KIDZ IN SPACE - "Ghost" feat. Dan Black [Video]:

Here goes the first single and title track from Kidz In Space's forthcoming album Ghost.

Video directed by Tim Van Dammen.

"Ghost" launches in New Zealand on August 2nd, and everywhere else on August 9th. The bundle will include the following remixes:

1. "Ghost" featuring Dan Black
2. "Ghost" featuring Dan Black (True Tiger Remix)
3. "Ghost" featuring Dan Black (Sammy Bananas Remix)
4. "Ghost" featuring Dan Black (Sammy Bananas Dub)

FREDDIE GIBBS - Str8 Killa, No Filla Mixtape:

Gangsta Gibbs is not only releasing his Str8 Killa, No Filla E.P next Tuesday, he also dropped this mixtape (of the same name) this week.

This guy (alongside Yelawolf) is one of my finds of the year so far. I know they have both been around for a minute, but i only really picked up on them at SXSW this year. Gibbs had me, Young Sid, Mr Sicc, Dave Dallas, P Money, Mouli and B-Side snapping our necks during one of his many sets in Austin.

If you want to know more about the man, i strongly recommend that your read this recent feature over at Complex. Dude ain't fuckin' around!

Yourstru.ly Presents: Freddie Gibbs 'Born 2 Roll' from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

KIDZ IN SPACE x NBA 2K11:

KIWI GROUP MAKES NBA 2K11 SOUNDTRACK
11:37 am Friday 30 July, 2010
by Dan Cheer

SOURCE: GAME PLANET

2K Sports have today released soundtrack details for their upcoming NBA 2K11 release, and it looks as if talent from New Zealand will make an appearance.

Auckland-based Kidz in Space, who are currently signed to local record label Move The Crowd, have supplied their hit "Downtime" for use with 2K's upcoming basketball title.

Complementing the appearance of Michael Jordan, the series’ most influential cover athlete to date, the soundtrack is has been touted by 2K as "the biggest and best in 2K history" offering an eclectic mix of upcoming breakout bands and highly acclaimed artists.

The soundtrack includes an original, exclusive track from Snoop Dogg that illustrates his long-standing enthusiasm for the NBA 2K series. Other notable artists include Outkast’s Big Boi, Drake, Kid Cudi, Two Door Cinema Club, The Constellations, and The Alan Parsons Project performing the Chicago Bulls’ intro song.

Impressive company indeed. You can learn more about Kidz in Space at their Facebook page, and you check out the "Downtime" track on YouTube.


Complete track list for NBA 2K11

Snoop Dogg – NBA 2K Theme
Big Boi – Shutterbug
Drake - Over
Cassidy – Game Time
Ron Artest – Champion
Duck-Down All-Stars feat. Buckshot, Skyzoo, Promise, and Sean Price – Better Than You
The Alan Parsons Project - Sirius
Art vs. Science – Hollywood
Big Rock Candy Mountain – Rocketship
Brunettes – Red Rollerskates
Chicharones – Little By Little
Children Collide – Skeleton Dance
Constellations feat. Asher Roth– We’re Here To Save The Day
Dan Black feat. Kid Cudi – Symphonies (Remix)
Delorean – Deli
Ev – Home Of The Brave (Instrumental)
Failsafe – Hope & Only If We Learn
HOGNI – Bow Down
Kidz In Space – Downtime
Middleman – It’s Not Over Yet
Rakaa feat. Aloe Blaac – Crown Of Thorns
The Redland – So Far
The Russian Futurists – Paul Simon & Precious Metals
Sonny Bones – Rise
Two Door Cinema Club – I Can Talk
Yung Autmatik & Bayroot Productions – Go Hard or Go Home
Dux Jones – Pourin’ It On

CAVELL Mixtape Release Party:

Good work brothers...

MTC Chart Update:

"Stuck In A Box" moves #24-26 on the NZ singles chart and #50-45 on the NZ airplay chart.

The single also maintains at #1 on the IMNZ singles chart.

While both Deach & Sid's projects hold it down on the IMNZ albums chart and airplay chart...

KIDZ IN SPACE x Earmilk:

The True Tiger remix of Kidz In Space's new single with Dan Black, "Ghost"; debuted over at Earmilk.com today.

Head over there to get your download-on!

"Ghost" is available August 2nd in NZ and August 9th everywhere else.





KIDZ IN SPACE - "Ghost" feat. Dan Black (True Tiger Remix) by KirkMTC

KING KAPISI – "Superhuman" feat. The Mint Chicks [Video]:

I believe Kaps has a joint with Sid in the works, but in the meantime.... here's his new single with The Mint Chicks...

