When you get an invitation from dj noname. you know that something dope is going to happen. This night proved that statement correct as the first installment of "The Listening Session.". Mr. Worthammmmm.... The artist known as Mr. Wortham is a lyricist and veteran of the game, his style is chill and laid back but packs a lyrical punch. He's also a supporter of the Tulsa music scene. But this event is about him and his new album called "views from the 11th". The project that captured his view from the 11th floor hospital window as he was going through one of the hardest battles of his life. This 12-track 25 mins and 11 seconds album is an insight to that battle. This is the listening party for "views from the 11th".

This night only a few select individuals were in attendance, this made this made the listening session very personal and more intimate. dj noname. and Mr. Wortham sat at the front of the stage behind a table filled with speakers and a laptop. To be amongst friends, that's what Mr. Wortham seemed to enjoy, while also letting them in on private battle he's been fighting that would eventually become an album. The album was structured in this skit then song sequence, it was like Mr. Wortham was sitting next to you explaining each track. The fist track called "peritoneal dialysis" grabbed your attention, it's this emotional journey that took us through his declining health, it was like we were right there in the hospital with him. There were so many medical terms that it felt like we were and the way he delivered them was as if we were there hearing these words for the first time with him. Also, note that this is the longest track on the album and has a very heavy tone to it. The track was produced by Dr. View.

Track 1 was very heavy and very serious but track 2 is the total opposite. "bloodwork" though still a heavy subject matter was surprisingly upbeat. Mr. Wortham experimented a little with different character voices especially at the end when it sounds like a 70s disc jockey. When listening to the track I was surprised because I thought every subject matter had already been put into a song. Wrong! I've never heard anyone create a whole song around getting blood work done. And I definitely wouldn't expect it to be upbeat. But Mr. Wortham executes the song so well. It's this upbeat dance track. I could imagine Phlebotomists would put on while working a shift. The hook is catchy as hell. Who knew you could dance while getting blood work. This one was produced by dj noname.

We get a peek into the creative process in the next skit "behind the scenes (let it go)" The skit is a voice note recording of an unreleased unrecorded song. During the listening session Mr. Wortham told the story of having the beat play through an old TV via a Chromecast and if you listen carefully, you can hear the volume being turned up. Though it's not the whole song it's a really strong chorus and up-tempo beat from Seriously K5ive. It's still in a reference track but it's interesting to hear him building on his idea for the song and the direction he plans to take it.

As he played the next track "me and my girlfriend" I couldn't help but think I know this title. The title has been flipped many times, 2Pac then Jay-Z, and now Mr. Wortham's version. During the session Mr. Wortham told of how him and his wife Jerica have been married for over 17 years now and how she was there right by his side in some of his darkest times. The track sounds like an ode to his wife. Again, he spoke of these uncommon medical terms and procedures. In the track he talked about how he had transitioned from the hospital to his home, but as the song tells, that didn't make it easier, or that the journey was over. There were hours of training and lots of patience, and some really personal and vulnerable moments. The song is the definition of "in sickness and in health". in the Q&A Mr. Wortham said that this was one of his favorite verses on the album and even rapped a bar, "the fork to my knife, the potato to her steak, be making meals together, and forever scrape the plate". The beat was again provided by dj no name. who flipped a Frankie Beverely joint for Mr. Wortham to spit on.

DJ $ir Mike provided the beat for track 9 titled "pill poppa". He explained the song by stressing that he wasn't speaking things into existence, but this was helping to paint the picture of the large list of medications that he literally carries in a Jansport backpack because it's just that many, and also the feeling of having to pop pills all the time. In the track he's naming off pill names like Jay-Z naming off women in his song "Girls, Girls, Girls". In his bars he spits, "I’m tired of you. I’m tryna go natural.“, this is just a heavy literal bar. I also noticed in his delivery and cadence in the track he makes it seem like he's on drugs with this cloudy state of mind sound as if he's in this medicated state. It was just a well-executed song.

The next track is a skit called "behind the scenes (do what it do)", hearing the sounds of the dialysis machine brought you right into the room, I imagine he did what he could in that moment to get through, and at that moment it meant he needed to sing, “It’s a long road, down this unbeaten path. And we don't even know, how it truly does end.“ These reference tracks probably not only helped make the time go bye, but it also probably helped to get some of those feelings out creating therapeutic sessions.

