3001: Laced Odyssey Tour 2016

4 years ago during the summer of 2012, a lot of things were happening. President Barack Obama was soon to be reelected to a second term, the new Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, NY had been unveiled, and Miami Heat superstar/media punching bag LeBron James had finally won his first NBA championship. This was also the time that I had first discovered this eccentric new Hip-Hop trio from NY named Flatbush Zombies. The first ever track I had heard from the collective was the solo cut by the obnoxious but always exciting Meechy Darko titled “Face-Off” off of their remarkably underrated debut mix tape D.R.U.G.S. and it immediately blew me away.

Not since ODB had I seen a rapper on the swank level of Meech, which was even more surprising when I found out how early into the game he and his bandmates truly were. The video featured Meech and the other two members of the group, Erick Arc Elliot and Zombie Jewice, walking through Flatbush with 40 ounces of Ol’ E in hand spitting outlandish bars such as, “I love weed n**ga/ I got a green thumb/ She F**k me n**ga, until she bleed cum” to a banging instrumental provided by sole producer for the group, Elliot aka The Architect. While their lyrics touch on many different topics such as motherhood, the downfalls of drug addiction, and wavy acid trips, the Zombies have always been praised for their originality as well as their brash attitudes toward the industry as a whole (except A$AP). With two critically acclaimed mix tapes and a few sold out country wide and world tours in their rearview, the young trio has kept it true to their roots of not giving a f**k while also evolving into more mature and well rounded artists, which is not an easy feat for most. Capitalizing off of the immense success from their debut album, 3001: A Laced Odyssey, as well as their acclaimed performance at Tidal‘s X 10/20 concert and their viral appearance on Hip-Hop podcast: Rap Radar, the Brooklyn natives decided to head out on a global tour, starting in the US, which has been sold out at almost every stop.

I got a chance to catch the stars in the making live in action in San Diego at The North Park Observatory on 4/30 and if there’s one thing that is certain about these men, they know how to put on a show. Check out my evening with Flatbush.

Although when artists come to California, they do 4-5 shows in various cities, the stop that every artist always looks forward to is San Diego. Accompanied by an intimate setting with a spacious pit and an overlooking balcony, The North Park Observatory is the perfect venue for artists who want an intimate experience with their fans. “I just wanna let y’all know, San Diego has been my favorite show” said Eric. “And I don’t just say that shit to any venue,” he added after. The excitement from the Zombies was evident from the jump. They started the set off with Jewice channeling his best Bruce Buffer impression and announcing the group as a whole. The first track they played was “The Odyssey,” the opening track from their debut album and they all came out one after another displaying unforgettable energy and precise bars over instrumentals. This was the most impressive part of the show as the Zombies are all known for their machine gun speed flows; especially Jewice. They all 3 hit every bar and every line with the precision of trained snipers.  The trio then kicked off fan favorites “Bounce” and “Good Grief” before going into a five minute tribute to the late Capital STEEZ in which they got the crowd to join in on a “RIP Steelo” chant which was then followed by similar tributes to Biggie Smalls and Tupac.

One of the more impressive parts of the show was the amount of detail that was put into the stage props and lighting. The Zombies were accompanied by a screen behind them that was portraying wavy acid inspired art videos the whole night. Though that was trippy in itself, during the song “This Is It,” the lights would flash like strobe lights perfectly on cue with the drum beat. The amount of effort they put into their live shows was very evident as the crew rarely looked gassed or missed a bar as they went from song to song turning up with energy that even Desiigner could appreciate. Also, notable was how well the trio engaged with their fans during the show. I had the pleasure of seeing them in Tempe, Arizona in 2013, and although that show was one of the most fun I’ve been to, the group has definitely grown in this area tremendously. They had their crowd hanging on to their every word, teasing unreleased material and even having everybody turn to their neighbor and say I love you at the end of the show.

I LOVE U SAN DIEGO BEST SHOW EVER pic.twitter.com/polpIuFIez

— Mel (@AsapTwelvyy) May 1, 2016

In total, Flatbush blessed the crowd with about 18-20 songs in total for a fantastically crafted performance. Some of the highlight songs from the show were “RIPCD,” “Fly Away” and “222” which showed Erick rapping acapella at the end of the track. Though those tracks were exciting in their own right, the best three songs from the night by far were “Ignorance Is Bliss,” “New Phone, Who Dis?” and weed-head favorite “Smoke Break (Interlude).” The latter was accompanied by the screen behind the group displaying videos of old white folks taking some mean bong rips, which cued the crowd to light up themselves during the vibey smoker’s anthem. “Ignorance Is Bliss” and “New Phone, Who Dis?” were incredibly live though, and were without a doubt the highlights from the evening with the trio showing out their best dance moves and culminating with Meech doing a stage dive. The Brooklyn natives even managed to let their political stance be known. “I’m not sure if you guys f**k with politics and pay attention or any of that, but if you want a better future you have to make sure in November, you do NOT vote for Donald Trump” Jewice said to the crowd which was followed by a “F**k Donald Trump chant” that was sang in unison as if it was part of the Zombie discography.

