Focused Noise

Combinations Like This (R3mix) feat. Th3ory Hazit & Illmaculate

2012-02-22T10:13:00.001-08:00

This week marks the 1 year anniversary of Serge Severe’s album, Back On my Rhymes (listen). BOMR was an album met with great praise locally and internationally by being included in top Hip Hop album lists of 2011. To celebrate, Th3ory Hazit has cooked up a special remix to one of the album’s stand out cuts, Combinations Like This. The song features Th3ory Hazit and World Battle Rap champion, Illmaculate.

Serge Severe-Combinations Like This (R3mix) feat. Th3ory Hazit & Illmaculate (Prod. By Th3ory Hazit) by sergesevere

Serge Severe- Say What You Really Feel

2012-02-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

Serge Severe's first single of 2012, Say What You Really Feel. You are going to want to turn your speakers up as Severe spits what he really feels over a Latin/Rock/Funk inspired Panama Red production!Say What You Really Feel by Serge Severe

2012-01-28T10:34:00.001-08:00

Catch Gen.Erik and other Surprise Special Guests at The X-Ecutioners vs. Da Beatminerz show at Highline Ballroom in NYC on Sunday, February 12th.Giveaways by Flud Watches and Methods ClothingOther Sponsors include Okayplayer and Fusicology

Animal Farm shows with Hieroglyphics

2012-01-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

Sunday, January 29th at Hawthorne Theater in Portland, OR Tuesday, January 31st at WOW Hall in Eugene, OR

Serge Severe passes the mic to Portland (Cypher)

2012-01-16T12:15:00.001-08:00

Gen.Erik with M.O.P., J-Live, and more! Open Bar!

2011-10-14T20:21:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all of the Bloggers!!!

2011-10-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

Buy Animal Farm "Culture Shock" Now on CD Baby

2011-10-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Animal Farm | Culture Shock | CD Baby

Gen.Erik DJ Set at J. Pinder/ Quality Control CMJ Party with Cosmo Baker, Rob Swift, Boogie Blind, and OG Chino

2011-10-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Serge Severe ft. Luck-One "Know the Truth" (Produced by Terminill)

2011-09-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

Serge Severe ft. Luck-One - Know The Truth (prod. Terminill) by sergesevere

Gen.Erik Featured at !llmind's BLAP Producer Showcase this Tuesday at Katra (NYC)

2011-08-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Gen.Erik Interview and Freestyle on the World Famous Halftime Radio Show with DJ Eclipse (NYC)

2011-08-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

Gen.Erik Interview on The Halftime Show with DJ Eclipse by AnimalFarm

Gen.Erik Halftime Show Freestyle by Gen.Erik

New Animal Farm ft. Rob Swift "Culture Shock"

2011-08-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

Animal Farm ft. Rob Swift- Culture Shock by AnimalFarm

2011-07-21T00:09:00.000-07:00

Gen.Erik (from Animal Farm) ft. DJ Wels- Dear Portland by Gen.Erik

As the promising Hip-Hop group Animal Farm continues to increase their International buzz, Producer/ MC Gen.Erik has decided to leave the group's Portland, OR home base in favor of New York City. The move is geared to expand the reach of Animal Farm, as well as Gen.Erik's Focused Noise Productions.

As a going away present, Gen.Erik is giving away a free song entitled "Dear Portland", an ode to the city where he made his musical mark and has called his home for over 10 years. In the clever song, Gen.Erik addresses Portland in an extended metaphor in which he painfully breaks off a relationship with the city he loves. He also utilizes a number of references that are best associated with the City of Roses and home of the Blazers to tell his story. "Dear Portland" was also produced by Gen.Erik and features the precise DJ Wels, also from Animal Farm.

