EDAYE, MILK DEE & ALEXIE F.- Nuff said
Coming soon to a CD near you- THE ZRO HOUR ANNIVERSARY MIXTAPE! After 4 years of bringing you some of the best in hip hop old and new, we present a special release due end of July early August. This past Monday, The Cutting Room was taken over by THE ZRO HOUR and a roster of some of the illest, next level talent during a huge celebration of independent hip hop. These photos are just a preview of the vibe that night. It was very humbling seeing all the love and mutual respect that night. Many of these artists are now becoming our friends. I thank all for their great performances and staying true to their art. I was also blessed to share it with the closest and most important people- Staff writer Drea, Beth the Superfan, my boys Berto and March and of course my partners in ZRO, ALEXIE F. and DJ AMBUSH. From our family to yours, we are grateful for the support. Drea wrote a great piece on that night and it perfectly sums up the emotion and importance of that night. Stay tuned to the site for information and updates on the release of this project. T-shirts will be available on this site soon and the VIDEO?..Whoo...Take it away DREA-
THE REAL HIP HOP IS OVER HERE!!
ZEPS (l.) and CHESNEY SNOW said the shirt speaks for itself
THE ZRO HOUR just celebrated it’s four year anniversary and it was live and kicking. I was honored to be a witness to the magic that was happening. Most people who know me understands fully about my love for R&B music but most don’t know that I love other genres of music and Hip-Hop actually is high up on list for me. And no, it’s not just the cushy “Love You Better (LL Cool J)” or "Close To You (Father MC)" type of rap. I’m talking about the “Ya mom’s at home praying that you’re coming home but ya NOT. Cause you sittin’ up in a trunk startin’ to ROT (DMX)” or “Guess who’s back in da muthafuckin’ house with a fat dick for your muthafuckin’ mouth (Snoop Dogg...what an intro)”. I picked those two verses out of many just to prove my point of how deep in Hip-Hop I can get. I’m not into Hip-Hop but I do love and respect it to the fullest so I felt right at home that night. What was beautiful for me was to see all different ethnic backgrounds, all different ages, all different styles, and all different walks of life come together with one key thing that puts them all in the same category to make them all one. There's no male or female. There's no young or old. There's no Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, etc. Only the genuine love and respect of the music they do.
Jeff the engineer lovin' the chocolates-
I'm going to be honest. I had no expectations or preconceived ideas about any of the artists but I am overly critical when it comes to music so if you want to grab my attention, you have to be original and let's face it, talented. When I tell you I was blown away.... I was blown so far away, I became a teenager again listening to Rap Music (that's what it was called back then). The artist back then did it for the paper or dead presidents (term for money) but it was mostly a way to express themselves. It was pure and true and you will get that all of that when you listen to THE ZRO HOUR's Anniversary show.
DASHAH & KID NOVICE- power x power
HASAN SALAAM, ETERNIA & RANDY MASON
The infamous Milk Dee took some time out of his busy schedule to interview with Edaye and Alexie F. When he first walked in, I felt like breaking out the lunchroom table and start hitting the beat to "Top Billin" but of course I didn't. I feel like he added a special touch to the celebration and also what a way to start off the night. The Zro Hour is all about real Hip-Hop and the only way to bring the new is to celebrate the classic so thank you Milk Dee for stopping by. Also in the house (check me out trying to be all hip and cool LOL) to share in this celebration were Nucomme a neo soul singer (who was the first guest ever to be presented on The Zro Hour), Pri The Honey Dark & Big Tara (The Anomolies Crew), The Misnomers (Knewdle and Sos), Chesney Snow (human beat box), Eternia, Randy Mason, Hassan Salaam, Mike Swift, Zeps, J-Hon, Eturnal, Dashah, Kid Novice, and Monster. Lin Que and Aarophat weren't able to physically to join in the celebration but took time out to call in and show a lot of love for The Zro Hour.
AMBUUUSSSHHH!
AN UNFORGETTABLE CIPHER
Everyone was nice and gracious but when it came time to spit, all bets were off. They went in and just ripped the mic to shreds. Each of the artist came in there and was like, "Look, you are going to not only hear what I have to say but you will feel it as well" with their talent. What a beautiful thing it was to be there up front and center of a royal rap jam session. They each grabbed my attention so hard that I was disappointed when it was time for them to stop. It was like going to a concert and just as the artist have you all hyped up, they leave, someone turns the house lights on, and it's time to go home.
On a personal note, I happened to be a witness to a spark that slowly turned into a flame that is now becoming a roaring fire. I've always been around people who have big dreams but don't follow through or never take the time to make their dream a reality. This is proof that if you can dream it, you can be it. Anything that makes you emotional, that makes you think, makes you work hard for is worth having. I saw the results of that in all of the artist who helped to make The Zro Hour what is today. I especially saw that in the creators and mastermind as well. Being a fan from day one and now to be a part of something that I was satisfied with just supporting and believing in is so humbling. So to EDAYE, ALEXIE F., and DJ AMBUSH, congratulations on four wonderful years of bringing the true Hip-Hop back into the light. May you continue on this journey in a positive manner. Trust and know that ya girl Drea always have your back (it's been way to long fo rme to stop now) and still wearing my cheerleader's outfit and shaking my pom-poms to cheer you guys on. This dream is something I have believed in and to watch it become a reality is such a beautiful thing.
***And thank you so much Drea for your friendship, support and talent (you wrote the @^%@# out of that...Thank you for all the photos courtesy of Beth The Superfan, Eternia, Drea, and Dashah. More to come...