The last track on the album. Can you believe we made it this far? Can you believe all Mr. Wortham has been through? The last track is called "we made it" and is about triumph. Ending the album on a high note, producer Seriously K5ive provided those amazing horns and beat. The track was recorded in the den of his house with long-time friend Kiera Boykins, who himself had battled cancer and came out triumphant. This was that extra inspiration that Mr. Wortham needed. “we made it” also signifying that he had finally got a new kidney. He spoke about that Ascencion phone call that would get him closer to his triumph. The journey is the triumph. The family and friends who helped him along the way was the triumph. And triumphantly he rapped with a swagger as to say, "NIGGA WE MAD IT!".

The Listening Session. You had to be there. There were good people. There was a Q&A. There were 3 bottles of wine, keyword being "were" because by the time the listening session was over, all three bottles were empty. Mostly it was a triumph. Mr. Wortham had gotten through a journey that tested him and his relationships and came out triumphant. So, congratulations to Mr. Wortham on health and an amazon album. Let me be the first to repeat, WE MAKE IT! Make sure you checkout his new album "views from the 11th".

Checkout the listening session below:

Also follow Mr. Wortham on social media:

Instagram: misterwortham
Spotify: Mr. Wortham
YouTube: Mr. Wortham

Also stream the album "views from the 11th":

When I first saw RedRanger Ronnie he had this mystic to him. Dressed in cowboy attire and a red bandanna covering his face, it was hard to see just who he truly was. I sat down with him to find out just who is RedRanger Ronnie. Checkout our interview below.
​
You wear many hats but what I want to talk about today is the RedRanger Ronnie. Tell me about it. So RedRanger Ronnie is a character I created about two years ago. It really came off of an idea I had about how many places could I publicly take a pony, and take into that place, so the reason why RedRanger Ronnie came about was really I had written a song, and in the song I had taken my two favorite childhood things which were Power Rangers and cowboys, to put them together so I started off the project two years ago with taking a pony named Cowboy into as many local businesses I could get him into or as many like art festivals or museums I could take him into. Any building that would let me take a full-grown horse into, I was really excited to, so that's how RedRanger Ronnie gave birth. It was really just for the idea of how many places I can fit a pony. into.

The black cowboy has kind of like been commercialized now you see Pharrell with Louis Vuitton and how he had the models and black cowboys also how you see just a recent commercial with Snoop Dogg doing the Jin and Juice and had the black cowboy. Can you tell us how do you feel about you know commercialization of the black cowboy? I really appreciate how it is bringing black Western culture to
the Forefront, I'm just not a fan of the commercialization of it, only because to a degree I feel as if real cowboys get pushed out and the people who are wanting to be trendy are put in it, so for example your real cowboys like the one they took to France and stuff for the show [Louis Vuitton Parris Fashion Show] that's amazing to see, it's good to see that. What I don't like are people who aren't apart of rodeo culture, then taking it and kind of not representing it the way it in the way it came up, or also the same way the same way like this hypocritical thing. As a kid I grew up wearing cowboy boots SIG shirts regular jeans, the whole nine yards, big belt buckle, and mostly the black kids would be like, 'oh he's a white boy, he a white boy' and I'm like, 'I live on 59 [59th street north] and you live on like 81st and Memorial near Broken Arrow, the math isn't mathing,' so I really enjoy when it is bringing to the front, What I don't like is when it's just trendy and I hate when the trend goes out and I'm still wearing cowboy stuff someone's going to look at me and be like, 'oh that was all last year', so I hate love, I hate love, but it's nice, it's cool to see.

What do you say to people say this is a gimmick? I would say they probably just don't know me, you know the biggest thing about the world is being yourself, there's seven billion people in the world and each individual human being on this planet even if they're identical twins or whatever, all have their own unique story one way or another, one person's day isn't the same as another person's day, and the whole nine yards. So, if someone was to stay to answer you, I would say. 'it is what it is'. I think it was Pimp C who once said, "If you started your first album off as a cartoon character, your last alum has to be a cartoon character, I don't see RedRanger Ronnie as a cartoon character, I see him as an extension of myself, he is a part of me. He's a part of my lore, so I don't see RedRanger Ronnie as a gimmick or anything like that, it's more of just it's fun to be able to express yourself and be able to do it whenever and however you want.

