NEW VIDEO: La Coka Nostra - Mind Your Business (produced by Dj Premier)

Always known for tackling controversial topic matter, the group’s sophomore project, Masters Of The Dark Arts, (release date July 31 2012) finds them once again in torch-bearing mode, addressing subjects that most artists shy away from as ILL BILL illustrates “as conceptually and musically dark as this album appears to be, there's also a flip side layer to it that you may not notice until you listen to it a few times. Masters Of The Dark Arts is a storm before the calm and a celebration of the good things in life that can only be achieved by walking directly into the heart of darkness and facing your inner demons head on."

While the group’s roster has been trimmed slightly due to Everlast having to leave the group (for personal reasons), La Coka Nostra returns re-invigorated and fresh off of a recently completed seventeen-city European tour which saw them rock crowds in eleven different countries “I think we approached Masters Of The Dark Arts with a chip on our shoulder and really took it back to our original mission of hardcore Hip-Hop amidst all the circus bullshit that is so prevalent in the current landscape of the genre. We are aware of the perception that somehow the group has suffered a loss we can’t recover from and in response we made an album that is the most conceptually focused and hardest hitting soundscape in the group’s history” Slaine asserts. 

La Coka Nostra’s Masters Of The Dark Arts will impact on July 31 2012 and be released by Fat Beat Records.      



Tracklisting & credits for La Coka Nostra’s Masters Of The Dark Arts:

1.) “My Universe” f/ Vinnie Paz (produced by Statik Selektah)

2.) “Creed Of The Greedier” (produced by Sicknature)

3.) “המוסד” (produced by DJ Lethal & Scott Stallone

)4.) “Mind Your Business” (produced by DJ Premier)

5.) “Electronic Funeral” f/ Sean Price (produced by Beat Butcha)

6.) “The Story Goes On” (produced by DJ Lethal)

7.) “Letter To Ouisch” (produced by ILL BILL & DJ Lethal)

8.) “Snow Beach” f/ Thirstin Howl the 3rd (produced by Jack Of All Trades)

9.) “The Eyes Of Santa Muerte” ft/ Sick Jacken (produced by ILL BILL)

10.) “Murder World” (produced by C-Lance)

11.) “Coka Kings” f/ Vinnie Paz (produced by C-Lance)

12.) “.38 револьвер” f/ Big Left (produced by Sicknature)

13.) “Malverde Market” (produced by ILL BILL)

14.) “Masters Of The Dark Arts” (produced by DJ Lethal)

15.) “Everybody Down” f/ Jaysaun & Q-Unique (produced by C-Lance) ***iTunes Bonus Track

16.) “No Hay Tiempo Para Mañana” f/ Outerspace (produced by C-Lance) ***iTunes Bonus Track)

NEW DOWNLOAD | Big Shug feat. Slaine, Termanolog​y, Reks & Singapore Kane - For The Real

His name says it all; standing at well over six feet tall and with the intimidating muscular build of a linebacker, Big Shug's physical presence alone is enough to command attention. His voice, a hoarse rumble effective for delivering both fearsome threats or smooth crooning as his alter-ego Shugie Diamonds, is one of rap's most instantly recognizable.

As both a solo artist and founding member of Gang Starr, his name has consistently shown up in album credits alongside hip-hop's elite for over 20 years. But despite that, Shug has never courted the spotlight. As countless other rappers, and even Gang Starr themselves, fell by the wayside, he has persevered through fans' evolving tastes and a changing record industry by staying true to the ideals - integrity, respect for the streets and love of music - that have fueled his career. Nowhere is that more apparent than on I.M. 4-EVA.

Stitching together the various parts of his career into one, this album, true to its title, is a comprehensive look at who Big Shug is, where he came from and where he is going. With his bruising flow over classic DJ Premier produced cuts bringing back nostalgic 90s memories, he pays tribute to the fans who have stuck with him since the beginning. I.M. 4-Eva - Shug's fourth solo album and his first since 2008's Other Side of the Game - marks the next chapter in his ongoing maturation as an artist. The album reunites Shug with old friends like M.O.P., Fat Joe and Premier, while also connecting with a new generation of hip-hop fans and artists alike.

In addition to the 17 all new studio cuts Brick Records has presented a timeless package; a hard back, 36 page book chronicling The True History of Gang Starr as told by Big Shug, plus anecdotes from his 20+ year career, rare never before seen vintage photos and more. Through his words and his music, Big Shug truly shows here why he is 4-EVA.  Big Shug’s I.M. 4-Eva LP and The True History of Gang Starr will be released on 7-24-2012.

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Here are a few excerpts and visuals from The True History of Gang Starr as told by Big Shug as well: 

BIG SHUG ON THE ORIGINS OF GANGSTARR
"We had the group and then we needed the name. We came up with Gang Starr. Guru came up with it. What it meant was that we part of a gang. I was part of the gang Mattapan Connection, better known as MPC, and Guru was like a star student, Rhodes Scholar type shit and all that. So therefore, we figure let's just connect it and make it Gang Starr. I wanted to be called Gangstas first, but we figured Gang Starr would be safer. That's why if anyone ever caught us in the early days, Guru was real fashionable in his approach and his appearance and my shit was always more gangster. We used to bring fake guns on stage before Onyx and all that. So that was the element." 

BIG SHUG ON THE END OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GURU
"I remember telling Guru I thought Solaar was a sucker. I asked him to get some water, and we were performing on stage, and he said OK but he didn't do it. I was like 'Yo, does your boy think he's part of the clique?' And then he started being out with Guru but not us. We were in Utah and Guru actually left with that dude, he left the tour. We had two shows to do. Guru left and we ended up doing the show without him, a Gang Starr show. We did mad songs, Premier DJed and did a lot of the joints, we had the crowd singing along or whatever. It was crazy. Guru called me afterwards and said he and Solaar wanted to tour but that he wanted to bring me too. He wanted me to speak to his boy Solaar. This was when Solaar was still new with him. I said, 'Yea I'll speak to the boy.' He put him on, and he said something, and because of the way I was talking to him, Guru said 'Yo, I don't feel how you talking to my man,' shit like that. Then he said 'We ain't even gonna take you.' Then I started screaming on them, both of em. I never heard from them again after that shit. Next thing you know I was speaking at the memorial. "

NEW VIDEO: @moepope77 feat. Slaine - Dead Kennedy's (+ mp3 download!)

Moe Pope's career first took off in the early 2000s with the Bay Area-based hip-hop band Mission (who later became known as Crown City Rockers). After a series of 12"s, Pope appeared on the group's LP, One, in 2001, before deciding to return to Boston in order to look after his daughter. Back in his hometown, he connected with rapper/producer Insight and his five-man outfit, Electric (aka Electric Company).
Along with members Anonymous and Raheem Jamal, Pope broke off from Electric to form Project Move, issuing their debut album, Love Gone Wrong/Butterfly Theory, in 2006. As each group member went off to make solo records, Pope reunited with his former Crown City cohort Headnodic for the well received collaborative album Megaphone in 2008. In 2010, Moe released his critically acclaimed Life After God LP, which was highlighted by iTunes on its 2010 “Rewind List.” Currently, Moe Pope is working on a few new projects, with a new production partner and a new label for his latest and most mature works to date.  Here is a sampling of some of that new work as Moe collaborates with fellow Boston spitta Slaine on “Dead Kennedy’s

Video and MP3 download after the jump!

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