Willy G’s Who’s Killing It?

Whos Killing It in the game these days? In my opinion, the underground has the best MCs with the most skill, because money isnt deciding who your hearing, unlike the mainstream. In the underground someone is going to have to be exceptional to stand out amongst the rest. So heres 3 MCs who have stood out to me recently.

Passionate MC is an ill rhymer, theres no doubt. I recently started watching all the Team Back Pack videos up on You Tube, and I was very entertained. Their cyphers contain the best of the underground in their area, with MCs such as Illmaculate, who we saw in an earlier edition, spitting the slickest rhymes beside other very talented MCs. Passionate MC really kills this first verse on this video with a stunning fast flow, it sounds astoundingly ill. Check it out :

 

Right off the bat he goes in, just spitting multi-syllable madness! Its just good underground rhymes done well, he has crafted a verse that catches your attention immediately and keeps you entertained, killing it. The rest of the MCs are undeniably good too, it makes for a great video. There are much more of these on their channel too if you want to check them out you wont be disappointed.

Next up, is an MC I have heard a few things from in the past, very conscious and political with his rhymes, this new video is spectacular. No hook, just 200 bars of power! Low-Key is a British MC, who can craft rhymes to paint pictures of his point of view, and he does it really well. His stuff has definite replay value, some of the schemes are so complex your going to have to listen again. Check it out:

 

Its really deep and introspective, while touching on the culture as a whole too. He is speaking his mind, weighing in on different topics in the world today and giving us a glimpse into his mind state. I have only listened a couple of times yet so I will no doubt gather more and find new stuff I missed the more I listen. A definite work of art.

Lastly, is another British MC. This guy is different. He is describing the gritty streets of Britain, and painting a picture of dealing, and all the struggles that come with it. His flow absolutely kills the menacing piano instrumental, they work well together combined with the content hes speaking on. This is English Frank, Check it out:

 

I think this is one of the illest Freestyle sessions on record. I wont lie, I listened to it on repeat when I first heard it. He is speaking truth and his persona is real, giving us a glimpse into the underworld of Britain. And the flow is just ill as fuck.

Thats it for this edition of Who’s Killing It? If you have any suggestions of good artists that are killing it right now, drop a comment and let me know. Thanks for reading! I will be back soon with another one, until then , peace!

Willy G’s Who’s Killing It?

Welcome back to Who’s Killing It? Ive been scouring the internet for dope hip hop all week, and I have found a good bit of it that you have got to hear!

These two lads are from England, they recently did a show here in Ireland, well, in Northern Ireland. They played a local festival that a few of my mates went to. One of them shared this video the next day, I checked it out and was astounded by the rhymes! Multi-syllabic flow is my favourite kind, and these rhymes are ill as fuck. Check out Travel the Globe by Phili’N’Dotz below:

 

The rhymes are clever, with that distinct Underground British Hip Hop feel to them, and they really take you across the globe with the song. I hope they keep pumping out quality like this, because its what I like to hear.

Next up, is Logic. This song is one of the best I have ever heard on an emotional level. I have friends that have fallen victim to suicide, and suicidal thoughts, and just hearing that first hook really hit me hard. Its the first time Ive ever heard someone rap straight up about wanting to die. It got me thinking of all those people out there who can relate, and this song hitting them like it hit me.

1-800-273-8255

 

The title of the song is the American Suicide hotline, and calls to it skyrocketed after the release of this song. I am really moved by this tune, its about time someone started speaking up about mental health in hip hop. The awareness this will raise and the impact it will have on being able to talk about problems like this with friends, family and Doctors for those people out there suffering is really important.

Lastly, is Reverie. She is a Female MC from America, I just recently found her stuff from the collaborations she did with Shay D, who we saw in the last edition of Who’s Killing It? Reverie is a real MC, just doing her thing, she is really nice with the rhymes and has her own unique style which I really enjoy. She is definitely killing it on this tune with Killah Priest and Kurupt! Check out Moonrockin below:

 

She really kills it with ill rhymes in this one, shining beside Kurupt and Killah Priest like it was nothing, holding her own and keeping things real. Respect to Reverie for keeping us entertained!

Thats it for this edition of Who’s Killing It? Ill be back soon with a new one, until then, keep her lit. Peace!

Steemit Rap Challenge Week 14 Entry

Its that time again, this week we were given 3 beat choices. Check Them Out Here.

I picked Nas-NY State of Mind, because its my favourite of the three, and I have heard it and rapped to it so many times that flowing on this beat will be easy. I didnt really know what to write about so I just packed metaphors and punchlines into the verse, just going wherever the rhymes took me, not with any specific topic in mind. Check it out :

 

Im not sure if this week is as good as my other weeks, theres a part in the middle after the impractical jokers line that the pace kind of falls off as Im switching rhyme schemes, but I may be wrong about it. I would like to hear your opinion on it, you can drop a comment below, or get me on twitter/facebook and let me know what you think, dont be afraid to share your opinion!