Animal Farm new video "What I Do"

2011-07-11T20:23:00.001-07:00

Animal Farm Culture Shock Reviewed by PopMatters.com

2011-06-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

Animal Farm: Culture Shock

Animal Farm: Culture Shock
By David Maine 21 June 2011

Portland hip-hop crew shines on sophomore release

Culture Shock is the second full-length album from Portland, Oregon-based crew Animal Farm, following 2008’s debut The Unknown. The new record has a handful of guests and an up-and-coming producer, but what matters are the grooves, the beats and the lyrics, and the band comes through on all fronts. “Down to Business” uses twangy guitar and a rising bassline to underline its message of mainstream hip-hop’s infleunce on its audience. The indie/alternative/underground vibe runs through many songs, most notably “DIY”, which chronicles the band’s approach to producing and releasing its own music. But words are only part of the story, and the variety of grooves ranges from reggae beats on “Music for Idiots” to the soulful vocals backing “G.U.N.S. (Generation Under No Shield)” to the funky bass/guitar stylings of album closer “Can’t Give Up”. As a bonus, there is a blissful lack of braggadocio: “My service that I ignite through these verses / Try to always remember that I might not be perfect”. When was the last time you heard a rapper say that?

Listen to Animal Farm ft. Talib Kweli "Test of Time" on UGHH

2011-06-17T10:49:00.001-07:00

Animal Farm feat. Talib Kweli - Test Of Time (Audio MP3 Stream)

Fire in the Canyon is the Festival of the Summer

2011-06-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

Unique Squared and Quality Control Present: The Official SXSW Mixtape - Mixtape Listen and Download

2011-06-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Animal Farm's Hanif Wondir designed the cover and rapped on this mixtape recorded on a tour bus at this year's SXSW. Gen.Erik also produced a beat that features Moe Green. Check it out here:
Unique Squared and Quality Control Present: The Official SXSW Mixtape - Mixtape Listen and Download

Animal Farm - Culture Shock | scratchedvinyl.com

2011-05-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

Animal Farm - Culture Shock | scratchedvinyl.com

ANIMAL FARM "CULTURE SHOCK" REVIEW FROM SCRATCHED VINYL

Animal Farm is a group out of Portland. The city may not be on many people’s radar as a big hip hop town, but it actually has a thriving scene. It is home to acts such as Lifesavas, Mic Crenshaw, Cool Nutz, and Ohmega Watts. Animal Farm released their first album in 2008, but remain largely unknown to a national audience. With an excellent sophomore effort featuring guest spots from Talib Kweli, Abstract Rude, Rob Swift, and DJ Wicked, I have a feeling they are going to enter the lexicon of hip hop fans everywhere.

Members Hanif Wondir, Fury, Serge Severe, Gen.Erik, and DJ Wels have established a great chemistry that is readily apparent on Culture Shock. Nobody dominates a track, and verses are traded freely. It’s a great situation where all the emcees are on the same page, and they actually enjoy sharing in the experience of making music together. There is playfulness to their rhymes, with a definite old-school influence to their flows, easily making them contemporaries of other groups like Ugly Duckling or People Under the Stairs. There is definitely a rebellion against pop rap on this record, as evidenced by songs like, “DIY,” “Pop Music,” and “Music for Idiots.” There is also concern for other aspects of hip hop culture, such as violence and gender politics.

Gen.Erik handled the production for the entirety of the album, and provided plenty of funky beats and soul samples for everybody to rhyme over. I’ve always held that some of the best music is that which will make you think and dance at the same time, and that’s what we’ve got here. Animal Farm has given us a great sophomore effort in Culture Shock. Hopefully they’ll start getting the recognition they deserve.

Animal Farm's Serge Severe and Gen.Erik on Seattle's Sunday Night Sound Session (KUBE 93 FM)

2011-05-25T22:55:00.000-07:00

Animal Farm Interview on Sunday Night Sound Session 5-22-11 by AnimalFarm

Buy Animal Farm "Culture Shock" at Underground Hip Hop - Store

2011-05-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

Animal Farm - Culture Shock - Audio CD - Underground Hip Hop - Store

Animal Farm | Free Music Downloads | Music For Idiots (feat. Abstract Rude)

2011-05-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

Animal Farm | Free Music Downloads | Music For Idiots (feat. Abstract Rude)

Animal Farm "Culture Shock" Out Now!!!

2011-05-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

Animal Farm's New Album Features Talib Kweli, DJ Rob Swift, and Abstract Rude. Out Now!

