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Artist - J-Live
Title - The Upgrade
Label - (BBE)
Released - 18.05.08
Posted 02.05.08
J-Live's music has been inspiring fans of underground hip hop from New York, to Cali, and around the world ever since his first singles 'Longevity' and 'Braggin Writes' appeared in 1995. When 'The Best Part' LP dropped in 2001, J-Live quickly became my favourite ever MC and 13 years later he still holds that title!
The follow up to 07's Reveal The Secret EP, 'The Upgrade' does not disappoint and it's safe to say it's up there with his very best. The killer track is produced by Oddisee and features live instrumentation from Rashawn Ross of Soulive. It's like a lost Dilla classic with really phat drums, a light sprinkling of keys, sharp cuts and some awesome horn samples that gel the well chopped loops together. To top it all off Pos Plug Won of legendary rap group De La Soul joins J on the mic and the result is a marriage made in heaven...
Flipside track 'The Understanding' is pure J-Live, and as you would expect the lyrical content and delivery again is on point. Telling tales of his past to explain where he came from and saying why people like EPMD, PE, Slick Rick, Kane, Rakim and BDP were his male role models. With "knowledge, wisdom, understanding" snippets taken from Jeru The Damaga's 'Ya Playin Yerself' being used as the cuts, this is another well thought out head nodder that rolls over a super tight and infectious groove.
‘The Upgrade’ is taken from J-Live’s forthcoming album on BBE, 'Then What Happened', and the expectant anticipation is already built. In support of the record, J-Live is touring around the US, Canada, the UK and Europe - definitely one to check live!
'The Upgrade' is highly recommended!!
Rating - 10/10
Reviewer - PT
some Upgraded lyrics...
“We not here now mainly to survive off rap,
We tryin’ to eat more healthy than that, so
Not to tread water but to run laps,
But see my legs been crampin’ since the starter gun clap,
Not too many in the pool survive from that,
So I learn how to stretch to avoid those traps,
Stroke 9000 miles and back,
I know it don't look like I swim or run track,
But I'm flowin' over beats like that,”
Upcoming J-Live Shows:
15.05.08 Solyanka (Moscow)
16.05.08 La Batofar (Paris)
17.05.08 Cargo (London)
19.05.08 Voodoo Rooms (Edinburgh)
22.05.08 Mekker Club (Baden)
23.05.08 Albani Music Club (Winterthur)
24.05.08 Raw Fusion (Stokholm)
13.07.08 Splash Festival (Leipzig)
More info:
www.myspace.com/jlive
www.j-livemusic.com
www.bbemusic.com
www.myspace.com/bbemusic
