SMASHPROOF in Whakatane yesterday:

Photo's courtesy of my first cousin, Troy Baker

:

SMASHPROOF live:

SMASHPROOF chart update:

THE WEEKEND moves #16-13

"It's Friday" moves #24-20

"Brother" moves #4-7

Good to see some upward momentum on the album and "It's Friday".

Thank you to all of Smashproof's fans that continue to show support.

THE KICKDRUMS - "Just A Game" video:

Using a very familiar sample, this track from The Kickdrums is as they say "a heatrock!"

MySpace Secret Shows And Puma Present… SMASHPROOF:

Monday, 25 May 2009, 5:11 pm
Press Release: Myspace.com

Add http://www.myspace.com/secretshowsnz as a friend to be in the know Auckland, Thursday June 18th

[25th May 2009] MySpace.com, the world’s leading social portal, in partnership with PUMA today announced that Kiwi Hip Hop trio Smashproof will be presenting the latest FREE MySpace Secret Show. Held in a secret Auckland location on June 18th, Kiwi’s keen to see Smashproof can only discover the venue and ticket allocation details via MySpace bulletins when they add www.myspace.com/secretshowsnz as a ‘friend’.

Following the phenomenal success of their first album ‘The Weekend’which was in the Top 10 of the NZ Album chart in first 5 weeks of release, and their hit single ‘Brother’, which spent a record-breaking 11 consecutive weeks at #1 on the NZ Singles Chart, Smashproof are now a household name. Comprising of Tyree, Young Sid and Deach, these self-described “three young Polynesians from South Auckland with big dreams” first burst onto the scene in 2005 with "Ride Til I Die".

As Susan Carlton, Head of Business Development, MySpace.com New Zealand explains; “We’re delighted to present this phenomenal Hip Hop trio to their MySpace fans for FREE. MySpace Secret Shows are exclusive concerts held throughout the world featuring some of the biggest international artists. With this latest Smashproof Secret Show, MySpace are continuing a tradition of showcasing New Zealand’s wealth of home grown hip hop talent, having already played host to the likes of Savage, Devolo and Nesian Mystik.”

Kiwis keen to find out about the next big act should go to MySpace Secret Shows [www.myspace.com/secretshowsnz]. Entry is strictly limited and works on a first come first served basis.

M.I.A on Real Time with Bill Maher:

Very impressive stuff from Maya:

SMASHPROOF on TV:

Some random clips of Smashproof on NZ TV that were recently brought to by attention.









Shout out to Unknown for the links.

SMASHPROOF - "It's Friday" is gaining airplay momentum:

I was looking through the NZ airplay chart today (as you do), and discovered that "It's Friday" gained some significant traction this week. It jumped from #83 to #57 in one week. While the position is not all that impressive, jumping 26 spots certainly put a smile on my face.

SMASHPROOF - NZ Charts:

THE WEEKEND moves #17-16.

"Brother" moves #2-4.

"It's Friday" moves #22-24

SMASHPROOF to perform at Real Groovy Records:

Real Groovy proudly presents...

SMASHPROOF live

Bringing some hip-hop swagger into the Auckland store on Friday 22nd May as part of our NZ Music Month celebrations.

Drop in to see the record breakers doing their thing, with loads of giveaways to boot. Tyree, Deach, and Young Sid are kindly taking time off their current NZ Tour to play some tracks for free. With stand-out performances at the Big Day Out and touring with Jay Z, the boys show no sign of slowing down.

Come celebrate their recent chart success and NZ Music Month together at Real Groovy.

Visit the Real Groovy Records website for more information.

KIDZ IN SPACE - "Ocean Of Drugs" video teaser:

Everyone at MTC HQ is very excited about this project. The music and vision for this release seems to be going from strength to strength every week. The Kidz recently formed a union of sorts with director Tim Van Dammen, who will now solely be responsible for their visual output, including videos, webisodic content, press photos and album/E.P packaging.