The energy was incredible, the smoke was heavy, and the sold out crowd was at the will of the performers, hanging on to every word. My evening with Flatbush was live to say the least; if you’ve never had the chance to see the group in action, you’re missing out. They’re easily one of the best live shows in Hip-Hop right now, and with them selling out almost every stop on their tour, good luck finding a ticket. Take a look at some of the photos taken from the show and check out the rest of the tour dates below to catch the tour in your city. Also, be sure to check out 3001: A Laced Odyssey in stores now and available on iTunes, Spotify, and of course Tidal.

SET LIST:

1. The Odyssey
2. Bounce
3. Good Grief
4. Glorious Thugs
5. RIPCD
6. This Is It
7. Ascension
8. Fly Away
9. 222
10. Smoke Break (Interlude)
11. Trade Off
12. New Phone, Who Dis?
13. Unreleased Song
14. MRAZ
15. Ignorance Is Bliss
16. Don’t Do Drugs
17. Bath Salt
18. Palm Trees
19. S.C.O.S.A.
20. Thug Waffle

Suggested Articles:

Flatbush Zombies Release Their Anticipated Album, ‘3001: A Laced Odyssey’

Flatbush Zombies Hit Us With Their New Single, “Bounce”

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The Zombies of Flatbush have finally come through with their album, 3001: A Laced Odyssey. What is there to find within this 12-track body of work? There’s plenty to explore as you enter their space (double entendre). It’s Brooklyn meets a space voyage. As they find themselves usually doing, they elevate the mind in the form of words and Erick Arc Elliot production. There is a lot of growth from Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice, and Erick. The “Beast Coast” movement continues to sprout with this new release from Flatbush Zombies.

“Bounce” was released as a single in the earlier part of February. Arguably being one of the few tracks that feel like vintage Flatbush, the title was relevant to the feel of the production.

You may have noticed Kanye West’s tweets that spoke on the death of CD’s. We are unlikely to ever get a physical copy of a Kanye West CD, and the same may go for the Zombies.

During their track “R.I.P.C.D.,” they speak on the generational changes that we’re in the midst of.

“R.I.P. to the CD can’t even play my hits, cause new computer sh*t without the means to play this sh*t.”

The group gets nostalgic during the song, saying “reload the memory, they got me feeling like we’re nothing like we used to be.”

An advantage to listening to this project, is that it doesn’t take long for the group to dive into the song, letting you decide if you like the song early on.

However, we encourage that you check out their debut album all the way through, if time is on your  side. Enjoy your listen.

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Don’t look at this as a “best of” list. This is simply an impromptu assembly of dope beats, as experienced by people who think of instrumentals as more than blank, dead canvasses for rhymes. Instrumentals are alive. Read some accounts below.

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“I’m In It” – Kanye West. Produced by Kanye West, Evian Christ, Dom Solo, Noah Goldstein, Arca and Mike Dean.

The alternating piercing moans coupled with deep, vibrating synths create one of the most unconventional beats out there, and the thumping vocals of Assassin complement everything for an electrifying, jarring track. There’s no telling how many babies will be made to this song. Or how many abortions will occur to it.

“Suicide” – Pusha-T. Produced by Pharrell Williams.

Pharrell‘s beat sounds like something out of a video game, a mishmash of dissonant tones and otherworldly drums, not to mention the occasional single syllable uttered from an unrecognizable vocal sample.It’s a true exercise in sonic A.D.D. We know that Pusha plus Skateboard P has always been a solid combination, but this genuinely sounds like “something the world has never felt before.” [Editor’s note – Props to you if you get that reference. S.K.]

“Where He Get It” – Chief Keef. Produced by Sonny Digital, Southside and MetroBoomin.

This track is one of the most finely-tuned clusterfucks ever made. With more space, we could get into its nuances, its subtleties, its overwhelming atmosphere, and the seamless presence Keef finds within those elements, but for now we’ll just say that it’s basically the most fearless instrumental of this year. It’s heavy-handed in its inclusion of so many competing leading sounds and daring in its execution. There’s no telling how so many sounds can be made to actually work together, but it happened.

“MC ILLIN” by MondreMAN. Produced by Al Jieh.

Jieh creates a watery strength for Mondre on this track. Hints of G-Funk with contemporary technicality, Jieh‘s work ripples to its own propulsions. #bubbly

“Run The Jewels” – Run the Jewels. Produced by El-P.

