It’s been over a year since Dijon SAMO (FKA LaVi$h) released an official album. And today, we present to you his breakout work Life, As We Know It [LAWKI, for short]. We$t Coa$t born and bred, the Nouveau Riche Records (URNR.TV) representative began working on LAWKI in 2011. For two years, SAMO took the time needed and the space required for his creativity to reach new heights; he brought in his production team, ForeverToday, (primarily working with Sa’eed) to create the unique sounds that effervesce throughout the album. And as you’ll discover, a vast majoroty of the album is 100% original. Only “REM” (produced by Sa’eed) and “Vices” (NAEM) sample Toro Y Moi, a favorite of both SAMO & Sa’eed. SAMO has matured over the last two years, and it shimmers throughout the album. He’s also built quite the catalogue, including work with Rome Fortune (soon to be released), Western Tink, Buddy of i AM OTHER, Casey Veggies, Pyramid Vritra, LeftHandMitch, and Ceej of Two9.

The album was originally delayed after the Polaroid Co. threatened to sue SAMO for originally titling the album Polaroid (a reference to SAMO’s desire to capture the good and bad times that characterized his life). So he did what any self-respecting (and attorney-lacking) artist would do : he scrapped that whole project, changed his name from LaVi$h to Dijon SAMO, moved to New York, and renamed the album to LAWKI (but Fuck the Polaroid Co. was probably an alternate title). The final album was recorded in New York, Texas, and LA, charting his physical and artistic moves around the country. SAMO’s focus was to build his fan base nationwide, as he’s begun picking up speed in his hometown of Los Angeles, Texas (where he toured every major city) and New York City (headlining shows at SOB’s with Shabazz Palaces, and Santos Party House with Ree$e, Western Tink, and Sam RUBIK). And he’s not just courting the rap world. SAMO has been busy lately collaborating on a limited release of merch with URNR.TV, preparing the album’s visuals, and he recently shot a commercial for Pure Fix Cycles out in LA.

back cover

This album is SAMO’s most precious body of work, keeping his voice almost stubbornly alone on a majority of the tracks. Only NAEM, Buddy, and Niko G4 show their voices on this album. Even the production comes from close to home: 3rd Kingdom, Dijon SAMO (he included some self-produced tracks), ForeverToday (his production team), Chuck Wun (of FT), and Sa’eed (of FT) are the only producers on the 13-track album. Sa’eed, a longtime collaborator of SAMO’s, is also a Nouveau Riche favorite. His galactic tonalities and aerated pitches have projected him into a brand of music that few can simultaneously control and allow to auto-define. This mollifying sound is the basis for much of the album, targeting each track with whispers of his influence.

While SAMO’s attempt at garnering a wide audience are endearing, what’s most admirable about this project is its distinctly-relaxed, West Coast atmosphere. Yet there’s no hyphy nods, #BASED nuances, or three-wheel lick-hittin. SAMO is able to siphon the aura of his own particular experience(s) into this album, not rely on pre-existing aesthetics. He explores a host of sounds to capture and explore the aura of his Left Coastal perspective. His roots shine through each and every note on LAWKI. Whether he’s referring to his time in Atlanta’s Zone 6 [Z6ne], Brooklyn Akhis, or the Texas heat, he carries the distinctly-spreading sounds of his dear West Coast. His keen ear for easily-reflected sounds resonates throughout, elevating and dispersing his words directly into the essence of his listeners.

And through this atmosphere, he creates a symbiosis between his sounds : each “region” of rap carries its own aesthetics to those surrounding, amplifying each one’s influence on the other. His trap-hungry snares are accompanied by synth elevations: ATL meets the spirituality of the Pacific sun; his occasional boom-bap currents flow over a bed of hushed trumpets; NYC clobbers into the repose of a coastline cruise; his chopped/slurred drum pangs regain their calm from tamed keys: Screwston, TX slows to the graying skies of the misty Bay area. No matter where life takes SAMO (or, more accurately, where he directs his life), he has no choice but to nod to the sounds of his guarded core. LAWKI is one of the best examples of an author ignoring the perception that one must “know their audience.”

He isn’t speaking to anyone, for anyone, or under the authority of anyone. LAWKI is an unadulterated body of work. SAMO speaks from his own experiences, and projects himself into his own metrics of a successful life. Lending itself to no trend in particular, LAWKI presents a pure individual. Focused, thoughtful, and adventurous, the album reads like a suggestive manifesto. There are no messages or demands made, only an honest exploration of the person SAMO has grown to be. Discover him below.

Listen and buy the album on Bandcamp below.

or stream on SAMO‘s Soundcloud.