Willy G’s Who’s Killing It?(Female Edition)

Welcome to another instalment of Whos Killing It? Today we will take a look at a few of the best Female MCs in the game who are spitting ill.

First up has to be Nicki Minaj. She is the ruler of all the female MCs, shes quoted as saying ‘These bitches are my sons’, She has been killing it for years now, she started off with a street sound while she was putting out mixtapes in New York, but it developed into a more poppy sound as she blew up, with songs like Starships and Pound the Alarm. I cant remember where I first heard of her, but I have been following her career now for a good while. She has the skills and never disappoints to bring the fire with her style. Heres one of my favourite songs of hers below, Up in Flames:

 

Im sure youve all heard of Nicki Minaj before like, but she has to be mentioned as one of the best. Lines like ‘Pull my dick out incase you bitches get a slit throat’ keeps me listening.

Next up is an MC a friend of mine has told me about, Angel Haze. She is a very dope MC and she has undeniable skills, she delves into deep personal topics and keeps it real, its inspirational. In this song she touches on some stuff she has been through and how she survived, its a very brave thing to do and will help a lot of people out there in the same situation. Heres Battle Cry:

 

She is someone Ive only started to listen to recently, but I am enjoying everything she has put out so far. She has an ability to rap about real shit and make you feel it, which I like.

Lastly is an MC I literally just found yesterday. I was blown away by the first song I heard, Get Money. I immediately listened to all of her stuff I could find and she is really good, Hailing from the UK, she is underground and is a great example of the gems you can find amongst all the rap out there, heres Get Money :

 

She is articulate and her verses are written very well, she really delves into the topic of the song and gives you her argument, persuades you to her point of view. She is speaking truth, her rhymes are on point and it makes for great music.

Thats it for this instament of Whos Killing It? I will be back soon with another article, always searching to bring you the good stuff. Dont be afraid to navigate the website too for my music catalogue. Peace!

 

Willy G’s Who’s Killing It

I recently got a tonne of music, and amongst it all was Jarren Bentons ‘The Mink Coat Killa LP’. It was the first thing I listened to , and I really enjoyed the whole project. So for this reason, Jarren Benton is who I think is killing it right now.

I first heard of Benton from some of my hip hop friends, I was telling them how sick I was of listening to the same old hip hop day in day out , and if they could help me. One of them listed a few names, and one was Jarren Benton. So I looked up his stuff on You Tube and found this song, Razor Blades and Steak Knives:

 

Bentons style is similar to early Eminem music. I really enjoy the Dont give a Fuck attitude and the fun of the lyrics, there is too much serious shit these days its good to have a laugh.

Another guy who is certainly killing shit these days, and has been for years and years, is RA the Rugged Man. He is well known in the underground, labelled crazy by most for his hip hop shows full of naked strippers and shit, I am a big fan of his music. I first heard of him years ago, got a few of his songs and listened but never fully appreciated his style until I got a bit older. A friend of mine told me about him again and I looked up his stuff, and I was blown away by songs like Uncommon Valour and the Crazy Man Remix. Heres his latest joint, Freedom Form Flowing with Gift of Gab and A-F-R-O :

 

Lastly, is a well known, maybe the best known, Irish MC in the game, Rob Kelly. I have been listening to this guy for years, ever since I heard a freestyle he did on the Poppin Them Thangs beat, with a co sign from 50 Cent. He has definitely been killing it ever since, with songs such as Jack the Ripper and Banshee, he has done Fire in the Booth and Fire in the Streets with Charlie Sloth and continues to do the scene proud. Heres his latest tune, Supercat Dubplate:

 

His punchlines entertain big time, and his style is very laid back and witty, his music is just really enjoyable to listen to, and being from Ireland, I can relate.

Thats it for this instalment of Who’s Killing It, I will be back soon with another few musical influences of mine, I might do one on Female MCs in the game who are killing it, until then though I will keep searching for the best Hip Hop I can find, to bring it to you. Peace!

Willy G’s Who’s Killing It?

This time were going to look at a few MCs I have been a fan of for a long time, but who are still putting out music regularly and killing it with every release. These MCs talent are above the norm in my opinion, they have raised the bar to a height others struggle to reach,

First up is Kxng Crooked fka Crooked I. I first heard of him through his Hip Hop Weekly series he did a few years ago, where he released a freestyle over a well known beat every week online for free. After this I learned he was on Death Row with 2pac and all, downloaded tonnes of his music and I have been bumping it since. The man has undeniable skills!

