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Original Artwork: Oliver Barrett

For those unfamiliar with Detroit’s Red Pill, just know it’s not too late. He’s a force to be reckoned with, offering nothing short of brutal honesty and sincerity on records for years now. A lot of heads jumped on board and took notice after Ugly Heroes (Apollo Brown, Verbal Kent & Red Pill) formed and released their acclaimed, self-titled Lp in 2013. After a line up of successful works alongside Brown and Kent, he proved that he is more than equipped to deliver quality solo projects as well. With that being said, Red Pill is set to release his solo debut via Mello Music Group on April 7th titled Look What This World Did To Us. Below you can check out his latest visual for “Rap Game Cranky,” and see what he has to say about it.

One thing fans generally note is your content on records and your brutally honest lyrics. You really dig into the blue collar background and touch on a lot of struggles everyday folks can relate to. Can you elaborate on that a little bit for us?

Yeah man, I mean that’s how I grew up in Michigan. That’s the way we live here. We work and we go through stuff, and deal with things. People all over the place go through this type of stuff. Most of us don’t come from money and stuff like that. So, for me to write about anything different would be crazy. I’m glad the content resonates.

Ugly Heroes is quite the group. You three really put out some quality material these past couple years that the masses responded beyond well to. How did you three come about and join forces exactly?

I initially met Apollo Brown around 2010 at a local beat battle event in Michigan that I was asked to be a judge at. I knew of his work prior to meeting him and was definitely looking forward to it. I gave him a copy of a project I had out that I pressed up at the time. He didn’t pay me much attention really, which is totally cool and understandable (laughs). Probably about a year later we met again at a going away party for a mutual friend of ours, where we chopped it up some more. Not too long after we fully connected and he asked me to do the “This Is Life” record. He was impressed, and shortly after this led into doing the whole Ugly Heroes project. It’s funny because I was not too familiar with Verbal Kent prior to this project forming, so we got to know each other on the spot more or less. It was all a part of Apollo Brown’s plan that worked out beautifully, and I’m grateful for it.

You’ve been running alongside Mello Music Group now for a little while, which is arguably one of the best, most authentic labels on the scene currently. Fans have built serious trust around them and for you to be apart of this is a blessing. Can you talk a little bit about your experience working alongside them?

Mello Music group is all about the art, which I respect the hell out of. It’s not about the dollar with them. The creativity and quality of the product is what matters here. That’s not to say the artists aren’t taken care of, because we are. But yeah man, it has been an amazing ride so far. I hope that my career starts and ends with Mello Music Group.

What should we be expecting with your new solo debut dropping April 7th? The few records you have released are all stellar and it gives fans a good idea of what to expect, but we want to hear more. Are you looking forward to the release?

It’s jazzy, man – kind of different. It’s still a general boom-bap sound and straight forward delivery. I had a lot of goals with this record, and the fact that it’s my first solo release under Mello is an important career accomplishment. I did my thing with Ugly Heroes, and I love all of that. But this is moving forward and allowing me to really put my own stamp on something which is important to me. It’s the most complete project I have ever worked on. I want this to be something that fans sit down with and run front to back, and there is an experience that happens with it. This is my best work to date for sure.

Since we are featuring the newer “Rap Game Cranky” video do you mind talking a little bit about this record? It’s almost depressing, in a beautiful sense of course. I think a lot of people can relate to this track, and setting, on so many levels.

The record is a little depressing, and like you said I hope in a good way (laughs). It was a time in my life when I was going through some stuff; a mild depression I was experiencing that hadn’t came along in a while. Some of the stuff I wrote while going through it, and some of it was written after the fact. I touch on alcoholism on the record, as well as on previous records, and I hope it helps in some fashion for people going through it. It was less about glorifying it, and more just reality from my perspective.

Don’t forget to get your pre-order by the time you close out this article. Also, Red Pill has a few live performances coming up: Majestic Café in Detriot, MI (3/27) and The Loving Touch in Ferndale, MI (4/3). If you are in the area you probably shouldn’t miss him bless the stage. Hard copies of the new Lp will be available at The Loving Touch show. For more information on the locations and general concerns, hit up Red Pill’s Facebook page here. Lastly, Mello Music Group just released their latest compilation project ‘Persona’, with features from Red Pill, Apollo Brown, Oddisee, Ras Kass, Masta Ace, Quelle Chris, yU and more. It’s beyond loaded, so definitely check that out below right now. Peace and love, world.

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yU of Diamond District and producer, Slimkat, have teamed up to bring us The 1978ers and their flow is definitely what hip hop needs. The smooth, laid back vibe these two bring, is fresh and intriguing and different from what is out there.

The duo has been releasing some ill tracks but their newest one, “OneNine7-T-8,” is the one you want to check out! To match the cool vibe, The 1978ers released a visual for the track that shows the duo rolling around town, enjoying the lovely day. Check out the visual above and tell us what you think!

The 1978ers will be releasing their album, People of Today, on November 11th through Mello Music  Group. Here is the link to pre-order the album. Make sure to support The 1978ers!

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The last time we heard from trio Diamond District comprised of Oddisee, yU and X.O, it was in the form of their 2009 release In The Ruff. The album garnered much well deserved praise for both their lyricism in a climate where lyricism was overly intellectual, as well as their production.  Not to mention, the album created classics that now, five years later are still getting constant rotation in the form of: “First Time” “I Mean Business” “The Shining” and more. Since that time, the trio has gone to make countless impressive solo albums but now, they are back as a unit with their upcoming LP, March on Washington.  The highly anticipated album is entirely produced and arranged by Oddisee and is available for pre-order today.  In honor of the pre-order, Diamond District is unleashing a new teaser from the album in the form of “First Step.”

Also check out the tracklist for the album and make sure to save the date for the release on October 14th.
1. March On
2. First Step
3. These Bammas
4. The Backup
5. Working Weekends
6. Purveyors of Truth
7. A Part of It All
8. Way What You Mean
9. Ain’t Over
10. Erything
11. You Had To Be There
12. Lost Cause
13. March Off
14. Bonus Flow (Bonus Track)

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Earlier this year, one third of Diamond District, Uptown XO released his latest project, Colour de Grey. The album was a good representation of why XO is on people’s radars: not only did it show his lyrical ability, it also included great production that aided in the painting of his stories. Uptown is just now releasing the visuals for the “Spread Love,” produced by AB The Pro. The video, directed by Jay Gregory of Cool Kids Forever Films shows Uptown’s day out with both his lady and his homies, intermittently flashing lyrical snippets across the screen. Uptown and his Diamond District counterparts Oddisee and yU, are said to be releasing their sophomore project as a unit this year, entitled March on Washington. All bets are on for it to be dope. Check the evidence below.

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Last September, DMV based MC Substantial released his Oddisee executively produced  installment Home Is Where The Art Is, and since that time he has consistently kept the momentum going from the project.  Substantial has been touring alongside his Mello Music Group counterpart yU as well as releasing bonus tracks from the album with Oddisee, Homeboy Sandman and etc.  From the album, Substantial is releasing his new track and remix in the form of “Resilient,” produced by Marcus D of Bop Alloy.  The track which speaks to walking your own path and being yourself, was originally produced by Eric Lau.  The update, serves as the perfect backdrop for the words that Substantial spits, it also has a great, chill vibe overall.

If you still have not, make sure to purchase Substantial’s latest installment Home Is Where The Art Is, here. 

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