Amazon.com Widgets

Animal Farm New Video "Pop Music"

2011-05-04T02:37:00.000-07:00

ANIMAL FARM ft. TALIB KWELI "TEST OF TIME"

2011-04-25T03:16:00.000-07:00

Check out Animal Farm's first single "Test of Time" (featuring Talib Kweli) off Animal Farm's upcoming album Culture Shock, which will be available for purchase May 17th.

Animal Farm ft. Talib Kweli "Test of Time" by AnimalFarm

You can purchase "Test of Time" as well as the instrumental version for only 99 cents at iTunes

Serge Severe - Back On My Rhymes HipHopDX.com Album Review

2011-04-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

Serge Severe - Back On My Rhymes Album Review

Animal Farm is Winning! (SXSW Part 1)

2011-03-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

LUCK-ONE "TRUE THEORY" AVAILABLE NOW!!!

2011-03-22T13:28:00.001-07:00

Luck-One "True Theory"

Serge Severe live on KZME 107.1 Fm with DJ Klyph

2011-03-14T15:48:00.000-07:00

Album available now!

Talib Kweli with Animal Farm

2011-03-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Showbox presents
Talib Kweli
with Animal Farm and TxE

Tickets Available at: http://www.aeglive.com/showdetail.php?id=30986&detail_type=event

Thursday, March 31 2011

Crystal Ballroom
Portland, OR
Show time: 8:00pm
Doors open: 8:00pm
All Ages

* Ticket price: $18.00 - $20.00
Tickets On Sale
Friday, February 25 @ 10:00am

SXSW/ Red Gorilla/ Texas Rock Fest Schedule:

2011-03-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

3/16- Luck-One at Thirsty Nickel at 4:30 PM (RedGorilla)
3/16- Luck-One at Fuel at 11:45 PM (Texas Rock Fest)

3/17- Animal Farm at Dorm Room at 5:45 PM (Texas Rock Fest)

3/18- Animal Farm at Fuel at 6:30 PM (Texas Rock Fest)
3/18- Animal Farm at Dizzy Rooster at 11PM (RedGorilla)

3/19- Killah Priest, Animal Farm, Luck-One outdoor show at E. 6th St. & Waller at 9PM
3/19- Animal Farm & One Be Lo at Kick Butt Coffee at 12AM
3/19- Hip-Hop Howl Showcase at Lipstick Bar- Time TBA

Luck-One Video ft. Braille and Gen.Erik

2011-03-08T01:57:00.000-08:00

Serge Severe "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" Live

2011-03-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

Buy Serge Severe "Back On My Rhymes" at CD Baby

2011-02-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

Click Here to Buy Serge Severe's Dope New Album | Back On My Rhymes

Mic Crenshaw in Chicago and Minneapolis

2011-02-23T09:51:00.000-08:00

Serge Severe "No Bitin' Allowed" ft. Luck-One & Cool Nutz

2011-02-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

Serge Severe's New Album "Back on My Rhymes" is available Tuesday, February 22nd. We are proud to present another dope single from the record, "No Bitin' Allowed" featuring two of the Northwest's most noteworthy MCs, Cool Nutz and Luck-One. Check it out and download it here!

Serge Severe-No Bitin' Allowed feat. Luck One & Cool Nutz by sergesevere

New Luck-One Single "Sounds of My City"

2011-02-14T12:51:00.001-08:00

03 Sounds Of My City by Luck-One

The Beatnuts w/ Gen.Erik (Free Open Bar) Party

2011-02-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

Brand New SERGE SEVERE

2011-01-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

The lead single off Serge Severe's new album "Back On My Rhymes". It's called Can't Stop, Won't Stop and features Braille, one of the best emcees around. Produced by Universal DJ Sect.

Serge Severe and Universal DJ Sect have combined forces once again to drop their latest album "Back On My Rhymes", available in February 2011 through Focused Noise. Severe mixes his razor sharp flow over Sect's soulful and funky hard hitting production. This time around they effortlessly incorporate some of the Northwest's best emcees like Braille, Cool Nutz, Illmaculate, Theory Hazit, Luck One, Destro of Boom Bap Project, and Gen.Erik of Animal Farm. Their last album, "Concrete Techniques" was received with great praise from fans and reviewers alike, and was named as one of the top Albums in 2008 by Rapreviews.com and Hiphoplingustics.com.