Your first single out the gate "Beef", talk about "Beef" and how it came about. Beef was the last song to actually be made for the mixtape. I think it is the only song that was recorded in 2024, where a lot of the other songs were actually recorded in either 2022 or 2021. So a lot of the songs were a little bit older and they just got played now. But yeah "Beef" was the most recent song. and the way "Beef" really came about was I just really like the commercials ["Beef, it's what's for dinner" ad campaign], you know ,the du du Beef, and I just thought it was super cool. A homie of mine sent me a beat and the name of the beat was called Triple Beam Beat, shout out Synth Poppi in Atlanta Georgia, it's called Triple Beam Beat or something like that, and the first thing I thought about was the triple i beam TN,, so that's how come the opening bar is, "Put eyes on his head like TN, and then after that I was like I gotta have something that's a little bit more vicious, so it led to beef, you know everyone in the world has somebody who they might not like or might not get along with, so you just have beef, beef doesn't always have to be toxic, you can have beef with people and it be healthy you know, it's like Kendrick said, 'this could be a friendly Fade if you keep it that way' so that's how I like to look at beef, it's just a friendly way to say like hey man I'm down for that.

 
Can we talk just talk about a little bit of your musical influences and then what inspires you. So my first
influence I would probably say is Kanye, modern day Kanye I can't do as much as I used to, but when I was a kid Kanye West told us be expressive of who you are, he rocked pink polos, he had Louis Vuitton backpacks, it was not something you saw rappers wear, especially in that day and time. You had Kanye West versus 50 Cent and 50 Cent at that time was like the best rapper. like he was at peak and for Kanye West to outsell him on that first week [album sales] for Graduation really changed a lot of how I saw blackness, how I saw art, and it was like wow! If Kanye West's tittle nerd self can beat out the
thugs in the rap category who says I can't make music. So ever since then Kanye West, Pharrell, Andre3000, Frank Ocean, Ty the Creator, these artists who are black as hell but just don't always get seen in that same kind of light because they don't have that mainstream thug to them.

How do you feel your influence on life growing up in Turley, North Tulsa, how has that been incorporated into your music? A lot, Turley and the Nitty they got a lot of people who ride horses, it's a it's kind of country almost, when you grow up around horses you grow up around "ye haw" culture, rodeo culture, that influences a lot of things of how you see the world, how you treat people, Cowboys, one thing about a cowboy they're willing to help each other, 'hey man you need a ride here? I got you. Hey man we need some [help] we just got a horse that just got out'. You know I've had plenty of neighbors who've had like four or five horses get out and they're just at my house and I'm like, 'hey man these yours? Yeah okay, just come get em when you can. Okay no problem.' So it's never an issue like that and I think that translates into my music, where you hear some of the western tones in it, like RedRanger Ronnie uses a lot of western bars, even in "Beef" you know, 'been working cattle since I was a youngin, and that's be rockin Wranglers,' so a lot of my influences definitely come from my childhood and that's where my music likes to pull from or just the experiences I've had growing up on a horse ranch, listening to country music, just all those different influences can just be heard throughout the music if you listen for the bars.

How do you describe your music to someone who's never heard it? I would say it is it's funny, I don't want to make comedic rap like a little Dicky or anything like that, but I enjoy being funny with bars, sometimes I think we underestimate how funny rap bars really are, and we always want to make rap serious, we have to talk about the police killing us. or us killing each other, or how we got to make money and fuck bitches and the whole nine, where in reality some of the bars you listen to in rap songs could be some of the funniest. Even with the Kendrick bar right, 'trying to strike a chord and it's probably a minor', like that's a joke more than it is a serious thought-provoking bar. Same thing even when Kanye West said, 'You got any black inside you? Would you like some?' Things like that, or Lupe Fiasco's verse on that same song "Everyone Nose Remix" he uses "Hi" for each bar, eating on Hydrox, 'she's up at high school,' to talk about a girl's drug addiction, so it's just the way we can incorporate humor into our bars is what I would like to tell people, like listen to it without having any like preconceived notion of what a rap song should sound like.

