B.Reith leaves Gotee Records, goes indie

Blue eyed soul brother B.Reith announced yesterday that he has ended his relationship with Gotee Records. In a blog post titled “Goodbye Record Labels, Hello Independence,” the rapper/singer said that the parting was mutual and mostly a result of the changing business models of the music industry.

He praised Gotee co-founders Toby Mac and Joey Elwood for their handling of the situation and said he cautiously looked forward to his newfound status as an indie.

On February 1 he’ll be hosting a live chat to talk with his fans about these changes in more depth. He later Tweeted that he needed to hurry and get offline so that he could lay down vocals for an upcoming Knine & KamBINO mixtape.

When B.Reith was in Houston last summer to shoot "The Comeback Kid" video I spoke to him about his hip hop connections and whether being on a big time record label was all that it's cracked up to be. Video of that conversation is posted below.

Gifted da Flamethrowa's "My Grind" chosen for secular mixtape

Gifted da Flamethrowa's new song "My Grind" was recently selected to be a part of the new The Business Volume 1 mixtape by DJ Black N Mild.

Black N Mild is a part of the Go DJs Louisiana Music Group of mainstream DJs. This means that Gifted's inspirational message of "My Grind" will be played right before and after songs that cover the typical secular rap mindset.

You can stream and download this offering here.

Also be sure to pick up any of the Monsters Do Exist series of mixtapes Gifted is doing with various DJs. Grab those for free at his Bandcamp page.

On the most recent one, Volume 8: Fitteds, Jordans, and Nintendo with DJ Sermon, Gifted even worked my name into one of the verses. Can you identify the song and lyric?

Houston couple prevented from feeding the homeless due to permit issues appears before city council

On Wednesday, January 19 the Houston couple who was told they needed a permit in order to feed the homeless through their non-profit, grassroots ministry appeared before the City Council.

The story, which first appeared in the Houston Chronicle, made national headlines on sites like the Drudge Report, Huffington Post, and CNN.com. Additionally, Bobby and Amanda Herring were interviewed on Fox News, MSNBC, and other local stations.



During the City Council visit, Bobby Herring (who is also known as Christian rapper Tre9) explained what they do, apologized for any negative media attention their cause brought upon the city, and asked how they could work with the local government agencies to continue their work.

The Herrings were praised for their efforts by council members Mike Sullivan, Anne Clutterbuck, Jarvis Johnson, and Jolanda "Jo" Jones. There was also discussion of a new ordinance that would be drafted by council member Wanda Adams and the Health Department to accommodate situations like the one Feed a Friend is currently in. This will be examined more closely on February 7 by a committee to be steered by council member Jarvis Johnson.

Video from those sessions (also available on the HTV website) is posted below.

Free DL: theBREAX & DJ Wade-O "BREAX Over" mixtape

If you're anything as busy (and lazy) as me then you might have accidentally slept on the daily downloads from the G.O.O.D. Fridays, Dre' Murray's "12 Days of Christmas," or theBREAX's "Remix Wednesdays."

I prefer a more "boxed set" than "collect them all" approach, but to each his own.

Thankfully, theBREAX have cats like me in mind. This week, they dropped BREAX Over - a mixtape by DJ Wade-O (with real cuts, hosting, and blends) that puts many of those "Remix Wednesday" songs next to other originals.

If you follow my blog, you'll know I have a fondness for this crew. And while I may not esteem this project as highly as I did Ruslan's Right Out Loud, it's still a solid effort and something to appreciate for the standards it maintains.

Also impressive: the contributions from Beleaf Melanin. On multiple tracks, this Baltimore boy ripped his verses like Omar Little does stash houses.

Download your copy for FREE right here.

theBREAX – Breax Over track list:

1. Breax Over
2. More Of (produced by Lex Luthorz)
3. Rock With You (feat. Theory Hazit, Caressa Lynette, & Shaady G) produced by Sound Collage Musik
4. Brilliant Realness (feat. Sho Baraka) produced by Jruckers, co-produced by Vic Padilla
5. Beginning Again (feat. Shaady G) produced by CIK Productions
6. All Powerful
7. Right Above It (feat. Andy “C-Lite+ Mineo)
8. Duces / Devil in a New Dress
9. Ruslan Medley
10. 90′s Mix
11. Money Need Me
12. Beleaf Medley
13. Not of this World
14. Whip My Hair (feat. NomiS)
15. Monster (feat. Mikel Anthony)
16. 6 foot 7

Sidenotes:

I'm told there will be a video coming for the "Brilliant Realness" track with Sho Baraka you'll hear on this mixtape.