"Back On My Rhymes" Should be available here by 2/22/11

2011-01-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

The Severe Over Premier Mixtape is a combination of Serge Severe spitting bars over some of his favorite DJ Premier instrumentals, all mixed by DJ Wels (Style Molesters/Animal Fam). There are no recreations of songs but rather a constant flow of beats and rhymes simulating a cypher session with guest emcees Al one of Sandpeople, Sole Provida and Fluent of Level Headed, and Gen.Erik of Animal Farm. This mixtape is a FREE download and serves as an appetizer for Severe’s soon-to-be released album “Back On My Rhymes”.

The Severe over Premier Mixtape can be downloaded at:
http://www.mediafire.com/?9udj2866f083omg

Serge Severe is a Portland mic-slayer on a mission. He is one of the most well-rounded, multi-dimensional MCs in the Northwest, possessing a formidable stage presence, strong song-writing skills, and ferocious freestyle ability. He has shared stages with Hip Hop heavyweights, Wu Tang Clan, De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Goodie Mob, Dead Prez and many more. He has been praised in Okayplayer and URB Magazine’s Next 1000 Column, which called Serge’s music “…a brand of lyricism and humor that are downright Ghostface-esque… Serge is a true wordsmith that isn’t afraid to be himself.”

Serge Severe and Universal DJ Sect have combined forces once again to drop their latest album “Back On My Rhymes”, available in March 2011 through Focused Noise. Severe mixes his razor sharp flow over Sect’s soulful and funky hard hitting production. This time around they effortlessly incorporate some of the Northwest’s best emcees like Braille, Cool Nutz, Illmaculate, Theory Hazit, Luck One, Destro of Boom Bap Project, and Gen.Erik of Animal Farm. Their last album, “Concrete Techniques” was received with great praise from fans and reviewers alike, and was named as one of the top Albums in 2008 by Rapreviews.com and Hiphoplingustics.com.

Serge is also the newest member of Animal Farm, who’s new album “Culture Shock” features Talib Kweli, DJ Rob Swift, and Abstract Rude, and will be available in April 2011 through Focused Noise.

Luck-One Video "More"

2011-01-19T09:32:00.001-08:00

Animal Farm and Poh Hop in The Oregonian

2011-01-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

Animal Farm in the Oregonian

For their last record, Portland hip-hop group Animal Farm pulled quite the notable collaboration: KRS-1. For their next record, due in April, they've got another lined up: Talib Kweli. And another: Rob Swift, DJ.

"Getting everything in place to start the push in the next few weeks," said Erik Abel, known within the group as Gen. Erik.

And so maybe it'd be better, from the perspective of an album rollout, for Portland, Oregon Hip-Hop 12 to land a little later in the year, but you work with what you've got. Animal Farm, working some from that new record, "Culture Shock," will help kick off the festival on Wednesday night at the Someday Lounge. Speaker Minds featuring Diezel P. headlines night one.

Thursday night, they move to Backspace and a lineup topped by Krizz Kaliko. Friday's again at Backspace, this time headlined by the biggest name in the lineup, Freeway and Jake One. It wraps up Saturday, back at the Someday Lounge, with Oldominion.

Big lineups, small venues.

"It's a cornerstone," Abel said. "It's a real opportunity to bring a lot of different types of hip-hop together, which doesn't happen a lot in Portland."

And hopefully the better types will influence the worst of the genre. That's at the heart of "Culture Shock," Abel said. They want a better hip-hop. "We're shocked by a lot of what's happened with hip-hop culture and the dumbing down of the material," Abel said.

Their answer to the problem begins next week.

