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Recent Posts

  • Alan Z – Touch And Go (Official Music Video)
  • Alan Z x Jason Chu – Yellow Diddy (Official Music Video)
  • Alan Z – Who I Do It For
  • ABR Rooftop Cypher (ft. Alan Z)
  • “Bad Rap” Film Review

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News

New Release

Alan Z – Touch And Go (Official Music Video)

  • September 27, 2017
  • by Alan Z

My long-awaited music video for “Touch And Go” is out now! Watch here:

It’s off my new EP “First Time’s The Charm”. Available for preorders now on iTunes, Amazon, and Big Cartel (for physical copies).

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/first-times-the-charm/id1287572321

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SKRWVZ/

First Time’s The Charm CDs (Physical Copies): http://savagenative.bigcartel.com/product/alan-z-first-time-s-the-charm-ep

Directed by K.D Gray
Produced by Tukeaveli
Mixed by HD

New Release

Alan Z x Jason Chu – Yellow Diddy (Official…

  • August 31, 2017
  • by Alan Z

Last week I went to LA and shot a dope music video with Jason Chu called “Yellow Diddy”. The video was directed by Sakyboi (who directed 2 videos for G Yamazawa) and the song was produced by David Kim, who produced for artists like Eric Nam, Amber Liu, and pH-1, to name a few.

Originally, the song was just called “Diddy”, but I allowed the race card to be used for this occasion for Jason’s sake. I’m usually not one to play up to any racial theme, but since this was a collab, I was more open to doing so. Plus, Yellow Diddy sounds dope, and I could rhyme it with Hello Kitty.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEx3dxZpB9w

New Release

Alan Z – Who I Do It For

  • July 25, 2017
  • by Alan Z

My new song is dedicated to my fans. They are “Who I Do It For” (see what I did there)? Listen on my SoundCloud:

 

Visual fan project for “Who I Do It For” coming soon!

New Release

ABR Rooftop Cypher (ft. Alan Z)

  • June 17, 2017
  • by Alan Z

Last weekend I became a part of Atlanta Battle Rap. Here’s my verse for our first official ABR cypher: https://www.facebook.com/alanzmusic/videos/1296528333778645/

The Cypher Line-Up was: Tetsho Vintage, Alan Z (me), Yoshi G, Swavatar Jack, and KT The Unkind. Full ABR Cypher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og3Rt_Rccsk

Music Review

“Bad Rap” Film Review

  • May 30, 2017
  • by Alan Z

“Bad Rap” is a documentary I waited my whole life to see. The last time I was this emotionally invested into a movie, Eminem had just released “8 Mile”. I actually remember when Salima Koroma and Jaeki Cho first started the Indiegogo campaign for this movie; I was one of the first to donate to the cause. I mean…it’s a movie about Asian rappers trying to make it in America. It was like watching my own life and struggles unravel through the eyes of Dumbfoundead, Lyricks, Awkwafina, and other key figures in Asian-American hip-hop. Not to say that all Asian rappers share the same story, but we do share the same uphill battle when it comes to being accepted into the mainstream, being taken seriously, and facing the persistently-annoying ignorance that plagues the existence of every Asian-American attempting to do something “cool” in pop culture, whether that is music, sports, or film. The film begs to ask the question, why has there not been a successful Asian-American rapper in the US mainstream yet?

For the average Joe that may have never heard of these Asian-American rappers, I think this is a great introduction as to why the game needs to stop sleeping on us. Lyricks is a masterful MC with intricate flows and cunning wordplay, Awkwafina is a niche female rapper with charisma and boundless creativity, and Dumbfoundead is one hit away from being the total package. As a huge fan of Dumbfoundead, I enjoyed the fact that the primary focus of the film was on him because I do think many of us believe he is close to being the one to truly break through and become a star. Personally, I felt like either Decipher or Shogunna should have had starring roles in the documentary too, as their life stories and music are both extremely strong and memorable.

