An underground New York hip-hop producer, Cartel, brings his music genre back to its roots in his newest release 'Tha Throwback'.
Why 'Tha Throwback'?
"I named it that because it's a throwback to (...) the 90's where artists actually cared about hard beats and the lyrical content of their music as opposed to a lot of crap that passes for hip hop on the mainstream radio and video shows. It's a throwback in terms of production and lyrical quality" says Cartel.
He describes the music he produces as "grown man hip hop" for the real-life adults, who are working to support their families and "want more from their music than just (listening about)(...) sleeping with women, selling drugs, and shaking their booties."
Musicians featured in this album were selected based on their ability to write strong lyrics and bring something unique to the table. "Artists like K.Sparks and Mallz present their music in a straight forward and honest way (...). Gates and T.G.'s perspectives are more street oriented, while Marc Dollarz and Scholarly Pursuits styles are very lyric oriented."
Who is Cartel?
Cartel has been in this business for a while. He learned how to produce from Chyskillz (who did the first Onyx album) and Large Professor, he ran with Randy Allen and Jam Master Jay for a short period of time, he produced the first tracks that Cadillac Tah (of Murder Inc) actually rhymed over. The list goes on and on...
When I asked him what inspires him on daily basis, he said: "When music is in your veins, you have to do it. Whether you're successful at it or not, you can just not do it. Not record or produce."
Creative Commons story
"As an independent label getting the music into the hands of the consumer is THE most important thing that one can do. I didn't know much about the CC until I uploaded my first album to Jamendo under a CC license. I didn't expect much and then I started getting request to include my music in skateboarding dvds, videos, ringtones, etc. I started receiving emails from all over the world. Club DJ's in Croatia where telling me that they were playing my stuff. Creative Commons sites and services such as FrostWire will play a huge part in the marketing of all my releases."
State of the Record Industry
When asked Cartel about what he thinks about the current state of the record industry, Cartel was very open:
"My feelings are torn. I come from the era where you had to pay for
studio time and then pay to press your music on vinyl and CD. So you only invested your money if you were serious about doing this. Due to today's technology it's just too damn easy. Lol. You can create a song on your laptop and in 30 minutes have it on the internet for the world to hear. There seem to more artists than there are fans now. This is the environment that today's musician will have to survive in."
Give 'Tha Throwback' a try:
This new album is a free download with the option to purchase the enhanced version that includes a cappellas and the “Rock Stars” video performed by Full Fam from the Universal Indie Records Online Store.
Related Links:
Hoodgrown
X-lineMedia
Jamendo.com
Universal Indie Records
MyBloop Playlist
Posted on December 22, 2008 at 7:18 PM