He teamed up with Statik Selektah recently to form Statik Kxng, and one of my favourite joints off that album is I Hear Voices. Check it out :

 

Second up is the Horseshoe Gang, they are actually Kxng Crookeds brothers, and the 4 of them have been killing it for years. I first heard them rap on one of Crookeds projects, and they brought that fire! That was years ago, but they have stuck at it, releasing a mixtape a month for an entire year recently. You can find them online, Mixtape Monthly the series is called, all free.

One of my favourite songs theyve done is the COB Cypher 2012, where they team up with fellow members of the Circle of Bosses ( A collective Kxng Crooked started ) to kill these beats! Horseshoe Gang are on another level with these fast paced flows and metaphors.

 

Lastly, is an MC from Portland called Illmaculate. I first heard of this guy through the WRC (World Rap Championships) that were online years ago, where he and a fellow MC called Thesaurus teamed up to defeat everyone they came up against, winning the Championship. Illmac is a well known battle rapper and has been winning titles in the sport ever since, his most recent title being Canadian Battle League King of the Dot Champion. He can fairly kill it with his rhymes, his syllable games on point and he always has fresh rhymes I enjoy with every project he puts out.

Most recently, he has started a series called Raising the Bar, where he just goes in on a Chase Moore beat, no hook just straight bars. The series is really entertaining and fresh and Im enjoying it so far, but it my favourite verse of his comes from a Team Backpack cypher he did. Illmac spits the last verse in this video, and it has to be the coolest verse Ive heard in ages.

 

Thats it for this instalment of Whos Killing It. Thanks for checking it out, and if you feel like it drop a comment or share it, let me know if your feeling these MCs too.

 

Gerard i2 in Masons Last Night

I was honoured to open the gig with some rhymes on the open mic last night, along with fellow MC Spud. I thoroughly enjoyed the show from start to finish. Shane Deane and the DizzFunktional BMC killed the mic with a set that had the place bouncing, especially when Feel the Funk came on!

i2 tore up the place with his usual style of ill flows, nice rhymes and spectacular beats! The new shit was very good too, with i2 almost suffering a heart attack after spitting the first verse of This is, so many syllables!

The turnout wasnt the best though, that was the only thing wrong with last night. We could have used a bigger crowd, but massive respect to everyone who did turn out for the show, I had the pleasure of meeting some new people which I enjoyed.

The open mic at the end was good craic too, with Spud showing a real improvement in his ability to rhyme in front of a crowd on stage, he really put on a good performance.

All in all, it was a great night for Irish Hip Hop, hearing the rhymes and the beats pumping out from a local pub is always good. Despite the lack of a big crowd, all the MCs brought their A game and made it a memorable night.

Overcome Mixape

I have got a mixtape in production, produced entirely by InsaneBeatz, its going to be a free download, heres the tracklist:

1.livin my life
2.reach out
3.new future
4.monsters part 2
5.nursery rhymers
6.the darkness
7.overcome

There are some demo versions of a few of the songs online already. Find them below:

Heres the first song off the mixape, Mixed and Mastered by Shane Deane:

Its just a tune exploring my personal issues in life, I wrote it to get some shit off my chest.

Heres Nursery Rhymers:

This is a tune with many layers. First off,its a diss against shit MCs, that are disgracing the scene. Secondly its a representation of what I would say to my worst enemy. Thirdly, it is a portrayal of what a Schizophrenic voice in your head would be saying to you all day, every day if you were psychotic.

Lastly is Overcome, incase that last song was too much for you , this is more uplifting:

This is a song for anyone suffering from mental illness, encouraging patients to fight and strive to recover.

The project itself is a journey to hell and back. Youll be taken from my life now, to back in the day, into a gritty tale of murder and pain. Youll be given a glimpse into the mental hospital from a patients perspective. I raise awareness for a new drug policy and describe the pain felt when you loose someone to drugs too, I touch upon politics and urge us to move forward toward a new future. But through it all, you can overcome.

 

Social Media, Likes vs Views

I am unemployed, so I spend most of my time online on Twitter, Facebook, WordPress etc. I have noticed some things about the whole setup that have me questioning it. I will explore the whole thing here, and hopefully get some answers.

First of all, I run a few pages on Facebook. I have my Fresh Eire page with Steve D, thats our band. Then I have my solo Willy G page for my own music, thats seperate from Fresh Eire. Then I have my blog page, Scribbling Willy. And on top of that, my Willys Garden Page too from my brief gardening career that lasted a month or so during the summer…

Fresh Eire have almost 500 likes on Facebook. Were doing pretty well like, Willy G only has 130 or so though but its still growing. Scribbling Willy and Willys Garden dont have much, under a hundred anyway. But out of that fanbase, a minimal amount of people who have liked the page, and follow the page, actually respond to, take the time to check out, click on the posts we put up. I would post a new song, out of almost 500 people, I would get maybe one like on it, it may have reached up to 50.