This shit can knock down buildings. Don’t be surprised if this song starts to replace wrecking balls.

“Tom Ford” – Jay-Z. Produced by Timbaland and J-Roc.

Fuck Yeezus, this is what hip-hop from the future will really sound like. Every single component in this robo-gymnastic beat sounds hand-picked, unique, bananas. Timbaland‘s hard drive should be a national treasure.

“King Push” – Pusha-T. Produced by Kanye West and Sebastian Sartor.

Perhaps it was the rumor that Joaquin Phoenix produced “King Push” that made its initial unveiling feel like a unicorn sighting, but the fervor the beat creates is solely a byproduct of its megalomaniacal feel – like capturing bravado in a bottle. Produced by Yeezy and an unknown beatmaker named Sebastian Sartor, “King Push” is proof that you don’t need a big name behind the boards to create a certified banger. And that squeaky noise at the beginning is critical.

“Blood On The Leaves” – Kanye West. Produced by Kanye West, Hudson Mohawke, Lunice, Carlos Broady, 88-Keys, Arca and Mike Dean.

When you integrate a sample of Nina Simone‘s rendition of “Strange Fruit” with TNGHT‘s “R U Ready” you get a supernatural experience that induces a pure sonic euphoria. When you chop the aforementioned elements into an interpolation of C-Murder‘s “Down 4 My Niggas,” you get something else entirely – something completely and utterly existential. “Blood On The Leaves” is a hodgepodge of rare and strange ingredients unified to create one of the finer reinterpretations of sound in recent memory. Truly.

“Pound Cake” – Drake. Produced by Boi-1da and Jordan Evans.

The beat literally gives you goosebumps every time you hear it. You can play it a thousand times, and it feels like the first time you heard it. The Wu Tang sample is genius, and adds to the smoothness of the beat even more. Have Canadians always been this good at music?

“Palm Trees” – Flatbush Zombies. Produced by Erick Arc Elliott.

Flatbush Zombies architect, Erick, constructs a hypnotic, eerie, and incredibly catchy instrumental that is both laid back and energetic. Palm Trees is the perfect groove for Meechy and Juice to explore and the perfect replacement addition to your parent’s reggae playlist.

“My Yout” – Joey Bada$$. Produced by Chuck Strangers.

This instrumental is a prime example of West Indies meets Brooklyn. Or better yet the West Indies influence that is already infused within Brooklyn hip-hop. It’s reggae-dub with a hip-hop twang and serves as a testament to Joey Bada$$‘s Caribbean roots. Melodic and intricate, it’s a top record on the generally impressive Summer Knights mixtape.

“Flip Ya” – Action Bronson. Produced by Party Supplies.

The sample of Junior Walker’s rendition of “Wishing On A Star” is what sets this instrumental off so nicely. The wailing saxophone, heavy bassline and faint background singing are the perfect compliment to the vivid rhymes by Bronson and Retchy P. In all honesty it should’ve been a longer song. As is, it just isn’t enough. We need more backflips!

“Portlyn” – The Stuyvesants. Produced by The Stuyvesants

The beat is just so damn smooth. It almost seems like it was made for cruising the streets on a warm summer night — just riding without a care in the world. A real 70s, blaxploitation feel to it. Good shit.

“Work” – A$AP Ferg. Produced by Chinza and Fly Beats.

No matter if you hate the song at this point or still go hard for it, the instrumentals is supremely powerful and that bass will always knock. Plus, Ferg‘s chanting at the beginning of the song could probably wake the dead. And yes, that chant should be considered apart of the instrumental.

“Black Skinheads” – Kanye West. Produced by Kanye West, Daft Punk, Gesaffelstein, Brodinski, Mike Dean, Lupe Fiasco, No ID, Jack Donoghue and Noah Goldstein.

When Kanye first performed the track on Saturday Night Live, it felt like a moment. We’d heard ‘New Slaves’, and as impressive as that song is in itself, ‘Skinhead’ is a beast all in it’s own. Kanye‘s lyrics – attacking and revolting – are still overshadowed by the power of the track behind them. Again, watching Kanye perform ‘Black Skinhead’ on SNL felt like a moment, but the beat was eternal. That militant percussion genuinely makes it sound like Kanye has an army behind him.

“Contemporary Man” – Action Bronson. Produced by Party Supplies.

Rumor has it that this is the first song Action Bronson and Party Supplies ever recorded together. If the legend is true, then it was a brilliant look into the crystal ball. Bronson‘s at his best when his spitting his cartoon-lifestyle-bars over Party Supplies‘ ever-sampling beats, and hearing the self-proclaimed “young Tom Selleck” go in over an assortment of 80’s hits feels like soul mates finding their better half. This was a match-made in hip-hop heaven, and we’re so, so glad they found each other.