Cameos included MC Jin, Far East Movement, and Timothy Delaghetto (a.k.a. Traphik). One part that stuck with me was when Traphik said that the general public could never accept an Asian gangster rapper because they would immediately write it off as fake no matter how real they may be. As someone who knows Asian dudes who are really about that life that came home from doing prison bids longer than most rappers talk about in their songs, it’s disheartening to think that people will either say they are being fake or trying to “act black”. This ties back into the main issue of the emasculation of Asian males in Western culture. Hyper-masculinity is heavily present in black and Latino culture, but white supremacy throughout the years has painted the picture that Asian men were effeminate and asexual, which causes people even to this day to have a hard time accepting Asians that do not fit in these negative and inaccurate stereotypes. Which makes me feel this film could have benefited from interviewing China Mac, an Asian-American rapper from New York who created a huge buzz for himself after being released from doing 10 years in prison and winning over the streets in a huge way that could have dispelled Traphik’s point that Asian gangster rappers needed to tone down their content to be more “believable” to the listeners.

The appearances from the “industry tastemakers” made me cringe a bit, because I could feel their judgment seeping through before they even heard any of them. When Ebro said race does not play a factor into whether or not people will listen to a rapper, I was baffled to hear such a “colorblind” answer. He named Eminem as someone who was so dope that people did not care for his skin color, which was completely off base. Em was scrutinized heavily for being white, before and after he made it, and it’s the same kind of scrutiny that we as Asian-American artists face in terms of preconceived notions, dismissal, skepticism of our authenticity and talent, and overall marketability. But alas, most people don’t even realize Asian-Americans struggle as hard as we do, so their collective lack of compassion in our plight is nothing new.

For the avid Asian hip-hop fan, this documentary will allow you to get to know your heroes like Dumbfoundead and Awkwafina on a deeper level; I would have never thought Dumb would have ever felt like he was experiencing a slump or creative roadblock at any point of his career. For the average viewer who may have never even knew Asian rappers existed in America, I’d say this is a solid crash course into a few of the dope and creative talents that our community has to offer. Props to Salima Koroma and Jaeki Cho for pulling this project off, I highly recommend y’all watching it (available now on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and YouTube).

Uncategorized

New Single “Pay Me” by Alan Z

  • May 19, 2017
  • by Alan Z

“Pay Me” on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pay-me-single/id1234607568

“Pay Me” on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Alan_Z_Pay_Me?id=Bd6fpjzs6ufxhfdqclgklnixupm

“Pay Me” on Bandcamp: https://alanz.bandcamp.com/releases

Directed by Jack Spade

Produced by Beat Dilla

Mixed by HD Studios

Costarring Torie Montrel, Lango, Gee Clockwork, Cayla Jones

 

Music Review

Macon Hamilton – In The Middle Between Golden

  • May 19, 2017May 20, 2017
  • by Alan Z

Macon Hamilton is one of the dopest lyricists in the South and also someone that I’m fortunate enough to consider a peer in this game. He’s always shown me love for my music and my grind, so I felt it was only right to give his project a thorough listen. Besides being a dope MC, Macon Hamilton also produced the majority of “In The Middle Between Golden”, which is admirable considering how diverse the production is on this album.

The album is complemented with voice-sample interludes from new-school mumble rappers like Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert with their infamous radio bits against traditional hip-hop. Hearing Yachty on the album intro say that “Rap Ain’t The Same No More” and “to suck it up” was almost haunting and gave me an unsettling feeling. The sheer indifference and dismissal towards the foundation and art of hip-hop is ever so prevalent in our generation, but thankfully Macon Hamilton did not make anything resembling said artist. He set off the album with “4’s Intro”, which interesting enough showed him utilizing a catchy trap flow and showing how to do it right with substance and clarity.

“Raps is trifle as the Street’s Disciple, in the booth trying to be like Michael.”

The majority of the album featured vintage-sounding laid-back beats, which set the foundation for Macon to spit poetic and skillful bars over. “Shaken Not Stirred” was jazzy and gave me an early OutKast vibe as Macon raps, “Raps is trifle as the Street’s Disciple, in the booth trying to be like Michael.”

Another standout song was “Smoke My Weed”, produced by Chinky P. Definitely a fan of the producer’s string arrangements and chord progressions, but not so much a fan of his producer name (since the first part is derived from a racial slur used against Asians). The hook is awesome too.

“When I’m gone don’t say RIP, ’cause ain’t no rest in me, just say MH forever.”

“Fire” lives up to its name and is one of my favorite cuts on this project. The beat is dark and menacing, and Macon aggressively attacks the track with tricky wordplay and thought-provoking lyricism. Other highlights include “One-Sided”, INMTHY, and MHForever, which features a memorable chorus: “When I’m gone don’t say RIP, ’cause ain’t no rest in me, just say MH forever.”