KIDZ IN SPACE - "Ghost" feat. Dan Black [Trailer]:

"Ghost" launches in New Zealand on August 2nd, and everywhere else on August 9th.

KID MAC European Tour Footage:

DEACH Gets Homepage Placement At iTunes:

Head over to iTUNES and get Deach's debut release for only $14.32.

K*NERS - "Messy" Feat. Kardinal Offishall Coming Soon:

MTC Chart Info:

Young Sid's "Stuck In A Box" holds at #24 on the NZ singles chart and moves #51-50 on the NZ airplay chart

Meanwhile... the single continues to hold down the top spot on the IMNZ singles chart.

DEACH - Vision At iTunes:

Vision gets off to a good start today, clocking in at #3 on iTunes' Hip Hop albums chart; and #42 on the Top Albums chart

































Thank you!

DEACH - Vision Is Available Now:

Vision can be found at any of your favorite digital retailers now:

DIGIRAMA

iTUNES - not sure why it's listed as being clean, because it's not and there are even curse words in the 30 sec snippets, we'll fix that imminently.

A limited run of x300 CD's of Vison will be made available at JB Hi-Fi, Marbecks, Mighty Ape and Real Groovy Records.

**UPDATE: I have just been informed that most physical retailers won't have stock until tomorrow.

"Deachy Is Back" feat. Tyree & Young Sid (Smashproof Remix) by KirkMTC

06 We Move The Crowd feat. Ethical & Kayo by ayebronz



And you might as well cop this while you're there....

DEACH Feature from The Sunday News:

DEACH'S RAP'T:
Sunday News

Fifteen years ago a skinny, Form One Fred Faafou was making his rapping debut, on stage at his school talent quest.

"Everyone was laughing – yeah, at me – 'cause they couldn't believe I was rapping.

"We were mud, man. Everyone was cracking up and we were cracking up as well, because we kept stuffing up... Once we got off everyone started clapping. I thought I was famous, after that."

That little kid's all grown up now – his ribs certainly don't show anymore, he says with a giggle – and he really is famous, thanks to a crew called Smashproof and a single called "Brother".

Last year that song blew "Sailing Away" out of the water to become the single with the most consecutive weeks at number one. It hung in there for 11 weeks.

Faafou, known as Deach, says the moment they heard they'd broken the 23-year-old record was the proudest of his life.

Now he's making like the other two Smashproof boys, Young Sid and Tyree, and going it alone. His debut solo album, Vision, drops tomorrow and unlike many artists, this 25-year-old is more than happy to admit he's fretting. "Yeah. I'm real nervous."

The album is not the R'n'B fans might expect, he says. "It's more deep and meaningful, to be honest, it's real... R'n'B's way too easy – the hard songs are the ones that really mean things."

We're at his studio in Eden Terrace, Auckland. He's a big guy in a small room, but there's no swagger, no ballooning ego. Instead, Deach is profoundly pleased that he's finally being listened to.

"I have three brothers and three sisters. I'm the middle child, the one that everyone forgot about.

"Right now I guess, everything I say in my family, everyone listens.

"I feel like I was the one left out but now it's the other way around."

There was more to it than being the middle child. Deach's parents moved from Samoa to South Auckland to have their family, working long hours in factories to give their kids better opportunities than they'd had.

But when Deach was one-year-old his mother left. His father remarried, and Deach says he grew up resenting the fact that his stepmother favoured her two biological daughters over Deach and his older siblings.

"That's why I think I turned into getting into mischief," he says. "They're all spoilt, we couldn't even like touch anything, we couldn't even open biscuits and stuff, that's how like real bad it was."

School – De La Salle College, then Tangaroa College – was tough too. Deach says he had trouble being told what to do and never finished anything. "I was part of a naughty crowd. But I was never the naughtiest," he says.

He left school in sixth form to have a bash at a performing arts course, and at about the same time, to give his stepmother a wake-up call, he moved out. "Next time I saw her, she just started changing. I think she started realising ... you know, we're all a family, these are my daughters and the rest should come equal."

Until then, Deach had been desperate to meet his mum. But by the time he hit 21 he was angry at her. Their first meeting, on his 21st birthday, was a watershed.

"She ended up explaining why she left. I didn't know why she left.

"She was telling me that you know, that my dad was like a bit of a player and that she actually took me.

"My dad came back and got me. It was just a good time to ask questions... Now I see her on a regular basis. Back then it was all heartbreak but you've got to move on and get over it."

In the next five years, Deach wants to start a family with his girlfriend of three years. He's revamping his motto: "Live for today, tomorrow may never come", to save for a house. He is doing a business course to help him with his back-up plan which is running a modelling agency aimed at the music industry.

