Takeover, this past year. A filler-free new mix of jabs, roundhouses and Continue Reading

Jo Flowroshus: On His Business

January 21st, 2010 | By Rumont

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

In a city where Hip-Hop is viewed to be more harmful than it is helpful, more misguiding than it is educational and more misunderstood than any other music genre out there, Madison has some of the most tenacious and talented artists in the game, fighting to get to the top of their local food chain… and beyond.

On the outside looking in, one cannot begin to understand the plights of such budding musicians.

When the publisher walked into my office and mentioned that he was considering Jo Flowroshus (Pronounced: Joe-Flowrow- shus, or Jo Flow) for a feature article, I jumped at the chance to get involved. Reason being, about a year prior to this, I had the pleasure of stumbling upon a song that he had recorded. By song’s end, to put it mildly, I was Continue Reading

God-Des and She

January 20th, 2010 | By Erin Eagan

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

If an album is released but no one hears it, does it make a sound?

That’s the question the Madison-bred duo God-Des and She were asking themselves after their release of Stand Up in 2007. “We figured, we’ll just put [the album] out and people will buy it,” says God-Des. But Stand Up didn’t catch on. Like the one before it, the album primarily ended up in the hands of their hardcore fans — a loyal lesbian following, which had grown after an appearance on Showtime’s The L Word along with a No. 1 hit on MTV Logo.

The duo will be the first to admit they’ve made mistakes in their five-year career, and they aren’t reluctant to talk about Continue Reading