POH-Hop 12, Wednesday through Saturday; Backspace, 115 N.W. Fifth Ave. and Someday Lounge, 125 N.W. Fifth Ave.; tickets and full schedule at pohhop.com

Leak from The Severe Over Premier Mixtape #2

2011-01-06T10:29:00.001-08:00

Serge Severe and Animal Farm Performing at Poh Hop 12

2011-01-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

Animal Farm- January 19th at Someday Lounge. Serge Severe- January 22nd at Someday Lounge.

Gen.Erik's Birthday Party at Up Front

2011-01-05T12:59:00.001-08:00

Leak from The Severe over Premier Mixtape!

2011-01-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

Gen.Erik DJing at The BCS National Championship in Scottsdale

2011-01-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

Animal Farm with DJ Rob Swift

2010-12-02T11:04:00.000-08:00

Portland’s Animal Farm is joining forces with one of the world’s greatest DJs, Rob Swift of the X-Ecutioners for a unique hip hop showcase, giving fans a chance to witness the collaboration that will be featured on the upcoming Animal Farm album "Culture Shock". Animal Farm’s upcoming album will feature some amazing performances by a number of Hip-Hop legends and is yet another step from one the Northwest’s most notable Hip-Hop acts towards National Recognition.

How The Grouch Stole Christmas (prod. Brother Ali)

2010-12-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

The Grouch and Brother Ali just released this track to promote their tour. Catch them in Portland on December 11th at Wonder Ballroom.

How The Grouch Stole Christmas (prod. Brother Ali) by rhymesayers

Luck-One - True Theory Outtakes - Listen and Download

2010-11-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

Download the Free Offering from Luck-One.

Luck-One - True Theory Outtakes Tracklist
01. Lions and Primates (Cuts by DJ Flip Flop) [prod. Sonny for Groove Cartel LLC]
02. Shine So Bright (Cuts by DJ Gen. Erik) [prod. Good Will for Good Will Beats]
03. Ribbon [prod. Terry Harris for New Ideah]
04. They Say [prod. Sir So Fresh for Epitomy Ent.]
05. Dream [prod. Nonstop for Keyboard Koke]
06. Move On (ft. Gen. Erik & Mic Crenshaw) [prod. Gen. Erik for Focused Noise Productions)
07. More [prod. T Mak]

Luck-One - True Theory Outtakes - Listen and Download

McMenamins

2010-11-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

McMenamins and KINK-FM present
Ozomatli
Animal Farm
Crystal Ballroom | Thursday, November 4
7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show | $20 advance, $25 day of show | All ages welcome

OZOMATLI AND ANIMAL FARM

Tickets Available Here

Luck-One - True Theory Outtakes - Listen and Download

2010-10-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

Luck-One - True Theory Outtakes - Listen and Download

FREE Deadly Duos Mixtape with Gen.Erik, Serge Severe, Luck-One, Spaceman, DJ Wicked, Fatal Lucciauno (Mixed by DJ Wels)

2010-09-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Download the FREE Deadly Duos Mixtape Here!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/?6hq574axpmi73pm

DEADLY DUOS

A never seen before pairing of some of the Northwest's best MCs and DJs. You won't want to miss this show!

Featuring...
Ra Scion (Common Market) and Fatal Lucciauno (Sportn' Life)
Spaceman (Sportn' Life) and Luck-One
Gen.Erik and Serge Severe (Animal Farm/ Focused Noise)
DJ Wicked and DJ Wels (Style Molesters)
and Special Guests

October 9th at High Dive (SEATTLE)
513 N. 36th Street
$7 - 21 and Over

October 15th at Mad Happy Lounge (BEND)
with Middle and Amsterdam
850 NW Brooks Street
FREE - 21 and Over

October 16th at Diablo's Downtown Lounge (EUGENE)
with KWils (Formerly Animal Farm) and Endr Won
959 Pearl Street
$5 - 21 and Over

Gen.Erik with DJ Wels & Deff Ro

2010-08-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

Gen.Erik & Serge Severe with Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek)

2010-08-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

Pete Rock with DJ Wicked, Gen.Erik, My-G, and More

2010-08-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Animal Farm featured on NBC's Coverage of The Dew Tour

2010-08-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

Nappy Roots and Serge Severe (July 31st)

