THE ZRO HOUR- New Podcast Up

Yes you read that right. THE ZRO HOUR returns after a long hiatus to bring you that food for your ears. We are winding down to our last few shows before we officially sign off. Due to outside projects, we will be stepping away from doing the podcasts. This may not be permanent and if the demand is there we will return. The site will continue to be updated and the shows will always be available for repeat listening. Its a crazy archive of some of the best in independent and classic hip hop delivered to you and hosted by yours truly and Alexie F. The 4th anniversary show is still dropping and the next slew of shows will not disappoint. Since we were on hiatus, Barack Obama became the President-Elect of The United States. So you know we had to share our thoughts about that. The music industry is gearing up for their final releases of the year and we present a round of heaters old and new. The show features new joints from ICE CUBE, Q-TIP, COMMON, C RAYZ WALZ & KOSHA DILLZ, B.o.B, VAST AIRE, JAY ELECTRONICA and GODHEAD THE GENERAL over an exclusive EDAYE and DJ AMBUSH track from his street LP "Introducing...The Mixtape!".




In honor of The Universal Zulu Nation's 35th anniversary, I bring you a classic BUSY BEE track, "SUICIDE". I also drop songs from MC THERAPY (The Smile Rays), THE GAME and a new freestyle from our fam KID NOVICE. Upcoming shows will showcase a NICE & SMOOTH tribute and the long awaited ROOTS OF HIP HOP: REGGAE. Stay tuned..

THE ZRO HOUR 11.18.08

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PLAYLIST

THAT ONE (IS GONNA BE MY PRESIDENT)-Mocean Worker
ONES THAT SMOKE BLUNTS WITCHA-Dangerzone
PEEP GAME-Therapy feat, Akrobatik & Willie Evans Jr.
YA HEARD-The Game feat. Ludacris
COOL-Snoop Dogg
WHY ME-Ice Cube feat. Musique Soulchild
I'LL BE IN THE SKY-B.o.B.
ESSENCE-Kid Novice
SUICIDE-Busy Bee
Q-TIP FOR PRESIDENT-Q-Tip & J.Period
MOVE-Q-Tip
ANNOUNCEMENT-Common feat. Pharrel Williams
THUN & KICKO-Cormega feat. Prodigy
EXHIBIT A-Jay Electronica
THE DYNAMIC DUO-Vast Aire feat. Geechi Suede
FREESTYLE VS. WRITTEN-C Rayz Walz & Kosha Dillz
ITS CALLED SUCCESS-Godhead the General
1, 2 PASS IT-D&D Allstars (Mad Lion, Doug E Fresh, Fat Joe, KRS One, Smif-n-Wessun and Jeru The Damaja)

VIDEO: RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY Lecture Session With Mario Caldato Jr.

RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY presents a great interview session with engineering and production wunderkind Mario Caldato Jr. Mario began his career engineering for Mark Nishita aka Keyboard Money Mark. This led to gigs with the production team, The Dust Brothers, on classic releases by Tone Loc, Young MC and the Beastie Boys. His work with the Beasties Boys secured his status as one of the most creative and daring technicians behind the scenes. In the video above he discusses his journey as well as new projects on tap.

NEW MUSIC from FEMI, PRAVERB & DEMOLITION

This Bay Area native of Puerto-Rican ancestry has established her musical presence with powerfully sweet vocals, passionately poetic song writing and sultry production. Her music has been defined as neo-funk & soul but its roots go much deeper with an infusion of afro-latin/carribean rhythms, jazz, hip-hop, salsa and rock, blending perfectly to create a unique sound all her own. As one of the pioneers of the Oakland underground music scene, FEMI has laid the groundwork as an emerging artist, captivating the heart, soul and ears of those in the Oakland art community and beyond. Some of her most recent accomplishments have been working with and/or opening for national & international artists like the Black Eye Peas, A-plus (Hieroglyphics Records), Ledisi (Verve Records), Goapele (Skyblaze Records), Mystic, Ron Trent (Prescription Records), Martin Luther & Les Nubians.