I have seen the first fruits from this union (the "Ocean Of Drugs" video) and I am very impressed with what they have come up with so far. We are rushing to get "Ocean Of Drugs" up on to iTunes before we launch the full video, but in the meantime... here's a placeholder of sorts...

SMASHPROOF - "Brother" video now at 350k views:

LOMONEY - "All Good" video:

Just peeped this on SMV's blog. Feelin' this:

NESIAN MYSTIK feat. PNC - "RSVP" video:

SMASHPROOF live at the Vodafone Warriors this weekend

From the Vodafone site:

South Auckland's Smashproof - who recently set a new record for the most consecutive weeks at #1 by a New Zealand artist with their song ‘Brother' - are excited about playing in front of the Vodafone Warriors fans this Sunday, as part of their nationwide "Weekend" Tour.

"it's pretty cool that we have the opportunity to do this" says Deach, "League has always been big in our neighborhood, and we have always been big fans of the Vodafone Warriors, especially as they represent South Auckland and New Zealand against the Aussies".

K'NAAN - "T.I.A" video:

Shout out to the homie Sol Geezy...

K'NAAN "T.I.A" music video directed by: NABIL from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

STINKY JIM presents STINKBOMBS 808 - Heavyweight Honking:

Stinky Jim has unleashed the latest chapter in his Stinkbombs mixtape saga.

Head over to his superb Stink Inc blog to catch the free download links.

Highly recommended!

SMASHPROOF - the run is over:

After a record breaking 11 weeks atop the NZ singles chart, "Brother" finally moves out of pole position, slipping to the #2 spot.

"It's Friday" moves from #18 to #22 and The Weekend moves #6-#17.

KIDZ IN SPACE set to perform at 95bFM Fancy New NZ Music Month Showcase:

Auckland’s 95bFM steps up its year-round commitment to kiwi music during May’s NZ Music Month, continuing its long-held tradition of championing local artists since the very early days when NZ music was still a very well-kept secret.

As usual 95bFM’s 2009 NZ Music Month calendar is crammed full of local content. The flagship of the station’s New Zealand Music Month activity once again is the annual Fancy New Band Showcase to be held over two nights at Auckland’s Kings Arms Tavern, Thursday 28th and Friday 29th May.

Fancy New Band is the name of the weekly feature on Mikey Havoc’s 95bFM Breakfast show, which provides new artists with a platform to be interviewed and have their music heard through live-to-air performances. A live showcase of this new talent was a logical progression, and in 2007 resulted in the presentation of a selection of sixteen of those artists to an audience of over 1300 people from the music industry and public.

The Fancy New Band Showcase is now an annual 95bFM event. As before, entry is free and open to all with an early 6.30pm starts both nights. The showcases will also be broadcast live to air on 95bFM and streamed on www.95bfm.com

Fancy New Band 2009 lineup:

Thursday 28th May:
The Sing Songs, Dear Times Waste, Drab Doo Riffs, U.S.S.A, Cool Rainbows, Lisa Crawley, Dats The Crux, The Murderchord.

Friday 29th May:
Family Cactus, Piece War, Popstrangers, Teacups, The Early Birds, Computers Want Me Dead, Jr Kong, Kidz In Space


95bFM also serves up a host of other activity during May, including a free music industry seminar with advice for new artists from industry professionals. The seminar will take place on Monday 25th May at Auckland bar Cassette Number Nine, Level 1, 9 Vulcan Lane, Auckland City from 6.00pm (Please RSVP to marketing@95bfm.com).

For more details on 95bFM’s NZ Music Month activity check out:

http://www.95bFM.com

Droppin’ Knowledge Part 8 - HOW OUR BROTHER SAVED THE CROWD::

A hit record changes everything. Fact!

Have you ever heard of something negative coming as a result of having a hit record?

Exactly! I haven’t either, because quite frankly; it is always a very welcome byproduct of ones work, determination and love for the art form.