What song would you suggest for somebody who has never heard your music? I probably say "Heartbreak Rodeo", I think that's my most personal song, it's a song that just kind of talks about how I feel about life at times, it's a very sad song but it's just a really cool song, I sing in it, and I'm not the best singer, but that also just shows like I'm not afraid of taking the chances on doing whatever I want to do just for like me to have fun with it, so I think "Heartbreak Rodeo" on this tape is for sure the most intrinsic song I have.

What got you into rapping? I started rapping like not seriously, but you know as a kid you freestyle, my mom worked for COX so we got all the fancy music channels including MTV Jams on channel 160 and then MTV Hits was on 161 and then I think it was like MTV3 or MTV 2 was on 159, so my entire childhood was like Cartoon Network, MTV Jams, Disney channel, MTV Jams, so I watch rap music videos religiously and they would loop like every hour, so I can watch the same one I can't tell you how many Hype Williams videos I've seen, so when I would watch rappers all the time and I'm like man that just seems like fun you know, so watching those rappers do that and then when I started seeing more local artists rapping, I was like oh they can do it, I can do it. My friend Young Stickers, Benzo, Streffey, and then I got into Dom [St. Domonick] when I got older, the Keeng Cut tape The Flavor Tape [Snackin' With Flavor] is one of my favorite tapes of all time. So it's like when you can see the big stage and then you can see it be done on the smaller stage there's no excuse for you not to try it. So my rap inspiration all really just comes from watching my friends and my Idols just do what they want to do.

What message or impact do you hope to have or leave on the industry. and for the artistry. for music in general? As cliche as it is man, just be yourself bro, like you know you don't have to wear the same outfits as other rappers to say you making it as a rapper, you aint got to do the same sounds to make it as a rapper, you know the one thing that always amazes me whenever people hear my music they'll say, 'oh it's refreshing. We haven't heard something like this before'. I'm like is that true? Like I thought it sounded like this, but then you kind of compare it you're like oh it doesn't, but then there's a lot of times you can listen to a song and be like this sounds like so and so, so just be yourself and if it's wonky let it be wonky. people will naturally come to what they think is like genuine, like genuine versus what they think is generic, I think a lot of people don't recognize the first time you heard your Drake song it didn't sound like other rapper songs because he was singing, or the first time you heard a Kanye West beat, people were putting Amari Bonami  in there beats with violins, so you have to realize you have to be able to take those risks and things to be able to break out, so that would be my advice to anyone who wants to like get into music or get into art or anything in life is be yourself and use yourself as the impact. Like, I hope the same way my favorite rappers in Tulsa impacted me, I hope that there's a kid who hears my mixtape and then like in 2030 some kid comes up to me like, 'what's up OG, you know first time I heard "Boys Don't Cry" man I was like wow!' So that's my goal, if I can hear that in like the next 10 years someone says hey my tape did this for you, I did my job.

Thanks again to RedRanger Ronnie for taking time out his day to do the amazing interview. Go stream his new tape "Boys Don't Cry But, Wofs Shed Tears."

Follow RedRangerRonnie on social media:

Instagram: @redrangerronnie
YouTube: ThunderWof.
Spotify: ThunderWof.

Watch the rest of the interview here:

Nothing in this life is free, not even time. Driving in traffic, to spending hours at work, to spending time with family, or just watching TV, everything is competing for time. That’s because time is the ultimate commodity, you can’t get more, so it’s important to make every second count. Mike JC is an artist that knows this all to well, and he’s going to tell you why in his new single “Ion got free time”. 

Mike JC is an artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma who continues to put out great music, the sky is truly the limit for him and he's got more songs set to release. Make sure you also checkout his social media for more updates. Read our last review of his single “Higher” that featured Savvy Kray. (Read the review).  

Real talk! That’s how I would define this track. Mike JC is not sugarcoating anything, he’s not speaking in quadruple entendre’s, he’s just giving you real talk. The track is very introspective, in it he explains just how much he knows that time is money. The first verse he talks about wanting to be the reason why his son gets into Howard. With the high cost of college, he knows he ain’t got time to not get to the money. A line that also stuck out was when he said, “The goals I got require more than just wishin’.” If that ain’t a bar!!! It takes more than just wishin things happen, it takes some action too. 

