PreOrder Greatest Hits Here/Track List

Swollen Members will perform at this year’s 2010 Olympic Games on February 15th in Whistler, BC. Swollen Members will be the feature performers for the night’s “Whistler Live Fire and Ice” party.

“For Swollen Members to play an official Olympic event in our own city is a milestone and a great honor,” commented Prevail. “This performance will give us a chance to be seen by the whole world and this is going to be a career highlight for all of us.”

After six studio albums and more than one million albums sold, Swollen Members will release their first “Greatest Hits” album on March 16th, 2010 through Suburban Noize and Battle Axe Records.

For the release of the band‘s first-ever career-spanning collection, Swollen Members have reached deep into the vaults and assembled a collection of 18 classic tracks that have been previously out of print to the Battle Axe army.

Swollen Members will be touring the US alongside Humboldt County hip-hop duo Potluck throughout the months of February and March.

SWOLLEN MEMBERS TOUR DATES:
Feb 15 – Whistler, BC @ 2010 Olympic Games
Feb 18 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
Feb 19 – Bellingham, WA @ The Nightlight
Feb 20 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne
Feb 21 – Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
Feb 23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Feb 24 – Avon, CO @ Agave
Feb 25 – Steamboat Springs, CO @ Ghostranch Saloon
Feb 26 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
Feb 27 – Ft. Collins, CO @ Aggie Theatre
Feb 28 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
Mar 01 – Breckenridge, CO @ Three20South
Mar 02 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
Mar 04 – Park City, UT @ The Star Bar
Mar 05 – Ketchum, ID @ NexStage Theater
Mar 06 – Ketchum, ID @ NexStage Theater
Mar 07 – Spokane, WA @ The Boulevard

The first recorded concert effort from a member of the Wu-Tang Clan in over five years, Live On Stage is the new live album by original Wu-Tang member Masta Killa. Live On Stage culls together some of the best verses the rapper has offered in his 17-year career, ranging from his 2004 solo debut No Said Date and classic Wu-Tang albums to memorable spots on GZA's Liquid Swords and Legend of the Liquid Sword.

Featuring guest appearances by GZA and Inspectah Deck, among others, Live offers new spins on tracks long embedded in the consciousness of most hip hop fans, including Duel of the Iron Mic, Guillotine and Mystery of Chessboxin'.

Masta Killa explains "A lot of fans have never heard Masta Killa live and never had the chance to see a Wu-Tang show, so I thought it would be a good idea to release live audio for them. It would also really entice people to come out to witness the next wave of live show we do".

Live On Stage kicks off with a blistering acapella version of Mystery of Chessboxin', before seguing into the beloved anthem Triumph (which saw the crowd rapping along in unison with Masta.) No Said Date, Masta Killa's solo debut, provides the material for close to half of Live On Stage.

Live On Stage will be available from March 30th through Gold Dust Media.

1. Da Mystery Of Chessboxin (Accapella)
2. Armored Truck
3. Silverbacks (feat. Inspectah Deck & GZA)
4. Duel Of The Iron Mic (feat. GZA)
5. School
6. Grab The Mic
7. No Said Date
8. In The Hood
9. Love Spell (feat. Startel)
10. D.T.D.
11. Street Education (feat. Streetlife)
12. Whatever (feat. Streetlife & Prodigal Sunn)
13. Digiwarfare
14. Fam Members Only (feat. GZA)
15. Guillotine (Swordz) (feat. GZA)
16. Triumph (feat. Inspectah Deck & GZA)

Hilltop Hoods - Still Standing, Watch Video Here
This month Hilltop Hoods is bundling up, hitting the clubs and going back to square one.

It's definitely a contrast to what we're doing here (in Australia)," says Daniel Smith, a.k.a. MC Pressure, speaking over the phone from his home country. "But it's kind of good at the same time. It keeps you grounded having to work from ground zero again ... it kind of reminds us of how good we've got it here."

Over the last seven years, Hilltop Hoods has led the charge to bring homegrown hip hop to the Australian mainstream, long after rap stars began invading the airwaves in North America.

When the group started out in 1991, the Aussie scene consisted primarily of club DJs spinning U.S. acts like Run DMC, Public Enemy and Big Daddy Kane.

"There wasn't many Australian hip-hop acts putting on shows; there was probably only one in the city and a small handful of other dudes in the mid-90s around the rest of Australia putting on concerts of their own," Smith says.

Hilltop Hoods took advantage of open mic nights around its hometown of Adelaide to build a following and slowly fashioned its American influences into something fresh and positive.

The group's persistence would pay dividends after 12 years of hard work, when two singles from its 2003 album The Calling unexpectedly found heavy rotation on a national radio station.

"Everything just sort of snowballed for us from there and we kind of blew up," Smith says. The group's follow-up The Hard Road hit No. 1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association charts, making them Australia's first bona fide rap superstars.

With its latest album State of the Art also topping domestic charts and earning rave reviews, Smith and company have brought not only recognition, but also respect to the Aussie hip-hop scene.

"Media ... never really took hip hop seriously until five years ago. It's taken a while for us to kick down a lot of doors and break a lot of barriers to make people stand up and take notice," he says.

Hilltop Hoods is now building something of a hip-hop empire. They've paired up with the Australian government on the Hilltop Hoods Initiative, which awards a $10,000 grant to one hip hop act each year (selected by the Hoods themselves), and they recently started their own label, Golden Era Records, to lend an additional hand to up-and-coming talent.

Thanks to their efforts, the scene is starting to thrive. "At the end of the day it's not just that we're passionate about the music, but what's good for us is good for everyone else as well," Smith says.

He hopes the Aussie scene can continue to spread a positive vibe and take lessons from rap's pioneers rather than the gun-toting, materialistic stars running their mouths on today's MTV.

"The scene in Australia is younger, it's a lot less commercial-driven and I guess hasn't been exploited yet and hopefully won't be as badly as hip hop has been in America," he says.

"Hopefully we can get nurtured and keep it sort of where it is; or get it to grow slow enough that it doesn't get ruined all over."

Covering recognizable songs and artists such as Nas, Teddy P., SWV, Mary J. Blige and many others.
Download
Alt. Link

Joell Ortiz’s Free Agent album droppin on April 20th.

1st video from Nocando's Alpha Pup Records release Jimmy The Lock.

http://www.youtube.com/user/VIGALANTEE
Vig Myspace
Cdbaby
"This songs talk about my travels through hip-hop and its starts with washington georgia,i remember being with the hoods of rock rapping on the radio and being one of the first 2 ever get it cracking in washington,and how i took it to kansas to continue the movement! this song was produced by my longtime friend big toombs!"Vigalantee

A three part documentary series about J Dilla’s life in Los Angeles that they’ll be releasing every week.

First video from his 9th Wonder inspired project, Love Potion Number 9th: The Hangover and dedicated to Schpitz’s cousin John Mills Neiswanger who passed away last month RIP.