He goes to the gym every morning, plays basketball most nights – "undefeated", he says. "It's just too easy, we need some harder competition". Three nights a week he does promotional work for a club on K'Rd.

But music has his heart. Deach writes in his car, humming the beat and scribbling on a pad at red lights, or tapping lines into his phone if he's not driving.

"If it's real, I can write fast. If it's just talking about myself and being the best – those sort of raps – and just lying, it's a bit harder."

One of the six tracks on his album is particularly important to him. "It's called Never Knew... It's about the struggle, the struggle that the parents lived, and their kids that never knew it was a struggle...

"It was like me."

DEACH - "Deachy Is Back" (Remix) feat. Young Sid & Tyree [Audio]:

The second single from Deach's Vision project is "Deachy Is Back" (Remix) feat. Tyree & Young Sid.

Produced by Twice As Nice.

The original version of this track appeared on Smashproof's deluxe album as a Deach solo track. But Sid & Ty have since joined the celebration, making this the first fully fledged Smashproof track since The Weekend dropped.

The single version will be available August 9th at all of your favorite digital retailers, and Vision is available on Monday (July 19th). A limited run of 300 CD's of Vison will be made available at JB Hi-Fi, Marbecks and Real Groovy Records.

"Deachy Is Back" feat. Tyree & Young Sid (Smashproof Remix) by KirkMTC

TYSON TYLER & DJ SMV - Paperchase Mixtape:

Ty Tyler's new mixtape, Paperchase; is now available to download.

MTC artists Neesh, Sir T, Sesh and Ethical all make appearances.

KIDZ IN SPACE At C4:

Josh and Ash checked in with the good folks at C4 for a quick chat about the Edge Fest, the forthcoming album/single, CMJ and a few other bits and pieces...

This Weeks IMNZ Charts:

Sid's single is sitting comfortably on top of the IMNZ singles chart...

DEACH On Mai FM:

Head over to Ayebro.co.nz to check out Deach's interview on Mai FM with the bro Hayden Hare.

DEACH Airplay Update:

"'Til I Say So" moves #92-57 on the NZ airplay chart.

Vision is available July 19, that's this coming Monday folks...

A limited run of 300 CD's will be made available at JB Hi-Fi, Marbecks and Real Groovy Records.

YOUNG SID Chart Update:

"Stuck In A Box" feat. Stan Walker moves #25-24 on the NZ singles chart, and #57-51 on the airplay chart.

EMBASSY - "Hate Me" [Audio]:

Shout out to TaylorMade

SMASHPROOF - German Chart Update:

"Brother" moves #88-81 on the German singles chart.

Slow motion better than no motion...

DEACH - Vision Release Party:

EMBASSY - "My Dreams" [Audio]:

KIDZ IN SPACE At The Winter Shuffle:

YOUNG SID x Illicit:

Order them from the illicit website

KIDZ IN SPACE - "Ghost" feat. Dan Black Single Cover:

"Ghost" launches in New Zealand on August 2nd, and everywhere else on August 9th.

1. "Ghost" featuring Dan Black
2. "Ghost" featuring Dan Black (True Tiger Remix)
3. "Ghost" featuring Dan Black (Sammy Bananas Remix)
4. "Ghost" featuring Dan Black (Sammy Bananas Dub)

This Weeks IMNZ Charts:

Young'n hits #1 on the Top 10 singles chart, and features on both other charts.

Deach's single keeps on keepin' on the airplay chart...

DEACH - "We Move The Crowd" feat. Kayo & Ethical [Audio]:

It's DEACH-Day today!

Head over to Ayebro.co.nz to check out this exclusive track from Deach's forthcoming project, Vision.

"We Move The Crowd" is produced by Twice As Nice and features Kayo & Ethical.

Vision is available July 19th.

Thanks to Mas & Harris for posting this track.

DEACH Single Date Moves Back Two Weeks:

Due to the excellent reaction that we have received for the "'Til I Say So" remix and video, the release of this single will now move back to August 9th.

The second single from Deach's Vision project is "Deachy Is Back" (Remix) feat. Tyree & Young Sid.

Produced by Twice As Nice.

Vision is available July 19th.

The original version of this track appeared on Smashproof's deluxe album as a Deach solo track. But Sid & Ty have since joined the celebration, making this the first fully fledged Smashproof track since The Weekend dropped.

