Posted on 05/28/2008
You might know of Ghet-O-Vision and its founder Kawan "KP" Prather. Maybe you've seen his A&R credit on albums by Pink or John Legend, maybe you know that his group Parental Advisory were the first Dungeon Family affiliated artists to get a deal, or you're up on how he brought T.I. and the Youngbloodz into the game. But I bet that unless you've been hanging out on the couch at Legacy Studios you don't know that Ghet-O-Vision has transformed itself into maybe the hottest new production team out there right about now. The other half of the coin is Malay: multi-instrumentalist, whiskey enthusiast, and (yes I know this is a term that's used waaaay too lightly) musical genius. Together they're going to bring Ghet-O-Vision's stable of artists to a major label near you while hooking up custom-made sample free tracks for some of the illest artists making music today. Their anonymity will change soon, when John Legend's new single "Green Light" featuring Andre 3000 drops. Produced by Ghet-O-Vision (KP is also the album's exec producer and a&r), this song takes Legend to a place he's never been before musically. In a time when music is dull as dirt and executives listen to songs on pink Samsung cel phones to figure out if they'll be hits, "Green Light" is going to make a serious impact with its synth-era Earth, Wind, and Fire meets Mantronix sound.

Posted on 05/13/2008
In an age filled with ringtone rappers smugly gloating about how they “can make a mil sayin’ nothing on a track” it’s no wonder so many Hip Hop heads are yearning for what many consider the ‘golden era’ of the ‘90s. Yet, while rap in the 90s did embody a certain spirit and depth that is lost upon numerous artists of today, it is important to continue to move beyond the past in order to progress as a genre. Looking backwards will only make for a stale, stagnant product. As we should all know by now, Hip Hop is not dead; it’s merely in need of a lengthy history lesson in hopes of gaining more respect for its roots, and some direction to guide it in a positive path for the future.

Enter Pacific Division.

Posted on 05/08/2008
Kids in the Hall are about to release their sophomore effort The In Crowd. Emcee Nawledge and sound provider Double-O are amped; their video for "Driving Down the Block" is currently #6 on MTV’s TRL, they’re rolling with a diverse crew of emcees on this project, and everything is everything. The dudes have already been affiliated with labels that are hip-hop icons, Rawkus and Duck Down. That doesn’t happen accidentally. The duo recently sat down to chop-it-up with Okayplayer's Mel Blunt, for real. They discussed the project, their position in the hip-hop game and the true meaning of the The In Crowd.

Posted on 05/07/2008
P.O.R.N. [Acronym to be explained later] and Truck North are protégés of The Roots’ school, and what some insiders would consider the Last of the Mohicans of that school. In addition, they comprise half of the Money Making Jam Boys [Black Thought and Dice Raw]. Some may be recognizing them for the first time on the Roots latest effort Rising Down, but they’ve been here before. Truck North did work on The Tipping Point and both represented on Game Theory. They credit their skills and lyrical fitness to fundamental conversations with The Roots crew that helped them locate their individual identities by honing in on specific social currents. Now, with notable exposure, they don’t plan on becoming complacent. P.O.R.N. states, “If you can’t keep the people that work with you interested, than you’re not going to be able to keep the people who want to work with you interested.”