Also, as Wade-O points out at the end of the project, theBREAX occasionally touch on some mature topics with frank language here. It's clean, but not necessarily for Sunday morning youth group play.

Christian music doesn't always have to equal "family friendly," but it should always be based in truth. BREAX Over is.

UPDATE: Feed a Friend's City Council Meeting

Feed a Friend update from today's Houston City Council Meeting:

I spoke to Tre9 earlier. He said the City Council meeting went well.

The main takeaway is that Wanda Adams will be heading a committee to review the regulations regarding public feedings vs. commercial feedings. It's the commercial feeding rules that are apparently being applied here which may be the issue.

Part of Tre9's argument was that he was simply feeding friends from private kitchens. The question would be how does the city define "friend" and under what authority could they tell a person they could not share a meal with their friends?

Tre said Jarvis Johnson and Michael Sullivan also publicly commended them from the council. That new committee should start on Feb 7 apparently.

He said someone else, Kathy Barton from the Health Department, also offered to help him get certified to work in kitchens and such.

Will keep you posted. I think there may be video available from the city's website as soon as they update the page.

2011 Stellar Awards / The Ambassador & Da' T.R.U.T.H. sign to new record label

This past weekend the 2011 Stellar Awards were held in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nominees in the Rap Hip Hop Gospel category included DJ Official’s Entermission, Trip Lee’s Between Two Worlds, Sho Baraka’s Lions and Liars, and Everyday Process’ Outtadisworld with the young buck Trip Lee taking top honors. Congrats to him and all of the nominees.

The other big news coming out of the weekend was the surprise report from Rapzilla.com that both Ambassador and Da’ T.R.U.T.H. signed new record deals with the relatively unknown Xist Music, a division of the Xist Worldwide inspirational entertainment company founded by Terverius Black and Sean Simmonds.

Xist is also the company behind the upcoming STAND movie featuring Sean Simmonds, JR, and P-Dub. That flick’s trailer is now available online.

Preview: Wit & Dre Murray's Hell's Paradise 2

I told y'all it was coming. Wit & Dre Murray's Hell's Paradise 2 is almost here.

I've had an opportunity to sample a few of the tracks and can say you definitely won't be disappointed. I won't post them here (they'll hit all your favorite CHH news and blog sites on Tuesday, January 18) but I will give you some details and feedback.

First, the facts:

• Release date: To be determined
  
• Full title: Hell's Paradise II: Mask Parade
• Number of tracks: 10-12
• Features: Dre & Wit are treating this as more of a Watch the Throne type project so you'll hear more of Wit (who spits for the Frontlynaz crew too) on the mic. Also look for guys like: Sean Johnson, Eshon Burgundy and others
• Cost: Although the first version was free, expect to pay a lil sumpin' sumpin' for this one. But don't act like it ain't worth it. Volume 1 was one of my Top 5 releases of 2009 and of Christian hip hop all-time. They gave you that one and a bonus version for nada so pay your respects (literally) and support the craft. Look for it at invisiblegorilla.net
  

Now, the music:

The tracks I've heard so far include "HP2" and "All Part of the Plan."

• HP2: Definitely carries over the feel of HP1 but with some fresh updates to the sound and lyrics. The story continues...
  
• All Part of the Plan: This one's mostly a Wit song with a nice sample from Coldplay's "X&Y." You get their moodiness with some boom bap and fast rap. This will be the one your girl will request you play first whenever you're on a trip in the whip together.

There's also a bonus track called "Ego" that's been floating around. It won't be a part of the project, but in case you get a chance to listen, here's what you'll find.

• "Ego": Sounds like a G.O.O.D. Friday track with the beat, run time, multiple guests, and "Sean Legend." And S. Johnson surprised me, dude raps the first verse (I didn't even know he could flow) and it's cold.

The artwork above is supposed to be the cover joint so I'm guessing we can expect another theatrical type affair.

Get your popcorn ready. **T.O. voice**