DEACH x Illicit:

PRE ORDER FOR DELIVERY ON JULY 21ST. ALL SIZES ARE AVAILABLE - SML to 5XL. Order them from the illicit website or reach out to Rocky at rockysafole@gmail.com

MTC Chart Update:

Young Sid's single, "Stuck In A Box" feat. Stan Walker moves #28-25 on the NZ singles chart, and moves #58-57 on the airplay chart

Over in Deutschland, "Brother" moves #89-88 on the singles chart.

KIDZ IN SPACE x The Naked And Famous [Audio]:

The Kidz jump aboard The Naked & Famous' recent #1 single:

KIDZ IN SPACE - "Young Blood": by KirkMTC

Tyson Tyler – "Popular Demand" Feat. NEESH [Audio]:

Ty Tyler and Neesh link up on this track from Tyson's forthcoming mixtape, Paperchase; which drops on July 11th.

YOUNG SID & Stan Walker Move Into The Top 25 At iTunes:

Click on the image to get a closer look...

DEACH - "'Til I Say So" (Ice Remix) feat. Tyree, Kayo & Derty Sesh [Video]:

Deach turns in a video for Ice's remix of his current single "'Til I Say So", which features MTC crew - Tyree, Kayo & Derty Sesh.

This remix is available as part of the "Til I Say So" single bundle in Australia and NZ.

The original version of "'Til I Say So' is lifted from Deach's forthcoming project, Vision, which is available July 19th.

The video is directed by Anthony Plant.

My man Deach has tuned in a video for every version of his single in his bundle. The bro is workin'!

FIVE A Performing Live:

Dope stuff from Five A.

Props to the bro Robin Howard Johnson for sending this over

MACHINE GUN KELLY - "Chip Off The Block":

This kid can spit... impressive!

DEACH - "Deachy Is Back" (Smashproof Remix) Single Info:

The second single from Deach's Vision project is "Deachy Is Back" (Remix) feat. Tyree & Young Sid.

Produced by Twice As Nice.

The single version will be available July 26th at all of your favorite digital retailers. Vision is available July 19th.

The original version of this track appeared on Smashproof's deluxe album as a Deach solo track. But Sid & Ty have since joined the celebration, making this the first fully fledged Smashproof track since The Weekend dropped.

Also, look for the video for "'Til I Say So" (Ice Remix) feat. Kayo & Derty Sesh to drop any day now.

NZ Musician x YOUNG SID:

The Making of Young Sid:

Author: Gareth Shute

SOURCE: NZ Musician

Young Sid experienced the full range of highs and lows over the years following the release of his first album ‘The Truth. He has resourcefully catalogued the journey on his sophomore effort, ‘What Doesn’t Kill Me’, and the result is a strikingly sincere hip hop release. Gareth Shute finds out how Sid (born Sidney Diamond) has sought to channel even his worst experiences into his music.

When I arrive for my interview with Young Sid, he is still talking with the previous journalist. It’s a general rule in journalism that you keep any thorny questions until the end, which means you’ll already have enough material if the artist ends up kicking you out. The previous journalist has decided to ask about Young Sid’s labelmate, Dirty Sesh, who had his controversial music video removed from the airwaves.

Young Sid responds with a short, dismissive laugh. “I thought this interview was meant to be about me?”

That’s the thing about Young Sid – he may speak in slang and half-sentences, but behind that that his thinking is razor-sharp.
When it’s my turn I ask whether he’s sick of people talking to him about his group Smashproof breaking the record for a local single holding the number one chart slot with Brother.

“Nah, I’m not bored of talking about it,” he says, slyly contradicting himself by slowly nodding his head. He grins for a moment and then decides to answer the question anyway. “We were just excited to get to number one. We celebrated on that and then we watched it go two weeks, three weeks … 11 weeks! Then we knew we’d really done something.”

Smashproof followed this with a four-date tour of Australia and a performance at the CMJ festival in New York. Sadly for Young Sid he wasn’t able to fully enjoy their success.

“Last year my mum got cancer and I had to go through that. So it was a good year for Smashproof, but it wasn’t a good year for me, know what I mean? I started writing deep songs, ya know, meaningful songs to inspire my generation.”

The first of the tracks he wrote for his own new album were recorded in New York at the end of 2008. The sessions were arranged by Kirk Harding, who runs Young Sid’s label, Move The Crowd Records (MTC). Harding’s elevated connections in the US industry meant he was able to arrange for Young Sid to work with the talented producer Emile, who had previously provided beats for Ghostface Killah and Ice Cube. Young Sid says he didn’t let himself become phased by his producer’s background.
“I think if you’re a rapper you have to be confident in any situation. I never let myself get nervous when I get around those people… I think it comes from my first experience when I first went over to New York to record with Cochise [of The Beatnuts]. That first week I wrote nothing at all. I was just observing people, trying to make friends, because I was a bit shy. Then the next week, I wrote six songs easy. Now I just go ahead and do it.”