“Orange Juice” – Vic Mensa. Produced by Cam.

It’s hard to see a song named “Orange Soda” and not immediately think of Kel from Kenan & Kel. Like the memorable TV show, “Orange Soda” is bright and bubbly. Synths rise like the heat on a summer day while the bass moves fluidly and freely like a nice breeze. It’s a near-flawless setup for the upbeat and vibrant delivery of Vic Mensa: the rap game’s Kel. Who loves “Orange Soda”? I love “Orange Soda.” I do, I do, I do–ooo!

“Go All Night” – Kelela. Produced by Morri$.

It’s an unspoken fact: any song that includes a sampled crowd “Hey,” is bound to be great–especially if it’s an R&B/soul/whatever-exactly-it’s-supposed-to-be  song. It’s as if Morri$ knew what this song was destined to be: an after hours banger where you’re huddled up close to someone you just met at the club. Will you leave with them when the lights turn on? Will you at least get their number? Maybe, maybe not. You’re more concerned about the twilight synths leaving your knees weak, and those 808s ringing in your ears.

“Gas Pedal” – Sage the Gemini. Produced by Iamsu.

No words are needed. Hell, are words even possible? This beat is groundbreaking.

“Fuck That Nigga” – DJ Mustard. Produced by DJ Mustard.

Let’s keep it 100: Mustard soundtracked 2013. People say that he makes the same song over and over again, yet rappers keep calling him for beats. Explain that.

“Torture” – Danny Brown. Produced by Oh No.

On “Torture” Danny Brown takes some time out from being on Adderall goofball order a grim picture of his past life. Oh No provides a beat that seems more suited for Ghostface than Danny, but the Detroit spitter delivers his most in-pocket performance ever as he details a life plagued with horrors. The beat here alone is enough to give you coke-fiend nightmares.

“Hoarse” – Earl Sweatshirt. Produced by BadBadNotGood.

The beat feels like a tornado mixed with a black hole, growing in intensity, consuming everything, yet somehow pushing me away. That feeling, plus the Wild West sound effects give the song an acute loneliness that truly haunts. But it’s weird because it feels you’re haunted by an absence rather than a presence.

“Enemy” – Kelela. Produced by Nguzunguzu.

Nguzunguzu really put some work into that beat. It’s reminiscent of Portishead‘s “Machine Gun” in terms of how it demands your attention. It’s very militant and forceful, especially with the random pauses. It feels like someone’s marching toward you with a knife. Beyond how it makes you feel though, it’s amazing how so many of the elements of the instrumental are just plain unpredictable. How in the world did Kelela write lyrics to this?

The post RESPECT. Roundtable: Our Favorite Instrumentals of 2013 appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Last Wednesday night the Flatbush Zombies finished off the last show of their first ever headlining tour. Since its kickoff in late August, the Better Off Dead Tour hit 31 North American cities before finally closing out in Trilladelphia, Pistolvania. Along the way, the Zombies and their opening acts, Bodega Bamz and Dillon Cooper, performed at both the Rock the Bells Music Festival and the North Coast Music Festival, while also making appearances on Action Bronson‘s headlining tour in Texas. While other venues along the tour route may have been bigger or more well known, the small crowd that jam packed Philly’s Barbary night club definitely came ready to show some love to their east coast neighbors.

Dillon Cooper, the 20 year old emcee from Brooklyn (who’s laid back, retro style has been compared to that of fellow Brooklynites Joey BadAss and The Underachievers) was first to perform. His newest cut, “State of Elevation,” was a particular crowd favorite and helped to transition the Eagles and Phillies fans into a more New York state of mind.

Next up was Bodega Bamz, who served as the hype before the storm. His performance of “Told Ya” drove fans into a frenzied mosh pit, but luckily there were no causalities. Unfortunately, there was no guest appearance by frequent collaborator A$AP Ant (but we definitely held our breath).

Of course, the principal players of the night, Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice, and Erick Arc Elliot laid their final performance down proper. Amerikkhan Pie, Death 2, and Live from Hell almost ended a few lives, but the enthusiastic crowd loved every minute of it- especially when Darko, drenched from head to kicks in sweat (and maybe blood and tears) nose dived into the audience for an incredibly intimate crowd servicing experiencing. Check out close up photos from the event, as well as small timeline to summarize the Zombies first ever headlining circuit.

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Blunt in hand, singing Cassidy and R.Kelly‘s infamous song “Hotel”, Freddie Gibbs shows off his personality in this edition of Pitchfork’s Selector Series. He talks about the European tour he just came off of with Madlib, switching up his flows, his love for Trick Daddy and  his upcoming projects with insane names like “Cocaine Pinata”. He also rips a freestyle over an Erick Arc Elliott beat. Check out the video below.

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