Overall, this project shows Macon Hamilton’s brilliance in lyricism, delivery, and production. My only quip with this album is the subpar mixing that takes away from the overall sound and makes me feel like I’m listening to unfinished versions at times. The volume level and clarity differ with each track. Having proper mixing and mastering would have definitely helped the overall quality of this album, in terms of replay value and presentation. Nonetheless, getting a solid engineer or a better recording set-up is a doable feat. Having talent and creativity however is something that is innate. And it surely is inherent in Macon Hamilton, who shows how versatile and multi-talented he is with In The Middle Between Golden: https://therealtredc.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-middle-between-golden

Music Review

Vokab & Rhapsodist – The Rhapture EP

  • May 10, 2017May 10, 2017
  • by Alan Z Music

As most of y’all know, I’m a student and aficionado of battle rap. I’ve made many good friends within the battle rap community, one of them being battle rap veteran Vokab from Seattle.

“The standout single on this EP is “Scratch That”, a piano-laced banger where Vokab depicts his perfect world for the listener”

I met Vokab at the first Don’t Flop Seattle event last year when I was visiting the Northwest. He has since released his debut project with producer Rhapsodist entitled The Rhapture EP.

This EP consists of eight tracks fully produced by Rhapsodist, who provided boom bap-styled production for Vokab to spit over. The sound is very reminiscent of 90’s “golden era” hip-hop. And by that I mean the classics; scratches, live instruments, quality hip-hop samples, and hard-hitting drums that aren’t exclusively 808s.

The standout single on this EP is “Scratch That”, a piano-laced banger where Vokab depicts his perfect world for the listener. In his third verse, I resonated with his message about how the creative process should be for artists: “No influence from the labels or buyers.” Imagine that.

Personally I think this song would’ve been a stronger way to kick off the EP, but I understand why he chose “Dividends” as the first track; Vokab outlines the story of how he got into emceeing. The only rap feature is from MP on “Champion’s Theme”, MP really shows off his creativity in the track weaving a story of what success feels like.

I would consider this project a “nostalgia piece”, especially since Vokab himself asked to “take it back” to when hip-hop was in a purer form, with songs like “The Essence” and “Slogans”, which is filled with classic hip-hop quotes from Nas to Mobb Deep. But don’t dismiss the EP as a lamenting “I miss the 90s” tribute album, this EP has chops.

“The sound is very reminiscent of 90’s “golden era” hip-hop. And by that I mean the classics; scratches, live instruments, quality hip-hop samples, and hard-hitting drums that aren’t exclusively 808s”

Vokab gets more personal midway through the EP with “Spitting Image”. It was dope to hear him open up about his marriage and the birth of his child in such a candid manner. The only other song on the project about love is “I’ll Always Love H.E.R.”, but I personally found “Spitting Image” to be much more touching and relatable. And before you start cracking your knuckles in preparation to correct me; yes, I’m aware that H.E.R. may be a metaphor for hip-hop people.

Another track where Vokab shows some introspection is the closer “Time Is Passing”, where he talks about his battle rap history with GrindTime and Tourettes (the venue, not the disorder lol). Which brings me to add this bit of critique: I think the EP accomplished the laid-back, underground hip-hop vibe it was going for, but I would like to hear more of the hilariously witty punchlines and dry humor that Vokab is known to bring in his battles.

If this was my first time listening to Vokab, I would’ve never known he was also a battle rapper. That visceral battle rap side of him is not as present on this project. You already know what it is: jokes over bars (just kidding). But I do think once Vokab starts incorporating his battle rap material and presence in his music, it will come off much more effortless and personable, because there is no reason those two personas should be separate.

All in all, I am proud to be a fan and friend of a battle rap mainstay like Vokab, and I encourage all my hip-hop heads to check out The Rhapture EP on: https://vokab206.bandcamp.com/releases

New Release

Listen to Good Love (너와) by Alan Z x…

  • April 22, 2017April 30, 2017
  • by Alan Z Music

Check out Alan Z’s Soundcloud for exclusive new tracks

New Release

Catch The Single “Distance” by Alan Z

  • January 15, 2017April 30, 2017
  • by Alan Z Music

Directed by K.D. Gray
Co-starring Nyla Vamp
Make-Up Artist: Kimi Clay
Produced by DJ Xross
Mixed and Mastered by HD

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