iStandard: Ayatollah & Self Service
iStandard: Statik Selektah
I started a new gig as a field reporter for iStandardproducers.com. They are responsible for putting on producer showcases around the country and they’re great for the culture. Glad to be a part of their movement.
So the first assignment was to interview Statik Selektah but this one’s a little different from the Ig’nantwitted interview. Talks about how he got started producing and meeting Primo for the first time.
Check it out here
and cop that Statik Selektah 100 Proof album tomorrow!
iStandard at the ASCAP EXPO
This year iStandard gets down with ASCAP’s “I Create Music Expo”.
“The ASCAP EXPO iStandard Producer Showcase promises to up the ante for Hip Hop, R&B, Pop and Dance production for 2010 and beyond. Any producer registered for the ASCAP EXPO can submit their tracks (no full songs!). Even if you aren’t selected to be on the showcase, the ASCAP EXPO iStandard Producer Showcase will be a must attend event for networking, hearing real feedback and finding the next super producer!
To View All of the Guidelines and Details, Click HERE
Remember, you must be registered for the ASCAP EXPO in order to be considered for this event!“
Should be dope for aspiring producers
iStandard’s Track By Track Reviews
…are on point!!
Valuable for aspiring producers and anybody who wants to understand how a critic/producer critiques an album. Click on an album to see the rating and their review, track by track. Stick around if you just want to read their ‘Overall’ critique.
Overall
You have to give it to the production King. He is arguably one of the best producers to ever do it. On this album, he showed us he can work with who ever and make hits. This is mainly a pop album full of dope, quality music, but it didn’t catch my ear at all. It lacks the edge and fearlessness ( if that’s even a word…lol) that we expect from Timbo. With tracks like Jay Z’s smash “Venus vs. Mars” and his past track lists on hundreds of hits, I expect greatness from Mr. Mosley. The production on this album sounded too conformed for radio. Never the less, I am still a Timbaland fan and as an aspiring producer, I will always dissect Timbos tracks to continue to learn from the King.
Overall
I am bit disappointed with this album. I am a die hard Clipse fan ( production selection, lyrics, lifestyle, fashion, etc…) but this album didn’t hit me as hard as the first 2 did. The production was decent but not out of this world like the past. The album is still good. Def. listen to Showin out, Kinda Like a big deal, Popeyes, doorman, and there was a murder.
Overall
I am always impressed as to how Snoop has been able to remain a resilient artist over his 15+ years in the business. Artist who’ve been around this long, especially in hip-hop usually find it difficult to stay on top of trends in music but Snoop was succesful on this album to give you pure entertainment. Not saying this is his best work but its a solid album that definitely can get some rotation.
Overall
Thank fate for bringing the minds of Dame Dash and The Black Keys together, because its a match made in heaven. The BlakRoc Project is a solid release filled with raw emotional, hard-hitting, blues/rock experimental rap magic. It was the first time in a while that i pressed play and actually stopped everything i was doing to just listen (i mean really listen). The whole album is filled with sincere music and displays a beaker full of good old chemistry. All of the musical elements on this album are working well with each other. In other words, nothing sounds forced or overpowering; just very natural and coherent. If you haven’t done so already, make sure to check out the candid video footage of the actual studio sessions and witness how it all came to life. As for myself, I will be picking this up on wax and keeping a keen eye out for any future releases from this newly established label. As far as the rating goes, I only dropped the last star due to the fact that it was only 11 tracks long. Overall, I would say that it was pretty darn flawless.
iStandard Celebrity Beat Battle II
Last night, another celebrity beat battle went down. Sean C & LV, Statik Selektah, Scram Jones, Chris Styles and DJ Green Lantern. Yeah, it got hype.
Not to take away from Chris Styles, because dude is NASTY with it, but I think the crowd was a little bias towards him. Same thing as last time with Rsonist. In my opinion, the industry judges (who judge the upcoming producer showcase that goes on before and after the battle) should determine the winner and break down why they think so. That would be sick and then it wouldn’t matter how many people came with who.
Still, its not that serious. These battles are a lot of fun to watch and I’m sure that’s how the producers see it as well.
Shout outs to the whole iStandard fam. Congrats on wrapping up another great year of events.
iStandard Producer Showcase NYC STYLE
If you’ve never been to a producer showcase, its definitely worth checking out. You got upcoming producers bringing out the best in their arsenal and a couple of producers and A & R’s giving them critique... and the celebrity beat battle is back by popular demaaaaaand (cam’ron)
btw GREEN LANTERN is confirmed to participate in the beat battle… ya’ll don’t even know about that..
iStandard Celebrity Beat Battle
Some of the illest producers in the game participate in a friendly beat battle. iStandard is the shit for putting the spotlight on the guys that usually play the background.
Oh and btw, if you don’t know who these guys are, do some research. These cats are definitely responsible for a lot of your favorite songs….trust me when I say this.
BoB, Michael Jackson, Audio Narcoticz, DC Rap and Rock City
Just because I haven’t been doing Plugz, doesn’t mean I haven’t been putting in work! (more…)