Musicians don’t always get in to this game to have hits, fame and financial rewards; but it’s very rare that a musician will rebuke the adulation or financial rewards that come from having a record that appeals to the wider populace (unless we are talking about the likes of Kurt Cobain, Nick Drake, Syd Barret and their ilk).

But a record label is an altogether beast. The good folks that make the idiotic move to start a record label have a hard path laid out for them. The best that a small record company can really hope for in these days and times is to be able to tread financial waters between releases.

In NZ, we have such a small consumer base available to us, and were it not for Government funding, international exploitation and TV, film & advertising placements, it would be a kamikaze mission. And even with all of that, it still is a minefield.

And then there's the state of the industry and the effects of the new digital playing field. Oh, and let's not forget the recession. But i refuse to dwell on those points, because thats all people seem to talk about these days; and i'm sick to fucking death of it.

Historically in NZ, label owners haven’t made money, let alone a living from the work that they put into their companies. It's not uncommon to find out that NZ label owners earn their living elsewhere. It literally is a labor of love that is performed with nary a complaint from any of the people involved. When do you ever hear the likes of Murray Cammick, Roger Shepherd, Simon Grigg, Callum August, Andy Murnane, Trevor Reekie, Cyphanetik or Stinky Jim complain about their chosen vocations? It doesn’t happen (at least publicly) because we all love assisting and furthering the many talents of our fair country.

But we have more in common than just being suckers for punishment and a love of music. It's important to state that most of us have never seen one red cent from our efforts toiling away in the NZ music industry.

But I’m not writing this to blow my own trumpet, nor am I attempting to blow up the people that I admire in NZ. I am merely trying to explain the reality of trying to run a label in 2009. You see, running a label in NZ is akin to playing Super Mario (yes I have a 5 year old son). You run around in circles trying to figure shit out without getting stomped out by oncoming threats and by the time you have it sussed, you are out of power/energy and you have to then find a mushroom to eat to power up again.

The mushrooms in our world are hit records. You see, without hits, you lose power and eventually run out of steam.



GAME OVER...



Move The Crowd was almost out for the count. No shit! Late last year we were in a position where we could literally see the “game over” screen starting to come down in front of us.

But before we get there, let’s explain the history…

MTC signed a deal with Universal Australia four years ago. At the time, we had already signed Juse and Tyree to Universal Australia directly (as artists) and both projects were staring to roll out.

But being the wiley character that I am, and knowing that there's more allure in the unknown than that of the known, i wanted to shop a deal for the rest of the roster before our other projects started hitting. I knew that we could get a deal for the remaining projects on the roster off the back of what had happened with Scribe and Savage over there and started shopping a label deal for MTC. I had demos for Ethical, Young Sid and Smashproof and took them to Sony Australia looking for a third deal. I had been careful to ensure that Tyree was only signed to Universal as a solo act, so I was free to take Smashproof wherever I wanted without having to get clearance for him to participate in any of our other projects. Sony were down, but the good folks at Universal weren’t having it. The Managing Director of Universal Australia, George Ash; insisted that we bring the MTC deal in to them and made us an offer that we couldn't refuse; and the rest is history.

But as our projects started rolling out the vibe within the company changed. Tyree’s album didn’t do very well and they had spent a lot of money marketing him in Australia. We (MTC) never demanded a huge spend, but I guess that people got excited in the wake of the success of Savage and Scribe and he was launched at their level. The album failed to ignite and we were on our own.

It was at that time that we at MTC decided to regroup and double down on our efforts in NZ. We literally forgot that Australia even existed and set out to build our stock in NZ with the forthcoming releases from Young Sid and Ethical. Our efforts paid off with the release of Young Sid’s debut album. But despite his growing media profile and healthy album sales in NZ, he didn’t get his just due in Australia because Sid wasn’t commercial enough and his music was ruled out for being too gangsta for the Australian market.