Although I am waiting to review her album, I previewed a few songs on her myspace page and was taken by her mood transporting vocals. The production is tops and compliments her alluring voice. From her recently released album, "Sweet Water Soul", we have a single for free download. The song is titled "IF I KNEW" and features a earthy reggae vibe. DOWNLOAD and visit Femi on myspace to drop some feedback. You can purchase her album HERE or on itunes.



PRAVERB, an emcee hailing from Virginia combines spirituality, battle rhymes and thought provoking lyrics to set his mark in this arena of hip hop. Praverb was influenced by the innovators of hip hop and continues to deliver hip hop with substance. His music speaks volumes on our society and culture as human beings. He is humble and has confidence in his skills as an artist. He's not trying to be the flashy emcee on TV with superstar status, but rather the well respected emcee. Praverb dropped his album "Center Of Attention" earlier this year (he did submit for a review but I got caught up-sorry Praverb). Praverb submitted a freshly recorded track produced by Teddy Roxspin (MA) called "BLESSED WITH THE GIFT". The song combines battle rhymes, sports references and spirituality. Praverb is one to watch..



The Irish know their Hip Hop. DEMOLITION, a group described as House of Pain pride mixed with Beastie Boys enthusiasm and the lyrical viciousness of Eminem, proves that Hip Hop is about where you from not where you at. Demolition (emcee Euyo and DJ Jimmy Drama) reps lovely over varied production ranging from boom bap to heavy guitars. Euyo spits some classic emcee venom with a confident, commanding flow. After recently releasing their debut album in Japan titled "Us Against the World", DEMOLITION is out to demolish the stereotypes and everything else that has infected hip-hop music, and to bring their own flavor the game. To an ignorant ear, one would say that Demolition's sound is nothing more then a second crack at nu metal. After listening to their Japanese hit singles "Get Down" and "Throw Your Hands Up", you realize that Demolition's Punk-Rap style is not only unique, but also a reaction to the current state of Hip-Hop. This backlash resonance is real, clever, raunchy, and filled with angst! All the while Demolition keeps its roots of true New York Hip-Hop. From their American debut album, "Us Against The World", I bring you a banger titled "HERE'S TO YOU". Set off by a swirl of bagpipes, the rolling drums of the beat gets the neck moving and Euyo injects reality into a hot drinking song. Stay tuned for more from this group..

The Obama Love Continues

Image credit: Callie Shell

DREA continues the Obama love and appreciation. I think we will all continue to celebrate through the inauguration..

We did it! As I said many times before if you whisper no one will hear you but if you shout, everyone will hear you and man did we holler! To be a part of a historic event is overwhelming. I became so consumed with the whole campaign and for the results to be as they are made it all worth it. To have Senator Barack Obama become President Barack Obama in January is a beautiful thing. He IS the American Dream. All stereotypes has been broken along with the shackles that we have become so accustomed to wearing. The revolution has begun! Here we have a man where the odds were stacked against him. A name that wasn't typical. Growing up in a poor neighborhood, being raised by his grandmother, his father wasn't around for the majority of his life. Living here, there, & everywhere, and possibly being told that he will never make anything out of his life, Barack took that negative and instead of allowing it to bring him down, he used it as fuel to get him to where he is today. He has proven that there is no excuse not to live your life in a positive manner and to strive for what you want. That there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As I've said on many occasions, just because I was raised in the projects doesn't mean I have to live the project lifestyle.

Now I don't know if it was because the lack of sleep started setting in but for a few minutes I heard the chains of oppression begin to break. The song "We Shall Overcome" turned into "We Have Overcome". After many many years, November 4, 2008 turned into the day that African/Black Americans can truly feel a sense of pride. We all will walk with our heads held a little higher, our stride more apparent, and our confidence much stronger. The air is a lot more crisp, the vision more clear, and the victory is oh so sweet. No longer do we have the stigma of being an unwanted visitor in a country our ancestors built. For the first time we have to be respected as a true American. Don't think the struggle is over yet. The real fight begins on January 20, 2009. Now that we helped to get him there, let us help him bring get America back on her feet. It won't be an easy task but it can be done.