It will strike some as risky for Young Sid to rely on writing all his rhymes in the studio, but the result seems to be that his flow is seamlessly matched to each beat that he works with. His confidence in this respect is drawn from a long experience of practising his craft.

“I started rhyming over instrumentals when I was 11 years old. Then when I was 16, I started making beats as well, messing around with this Playstation game called Music 2000. They weren’t good beats, they were just mine! Then Tyree started making beats, so we were doing original stuff way back when… We did heaps of performances at school. We were a group, Smashproof, but Deach didn’t come to our school, so it was just me and Tyree.

“We entered a talent quest and we didn’t make it to the finals originally, but got chosen as a wildcard. There were three judges and one of them told us – I don’t like your music, if it wasn’t for the other judges, you wouldn’t have got through. (Though when we won, he was the first guy to come up and shake hands.) We thought we’d conquered the world when we won...

“Cos of all that, I feel like I’ve had 10 years in the game. Now my flow has become polished. Even when I did ‘The Truth’, it was like I was just yelling out – ‘Yeah, I’m hard!’ Whereas, I have tracks on the new album where it’s like I’m just having a conversation.”

Lately, he has been finding inspiration from a pair of rappers from the southern states of the US. MCs Freddie Gibbs and Yelawolf hail from Indiana and Alabama – though they actually have a more East Coast style that uses fast flows and sudden changes of rhyme-tempo (comparable perhaps to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony). The influence can be seen on the single Never Waste A Day which features the vocal skills of Kayo (usually known for his rapping and the latest signing to MTC). His album also features vocals from upcoming American artists Melanie Fiona (on Here Then Gone) and Australian Idol winner, Stan Walker (Stuck in A Box). Another Australian connection came through Melbourne producers, Twice As Nice who were originally brought over to NZ to work with Deach and Tyree. Young Sid saw the duo had the same hunger to succeed as he did, so he also arranged to work with them.

With such a strong group of collaborators it’s fitting that Young Sid also took the opportunity to push himself beyond the usual ‘metaphor/punchline-based’ style common within local hip hop, and tried instead to write tracks that each had a strong focus or progression of subject matter. His topics spread to include dealing with the death of a loved one, prison incarceration, child abuse, and the pressures of being set-up as a role model. But rather than making his new album a heavy listen, Young Sid seems to use the subject matter as a springboard to push listeners into making the most of their lives, by pushing through their own hardships. The Nietzschean quote in the title track gives the clearest summary of his outlook – “what does not kill me, makes me stronger”.

The title track takes aim at journalists who tried to label him as a gang member over the past few years.

“First there was Sunday Star Times piece that called me a ‘gang star’, which pretty much talked about my life and my gang associations in an attempt to shut me down. Then there was a TV3 piece that wasn’t even about me, but which tried to make me the face of this fast-rising gang in South Auckland... it felt like they were trying to keep me secluded, like the hood itself. They were trying to shut down someone who was trying to make a living for himself the right way and I reckon that’s pretty sad. If someone is trying to get out of the life and steer others in the right path, then you’d think they’d be supportive. After that happened, they were going to blacklist me from TV … But I’m happy that all that shit happened, because it gave me fuel for this album and for this song.”

The treatment Young Sid gets from some journalists probably reflects the fact that he is willing to be unusually candid about his life, both in his music and during interviews. While he has always made it clear he has no affiliation with any gang, he also refuses to lie about the fact that he still has friends who are living that life, and a few years back featured on a gang-related track (arguing that he was encouraging gang members into music rather than gang-life).

It would be unfortunate if the controversy distracts from the fact that Young Sid is one of the strongest voices to have ever come out of NZ hip hop. Certainly, his label is backing him for big things and they have already arranged for him to undertake a fourth trip to New York later this year. As MTC label head, Kirk Harding, explains via email:

“Sid now has three albums under his belt at the ripe old age of 23 and we have some genuine interest in him from some key players in the U.S music industry. He just needs to come here, make some valuable contacts, build on the contacts he already has, work hard and develop those relationships... A lot of opportunities that will present themselves when he’s here would never come to him if he stayed in NZ, he has to be here to be in a position where people will open doors for him. He needs to come over here and give it all he’s got. If it doesn’t work out for him, at least he can say that he gave it a shot.”

There is no doubt that Young Sid has the talent to make it overseas, but the million dollar question is whether he will have the persistence and the sheer luck that he needs to make it in such a large market. That’s the trouble with us journalists, we always save the hard questions until last…