2010-07-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Shows

2010-06-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

Animal Farm's Hanif Wondir with Abstract Rude (June 24th in Santa Cruz, CA)

Animal Farm's Serge Severe and Gen.Erik with Cage (June 29th in Portland, OR)

Mic Crenshaw Listening Party (July 3rd in Portland

Serge Severe from the Rooftop

2010-06-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Talib Kweli After Party

2010-06-11T10:14:00.001-07:00

Gen.Erik & Serge Severe with Reflection Eternal

2010-06-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

Reflection Eternal After Party (Talib Kweli DJ Set)

2010-05-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek) with Gen.Erik and Serge Severe and U-N-I

2010-05-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

2010-05-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

Portland-based MC/Producer/DJ, Gen.Erik, was one of eleven MCs selected as finalists by NBA 2K Music Executives & Duck Down A&Rs to have his track placed in the soundtrack to NBA 2K11’s video game. The winning producers, Bay Root Productions, have already been selected, and over 500 MCs submitted songs over the winning beat.

Check out Gen.Erik’s submission “Rock On” here.

Gen.Erik "Rock On" (Duck Down Records/ 2K Sports Finalist) by Gen.Erik

Also, watch Gen.Erik Making the Song here.

The Grand Prize winner will be announced this Tuesday, May 11th, 2010. The Winning producer & MC will also receive an all-expense paid trip to New York City to have the opportunity to perform the track live at Duck Down’s CMJ showcase in October 2010.

2010-04-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Become a fan of Animal Farm on Facebook

2010-04-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Click here to become a fan of Animal Farm

Animal Farm

Create your Fan Badge

ANIMAL FARM and SERGE SEVERE on the cover of MONTEREY WEEKLY

2010-04-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

Focused Noise at SXSW

2010-04-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Gen.Erik's SXSW Tour Diary on Willamette Week Site

Wednesday, March 17th
After a sleepless night, we boarded a 6:15 am plane to Austin, overflowing with members of Portland’s Hip-Hop community, including Serge Severe, Mic Crenshaw, Cool Nutz, Fury from Animal Farm, DJ Fatboy, Double 00, and myself. We stopped at our hotel and redecorated the room, which was a necessity in order to fit six grown men into a 380 square foot “suite.” Ah, the rock star life! Next, we caught the shuttle to a crowded 6th Street to partake in the festivities. Since it was St. Patty’s day, I initiated an Irish Car Bombs-only drinking rule, which I then immediately broke with a couple Bloody Marys. Functioning on zero sleep and a few too many drinks, we hit Touché for the Taxidermy Records/ Focused Noise showcase, with a full lineup of some of the best Hip-Hop acts the Northwest has to offer. We were joined by Animal Farm’s Hanif Wondir, who made the trip from the Bay Area, and DJ Wels who enjoyed the real-life Planes, Trains, and Automobiles experience in order to get to Austin. The venue was so tiny that you had to walk single file to get through the place. Still, the place was packed the entire night, and the crowd was very responsive.

Thursday, March 18th
Upon our arrival at Momo’s for our afternoon showcase, we encountered the strangest sound man of all time. After only a two sentence conversation, he began throwing punches at the air in a rage and doing air shotgun blasts. Then, as the show began, the sound man started sprinting around the venue at full speed in an attempt to gauge the sound. His insanity actually made him one of the best sound people we’ve ever worked with. During the show, we also encountered iCON the Mic King, who we couldn’t avoid seeing no matter where we went (along with Homeboy Sandman) for the rest of the trip. iCON decided that it was a good idea to tell a room full of hipsters how much he hated hipsters and basically cleared the room right before we took the stage. Great thinking. JFK from Grayskul also reminded me what a beast on the mic he is. In the evening, we walked around and I quickly came to the realization that mascots were the most popular people in Austin. Even weirdos with homemade costumes comprised of old dish towels provoked pictures from everyone in the streets. Another thing we realized during our experience was that everyone is officially a rapper. Serge Severe probably explained this the best with a simple statement, proclaiming “Hey… He raps, too!”