This is stupid, Im left asking the question, why have these people liked our page when they dont seem to care about the music? Im very grateful for all those likes, but if they follow the page why dont they engage with us? It could be that most of them arent seeing the posts because of Facebooks algorithms. But the only other option is to put out a paid add, and they dont even seem to do well either. Youd get maybe ten likes from randomers, that have seen the advert on their news feed.

Its a total let down on Facebooks part, giving you the platform to reach fans but once you do have them, most arent even aware of the new stuff your posting. As a struggling musician, hip hop artist, I am not going to be able to pay for an add campaign every day or week and even if I did, the likelihood of getting any more fans is slim, from the results Ive seen so far. So what do I do?

I have thought of a few ways to advertise. One being a competition giving away merchandise or studio equipment, requiring likes and shares to win. Thats one option, although I have to stack cash first to afford it. Another is getting shared by a big page, we have achieved that before with Sickipedia sharing Fresh Eires Donald Trump is Gay song , and we recieved 5000 plays in a few hours,  hopefully it can be done again.

But the thing that is annoying is that I know I have a fan base out there. I am wasting my time posting music to people who dont really care about it, Im talking the maority of the likes on my Willy G page probably just liked it to show support, without having an interest in the music, and I really appreciate it, it got my page off the ground. But theres no point in me giving them music they dont want to hear. My fan base exists, people who would love to hear what I do on the mic, but have no idea I exist at all because I have no clue how to reach them.

The fans who do watch, respect, it keeps me going getting at least some views, knowing Ive reached like a hundred people or whatever. It would be good to hear feedback though from comments and all, to have my fanbase engage with me on social media, I would enjoy that.

Until I get this site up and running properly, Im left Tweeting and Posting stuff to the same people, who are probably getting sick of it, and meanwhile the rest of them dont even know Im posting at all. Its very frustrating trying to get an Irish Rap Career off the ground, mainly because its hardly ever been done before, so people think it cant be. But it will, mark my words. I will keep putting in hard work, online and in the real world of gigs, open mics, festivals etc.

Anyone out there having a similar experience of getting nowhere on Social Media, give this a comment and let us know, if we start a debate on this topic maybe we can all come up with some answers, cheers.

 

 

Willy G’s ‘Who’s Killing it’

Welcome to Who’s Killing it, a segment thats going to become a regular thing on this site, where I introduce you to the people whos music I have been personally feeling recently in the game. These are the MCs that inspire me, who I aspire to be on the same level as, who have skills for days in my opinion.

First up, the most recent MC I have found during my web surfing, I think I found this guy on Facebook when one of my friends had liked a post on his band page. Ive recently been trying to branch out and find new talent, sick of listening to the same shit over and over. So I thought Id check out his page, and the first video I found on it was I think this one, the Butterfly Effect Remix, by Mad Squablz. I was blown away by the flow! Check it out before we go any further:

Pure dope, isnt it. The dude has got skills, His flow is killer and his multisyllables are nice like, Ive been listening to his stuff for the past week and it has definite replay value. MCs like this inspire me to write some shit and improve my style in hopes of reaching their level, they are keeping the art alive!

Second is Token. I first heard his stuff ages ago, I dont exactly remember who showed me it, I mightve seen it on Lad Bible on Facebook, his Definition of a Rap Flow Remix. It was so ill that I looked up the rest of his stuff, and found his No Sucka MCs contest entries which were mad lyrical and how he switched up the flow was class to me, definite talent on the mic that again, inspired me to write better. Your gonna have to hear his biggest song if you havent already, its called Doozy.

Now that shit is ill, the starts so fast I still dont know what the fuck he is saying in the first 4 bars, whatever way he put the words together just confuses my brain into mind boggled status. The rest of it , I get, so lyrically intricate, flows switched up so well, and its some fun shit. ‘You reek of has-been , I wreak havoc’, puchlines are inspirational. Tokens still at it, touring with the likes of Hopsin and all now, even doing his own tour. He is on the rise.

Ive got more talent I gotta talk about but I wanna keep this article short, Ill get into more MCs that are spitting fire in the next installment. For now, Ill leave you with this dude Merkules. I found him through one of my friends who I think liked his remixes on You Tube or something, but I listened to a few of them and enjoyed them. He doesnt really switch the flow or go fast like the other two above but he does have fun with the rhymes, and has some really good tunes that I personally can relate to , like this one , ‘I smoke too much , I drink too much, I feel like Im gon’ die!’

The guy singing really goes in in the middle of his verse, I can relate to this too much, its not healthy! Fuck it, you only live once like. I hope you enjoyed this installment of Who’s Killing it, I will be hitting you with another very soon, because I have fuck all else to do! Cheers for reading, and for the support, Peace!