The second verse. I gotta say that Mike JC is talking that talk. He says, “I’m hunting down my dreams, and I won’t leave it alone.” We ain't even talked about how dope the beat is. Mike JC is known for picking these beats that allow him to really spit, this time the lyrics were more literal that you have no choice but to believe him. Like you ever want your dreams so bad that you stalked them? Mike JC knows what it will take, and as the voice at the end of the track says, obsession beats talent every time, and you gotta be obsessed with being the best to get what you want in life. 

Time waits for no man, and Mike JC is rapping like it’s fourth quarter of game seven. The bars are so real that there's no need to flashy. Cause we ain’t got time for all that. This about the work, the grind, the obsession to make your dreams come true. So why some people may be mindlessly scrolling on the internet, Mike JC is the lab, pen in hand and if you’re tryna to throw him off his path, don’t be surprised if he replies, Ion got time!

​Follow Mike JC on Instagram: @mikejc918
Spotify: Mike JC

If you have ever been to Oklahoma then you know that it’s been the wild wild west as far as the cannabis industry. People flocked to Oklahoma as soon as the laws for medical use passed. The laws are still trying to catch up to what the artists have already known, Oklahoma got that smoke. This is the result of being in the middle of the map. Everything comes through Oklahoma, and artists have been documenting this for decades. Mike JC is an artist whose new single “Higher” proves just how much good smoke is in the ‘O’ state.

Mike JC is an artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma who has a growing following. He’s also a supporter of the culture who pops out to numerous events and local businesses. And last but not least, is that Mike JC is a cannabis activist, his Instagram page shows videos and pictures of only the stickiest of the ickiest, so it’s no wonder that his music would emulate his life. Let’s get to the music.

Higher is Mike JC’s most recent release, the beat has this Kanye-like soulful sample that plays in the background and sounds like a choir hitting notes while also hitting the tree, the beat also has this East Coast boom-bap feel that sounds like Jay-Z would jump on, it’s smooth and breathes, leaving so much room for the artists to do their thang. We say artists because Savvy Kray is featured on the track and starts it off, and if you know Savvy than you know, he’s a big chiefer. Savvy has the talent to have this flow that rides the beat so calmly and gets you into this vibe, and then out of nowhere he hits your ears with this crazy metaphor that makes you run back the track. “I be rolling thick ones, yo blunt look like it got A cups”. I had to text him like, “yo this bar crazy!!”. And it’s still more quotables in his verse after. Savvy slid on this.

Next, the smoke passes to Mike JC who starts his verse by shouting out some local businesses like the Greenwood Enterprise and the Stoner Olympics. It doesn’t take long for him to get you in the zone. I’m starting to see spaceships when listening to his verse, which is filled with a coded language only true smokers would get. Mike JC’s cannabis IQ is out of this world, and his bars become like this pop quiz of the different strands and rolling accessories. High bars! He just might be also. One bar that caught my ear was when he said, “Jet Fuel blasted me off into infinity, cause Sour Diesel got me questioning reality”. If that ain't a high bar then I don’t know what is. Mike JC also nonchalantly ends his verse with some bars that you gotta run back and listen to, like this one, “After I break down flight, I’m rollin’ up a plane”. I see what he did there. Clever. High bars! 

Listening to Higher you can hear what inspired this track. It’s some of the best cannabis bars by artists who truly live the stoner lifestyle. The proof and the Higher bars are all throughout the track. But with Oklahoma’s laws becoming more cannabis friendly, everyone claims to be a cannabis guru. Everyone is claiming to be smoking on Top 5. But as the chorus says, Mike JC's tolerance is high, so if he passes the weed, don’t be surprised, if he gets you Higher!