Friday, March 19th (Afternoon)
With three shows scheduled for the day, we got an early start…which somehow wasn’t early enough. After our boy Randolph McTools brought us a pair of turntables, we piled into a shuttle van with a young driver who was overeager to get us to Texas Rock Fest. He rushed us to the outdoor stage, and we arrived just in time to set up and play our early afternoon show. Following our act was a Seattle-based band, whose name I can’t remember. They seemed like nice guys, but we had to jet when one of them started singing with a British accent.

Next was the Hip-Hop Howl Showcase, which we appropriately renamed “Hip-Hop Hell”. It was chalk full of over thirty hip-hop acts, most of which were carbon copies of the worst popular Hip-Hop/ R&B artists on the radio. Even the decent acts were overpowered by an atrocious sound system. Luckily, we got to follow an act whose claim to fame was a track called “Young and Ignorant.” I’m sure you can imagine where I’m going with this, but I won’t get into too many details, except to say that he ended his set laying on a filthy floor singing about how he was young and ignorant. I don’t know how we followed that brilliant imagery, but we were quickly onto our evening show at a venue on 6th Street called Darwin’s Pub.

Friday, March 19th (Evening)
The show at Darwin’s Pub ended up easily being our best show of the week. The venue was crowded and the audience was extremely responsive. My highlight was when I announced that we had to bring someone to the stage, intending for Mic Crenshaw to make his way up. Before I could finish my introduction, a heavy set guy started walking up the stairs to approach the stage. I said “You’re not the person I’m looking for,” only to be ignored. He spent the last 20 minutes of our set standing in the back corner of the stage like he was a security guard ready to pounce on any overzealous fan. Peace to Nightclubber Lang, Jern Eye, D.R.E.S. tha Beatnick, and many others who came to show their support. Feeling revitalized, we made the two-mile trek to check out the Duck Down Showcase. After playing so many shows for so many years, I rarely enjoy a show strictly from a fan’s perspective, and this was a great opportunity for us to appreciate a number of the artists who influenced us in our younger days, including Black Moon, Smif N Wesson, and an incredible performance by Pharoahe Monch.

Saturday, March 20th/ Sunday, March 21st
Serge and I met Wels and Crenshaw at the Beat Society Showcase, which was a dope display of some of the better up-and-coming producers in the game, including Marco Polo, The Are, Babu, Oddissee, and Kev Brown. I also had the honor of meeting Pharoahe Monch, which was easily one of the highlights of my Hip-Hop career to this point. Next, we checked out the Audible Treats showcase with One Be Lo, Tanya Morgan, and more, before venturing back to the hotel to pack for our 6:15 AM return flight. Again functioning on zero sleep, we stumbled into the airport, which was a who’s who of drunk and hungover music industry big wigs. I set my sights on Dru Ha, the Owner of Duck Down, and approached him in his ticket line, which he couldn’t have been any less excited about. Still, sometimes you only get one shot to meet people and you have to take it, even if it means bothering someone who is exhausted at 5 am. After running into a bunch of our Seattle colleagues and Dan from Square Peg Concerts, it was onto Portland. There’s no place like home!

Serge Severe and Gen.Erik with The Cool Kids

2010-03-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

Goodie Mob Reunion with Animal Farm

2010-02-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

JUS NOISE (Featuring DJ Rob Swift)

2010-01-04T12:14:00.001-08:00

Animal Farm shows with Ghostface Killah

2009-11-30T17:48:00.000-08:00

2009-11-30T11:13:00.001-08:00

RZA with Animal Farm & Serge Severe

2009-07-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

Vote for Serge Severe

2009-07-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Vote for Serge Severe in Hip Hop Official and IllRoots Contest.

http://www.hiphopofficial.com/?p=2062

Mic Crenshaw at NW Reggae Fest

2009-07-10T14:27:00.001-07:00

Mic Crenshaw & Gen.Erik with dead prez

2009-07-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Grouch and Eligh with Animal Farm: May 1st, 2009

2009-04-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

May 1, 2009
The Grouch and Eligh
The Afro Classics
Animal Farm
DJ Tekneek
@WOW Hall in Eugene, OR