Things were starting look really tenuous. The business and legal affairs people at Universal Australia started slowing down communication and it became increasingly difficult to get answers or updates on all fronts. We had received a front-end financial commitment from them for the Smashproof project, which was good, but we started getting stalled in respect to our annual overhead and budgets for forthcoming projects (Young Sid and Tyrees second solo albums, and the Kidz in Space E.P).

Another issue, was that MTC is contractually supposed to deliver 3 albums per year (not including albums from Juse & Tyree). And in 2008, we only delivered one album with Ethical’s debut. Fair point? Not really. You see, in 2007 their marketing and A&R folks told us to slow down our release schedule, because there is only so many NZ Hip Hop albums that they can deal with at any one time. So after delivering Eth's project, we went to ground and really focused on making sure that the Smashproof release was right.

Fun times! But I have to add that we would have continued without Universal if they had decided to cut us loose. We knew that we had an ace with Sid being on the roster and we felt strongly about our forthcoming release schedule. It just would have been under altogether different circumstances. We considered going independent and just releasing our projects digitally, but all of that became moot with what followed.

Our only real shot to make this work with Universal was to smack the Smashproof album out the ballpark. We were low on energy with no re-ups in sight and it felt like we had a long way to go to complete the latest chapter of the game.

It was December, and Sid was in NY recording his album with Emile and we had no idea where the money was coming from to fund it. We knew we would figure it out, but at the same time we weren't getting any answers from Universal in respect to Sids budget. But luckily we received a NZ On Air grant early this year to cover most of our initial costs to start the album. We had a Smashproof album in hand and that’s all we could really rely on at the time.

For those of you who are regular readers of this blog, you will recall that my first post of the year merely stated… “Let's get this party started right! Welcome to 2009!” I wrote that because i wanted to come out swinging and I knew it was our last shot, and we all refused to go out like suckers.

You know the rest of the story; “Brother” hit hard and the boys are packing out rooms across the country. The Australians are gearing up to give the single and album a good push, and we have significant interest for the boys in Europe and beyond. All thanks to one hit record.

And finally, you will be happy to know that we now have approved album budgets opened up for our other projects. So we all move to the next chapter and start over. But as all of my Super Mario fiends know, the big problem is, the chapters always seem to get trickier the further progress through the game.

Wish us luck!

DIZZEE RASCAL on Jonathon Ross:

I had no idea that Diz was so quick witted and charming. He's always been reserved when i've met him.

Shout out to Semtex on the 1's & 2's.

RYAN LESLIE live:

Impressive! All performers take note...

Rutgers in the Rain from Ryan Leslie on Vimeo.

SMASHPROOF in Otago Daily Times:

Hip-hop trio's hit smashes records
By Felicity Wolfe on Sat, 9 May 2009
Queenstown Lakes

With 15 weeks at the top of the New Zealand Top 50 music charts, South Auckland hip-hop trio Smashproof have shown they are capable of smashing records.

They played in Queenstown last night as part of their nationwide tour - which was booked months before the members had any idea how successful their single, Brother, would be.

It broke a long-standing record in April by surpassing the 1986 America's Cup theme song Sailing Away, by All Of Us, which spent nine consecutive weeks at No 1.

But the success did not happen overnight and talking to the Otago Daily Times, with another five weeks at the top, the self-described "homies" from South Auckland - Deach, Tyree and Young Sid - seemed still slightly surprised by the reaction.

"The Smashproof album [The Weekend] has been in the making since 2006," Tyree said.

"We didn't expect the response to Brother.

Being at the top of the charts at the beginning of New Zealand music month is also a source of pride.

"Another thing is we're on top of the whole of music in New Zealand . . . not just hip-hop," They have also been "blown away" by their following - from young children to grandparents.

"A lot of people who don't [usually] listen to hip-hop appreciate what we are doing," Tyree said.

But they are also aware a lot of people will try to latch on to their newfound success.

"We just hang out with the people who were there from the start," Deach said. Smashproof formed five years years ago in South Auckland.