The post ALBUM PREMIERE : DIJON SAMO – LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (LAWKI) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Sam Rubik‘s second part to his two-part “Many Smiles”/”HURT U” video release series is here, one week later, as promised. The Texas born and bred artist teams up with his label mate Dijon SAMO for this track, keeping the artistry in the family. Nouveau Riche Records (an imprint of URNR.TV) is getting ready to release the deluxe edition of Sam Rubik‘s Survival Tactics through the label on iTunes and Spotify by Christmas 2013. So be on the lookout for that. Rubik and his label are currently working to “…unite artists from Texas to create a scene familiar to the Swisha House era”.

In fact, keeping his creation “at home” has been a staple of Rubik‘s work thus far. His first tape, Life Without Commercials, was almost entirely produced by his Texas padna Beautiful Lou (who has garnered a huge amount of success working with Lil B, Kitty Pryde, and A$AP Rocky). And in the same vein, Rubik keeps this work close to his heart, and close to his fans.

Dijon‘s instrumental doesn’t necessarily scream “Many Smiles”, and to be honest, it’s hard to say that it could induce “any smiles,” even. But that’s meant in the best possible way. Inspiring minute movements only at the corners of the mouth, this instrumental coerces choral vocals to weep organic strings into and out of muted states of existence. With Dijon‘s steady cymbals washing over the entirety of his instrumental, listeners are treated to an experience defined by a trampling solemnity. Reflective in its tonality and energizing in its tempered pace, Dijon‘s instrumental lays thoughtful groundwork for Rubik‘s hopeful musings.

Rubik takes his time on this track, allowing an extended intro to build before imposing himself on the track. His drawl relaxing around the initial moments of the track, he takes a soft grip around the noose wrapped by the instrumental. This makes his moments of toothy heaves more vengeful, and his moments of melodic swooning all the more stirring. Constantly contradicting himself throughout the track, he uses this torn motion as a method of exploration. His imagery revolves around the split between the motivated and the interrupted, the gratified and the struggling, the thoughtful and the muted. His ability to carve out a clear character from a place of contradictions and opposing forces is impressive, and maybe even shrouded until after a few listens. So go through it a few times. You’ll enjoy it: this is one of the most literate pieces of music that you’ll have heard in a very long time.

And in case you missed last week’s premier of “HURT U”, featuring Western Tink, check it out right here.

The post Video Premiere: Sam Rubik – “MANY SMILES” (prod. by Dijon Samo) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Sam Rubik calls up Western Tink for “HURT U”, produced by Lytesho!, off of his tape Survival Tactics, released by CUTTINGPRACTICE.COM back in late May. In this video, the two Texas representatives spend their time engulfed by a piercing darkness, interrupted only by blistering expulsions of light from unfathomable distances. Rubik‘s seven-track EP follows his work through a host of dedicated attempts at various sub-genres and textures in rap. “HURT U” is an example of his experiment into the psychoactive fluctuations that can rattle and broadside an audience, instilling a sense of unease into his work.

Lytesho!‘s instrumental ties quivering ropes around this piece, loosely and slowly twisting together a funereal procession. Organs whimper a raspy solvent throughout the piece, slowly wearing away at the edges of the instrumental. Pushing this decay further, Lyte! includes a rolling synth to round the brim of the instrumental to a critical curve. But he does give listeners moments of release. A distant crack, a silenced cymbal and a kick drum provide instances of unwavering relief. These are the only sounds whose presence is restricted; all others shift around, masticating one another, and bristling against the others. Together, these elements play into a disorienting trounce around an ever-deepening pit of static discomfort.

Props to Sam Rubik and Western Tink for deciding to go all in on such an intimidating sound. Very few artists have the dexterity to stare this instrumental down, commanding it into place. Resting atop drum fluctuations, Rubik cracks bars on riding dirty with the 90s swag, disregarding scripted scenarios, and trusting yourself. With a hint of empowering words for his listeners, he focuses on his personal journey to rap’s center stage. And what the fuck is a chorus? Tink has no concerns, heading in face first, speaking on stepping outside of the norm, feeling comfortable at all times, gettin’ it to finessin’ it, and being buried a legend. Following Rubik‘s lead, Tink presents himself as a man unhinged and unafraid. Together, with Sam Rubik at the helm, these lyricists reach new depths of sound experimentation, empowering themselves to grow as artists, and their fans to grow as individuals.

GET HURT :

This video is the first part of a two-part video series, with the second video dropping next week. So sit back and wait for what’s next from Sam Rubik and you’ll finally tie this carefully loosened knot together.

The post Video Premiere : Sam Rubik ft. Western Tink – “HURT U” (prod. Lytesho!) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.