Plans include a possible tour of Australia in August and although their dream is to make it in the United States, they are focusing on making more good music at home.

Their message to the younger generations of New Zealand hip-hop artists - "or sports stars or whatever" - is simple.

"Knowledge is power - stay in school and just be real."

SAVAGE feat. Rock City - "Hot Like Fire" video:

One word... "BLING!"

SMASHPROOF on Tagata Pasifika:

Another slightly old interview clip...

SMASHPROOF on Juice TV:

I just found this interview on YouTube. It's from March, but still worth posting.

PERCIEVE - "Whoa" (Remix) feat. PNC & Flowz:

SMASHPROOF - eleven weeks at #1:

"Brother" holds the top spot for its eleventh week on the NZ singles chart and slips from #2 to #3 on the national airplay chart.

"It's Friday" retains its Top 20 status by moving up a notch from #19 to #18, and The Weekend moves from #8 to #6 on the NZ albums chart.

Thank you!

SMASHPROOF - Northern Advocate feature:

South Auckland bros rap out their anti-violence message to full house.

04.05.2009
by André Hueber
Whangarei hip-hop enthusiasts flocked to see South Auckland group Smashproof at a "sold out and jam-packed" nightclub at the weekend.

Smashproof smashed a 23-year-old record last week after spending 10 weeks at No1 on the New Zealand music charts. Their single Brother clocked up the longest run at the top by a Kiwi act since America's Cup-themed Sailing Away, by All of Us, spent nine weeks in a row at No1 in 1986.

The trio performed to a sellout crowd in Whangarei's Heaven on Saturday night as part of a nationwide tour.

Young Sid, 22, Tyree, 24, and Deach, 24, grew up in South Auckland - a neighbourhood often shown "in a bad light", Young Sid said.

"Brother is a metaphor for South Auckland and all the b*******t that's been happening in the area," Young Sid explains.
"Our approach is to open up the minds of those who live in a society below the average socio-economic standard, and to tell them that violence and crime are not your only options."

Young Sid said he once became involved with a gang but left it behind after realising he was set for "bigger things where violence is not the norm".

His message to young people attracted to gangs was "take responsibility for yourself ... there's more to life than what the system tries to stick you in".

In a Brother music video the three drive a pretend or "naked" car.

"It's a way of showing our naked views of the area to mainstream New Zealand. We're asking people to understand what it's like."

The video also features a scene based on the story of Manurewa youth Pihema Cameron, 15, who was fatally stabbed by homeowner Bruce Emery over the tagging of his garage door.

By "pure coincidence" Brother became a national talking point after it was released at the same time Emery went on trial, Young Sid said.

SMASHPROOF & Gin Wigmore live:

I just go sent this footage from Smashproof's album launch, it features the boys first ever live performance with Gin. I did post something similar a few weeks back, but this footage is taken from a better angle.

And check out the lovely Gin speaking on MTC below.

SMASHPROOF live in Whangarei:

The Weekend tour is 3 for 3 so far with all dates completely sold out. Thank you for the support. Here's a taste of the boys performing "The Weekend" up North:

SMASHPROOF live at Studio (AK):

The SP boys kick off The Weekend tour in grand style at Studio in Auckland. Check out the sing-a-long... mean!

SMASHPROOF's "It's Friday" on DJ SEMTEX's show again:

Big up Sem and all my folks at 1Xtra in the UK.

SMASHPROOF in Rip It Up magazine:

SMASHPROOF in Back2Basics magazine:

Here's the scans from the mag:

SMASHPROOF - "My Crib" live:

Jae'O and the boys deliver for the ladies:



Shout out to Kayze834 for posting this.

PNC - "Tonight" video:

RAEKWON feat. Ghostface & Method Man - "New Wu (Wu Ooh)" video

Classic Wu! Takes me back to my old days at BMG in AK with Sir-Vere & DLT when The Wu were really poppin'!