Make sure you listen to "Higher" by Mike JC ft. Savvy Kray. Checkout the track below:

Follow Mike JC on Instagram: @mikejc918
Spotify: Mike JC

Follow Savvy Kray on Instagram:@imarapperr
Spotify:  Savvy Kray

ALERT! Pull up to the last Groundwaves on October 10th, 2024 at the Skyline Mansion

We all heard the 1,000 listeners framework to being an independent artist. All you need is 1,000 loyal fans and you'll have enough support thrive as an independent artist. But few artists can say they've reached that feat. But when your name is "Making the Universe Recognize and Submit" or "Making Underground Raw Shit." there's no way you not gonna reach your milestone. That's who Murs is and what he has done. The 46-year Los Angelos born artist has a Spotify listener count of 185,000 monthly listeners and has done everything any artists has hoped to do. But most impressively is that he's done it independently while still having respect from up-and-coming artists. But it's with this new generation of artist that Murs is proving his new skill, artist development, as he puts on multiple open-mic events throughout the country called Groundwaves. I had the opportunity to get an interview with the legend Murs before the last Groundwaves Tulsa event.

How did you come up with Groundwaves? Ground waves was an idea I came up with when a friend of mine asked me to help with a foundation in Fort Collins called "The Music District" they have a facility that wasn't getting used, utilized by the younger people in the community. And they wanted to get young people in, so they asked me what would they need to do, and I said, you should probably have an open mic because kids today feel like they can put music on SoundCloud and DSPs that they recorded in their bedroom by themselves and call themselves emcees. And in my era that wasn't the case, you had to be outside. I grew up going to the Good Life Cafe and Project Blowed in Los Angeles California, and those are open mics, and those were places where you were able to see how you measured up, to be inspired to be criticized, to cut your teeth so to speak, and sharpen your sword as the Wu-Tang says.

Was the mentorship sessions always apart of Groundwaves? The mentorship was an idea that I came up with, but it has been a part of the program since its inception. I was just thinking an open mic would suffice. Jesse Elliott who worked with the Music District, initially and then with CACHE Creates in northwest Arkansas. Jesse Elliot was the one who suggested I do the mentorship the day after. I didn't think anyone would want to talk to me, but I was booked from 7 AM to 7 PM the next day after the first ground waves, and I've never, or I should say, really have I had a mentorship day that has any empty slots since the inception of Groundwaves, so I guess six years running. It also turned out to be tremendously rewarding for me, I won't say my favorite part because I love it all, but I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I do the open mic.

What sort of things do artists ask in these mentorship sessions? The most typical questions are; "How to roll out an album? How to book a tour? And sometimes critiques on their performance and how they can get better.

Have you seen artists take your advice and have you seen them grow from the mentorship sessions? I've definitely seen a lot of growth in the artist and the community. I can't say which is more rewarding, but I've seen collab albums and friendships, marriages built out of our community, and I've also seen individual growth in artists rollouts and mostly in just productivity and refining their craft when they really listen and apply.

ALERT! Pull up to the last Groundwaves on October 10th, 2024 at the Skyline Mansion
​
You took some of the artists to LA to perform. What was the significance behind that? When I got to Tulsa I saw the level of talent and I thought what was needed most was opportunity, not so much mentorship even though I felt like I may be able to help some folks, I thought the level of talent was ready for a bigger stage figuratively and literally, and Marcel P Black had asked specifically about how can he get on to the THOP fest, The Happiness of Pursuit Festival, its ran by a young man named 60 East. who was a performer at my festival Paid Dues back in the day and has asked me for  some mentorship or advice along the way, and I was more than happy to help, and he's also booked me, which is amazing and we have a good rapport, so I called him and I asked could we have a stage, could we take over stage and he was kind enough to say, "fuck yeah". And from there I decided I would take the five best emcees from each chapter that are the most committed, the most ready to make the trip, and initially I said that everyone would have to pay to get there themselves because that's how I came up, you don't just go up there to perform for free and selling merch and tapes at the shows to cover the cost of travel. And then the organizations that fund Tulsa and Arkansas very kindly stepped in and said they will cover the travel costs for those two chapters. And the folks from Colorado still made it out there somehow, both busted their asses the past two years, and we did a GoFundMe for them, but usually you would maybe cover a one-way ticket, so the Colorado chapters came out of pocket, but not Tulsa, but no one went into it expecting that. What I love, is that everyone I DM'd and said, "I want you to come." They took the leap, and were down to pay their own because they saw the benefits, and it's a small stage, but it's the only stage inside where the alcohol is being served, so we have that to our benefit, but I think everyone that comes out enjoys it, has a great experience, and I always say it's good to have your name a flyer in the mix with other names you admire, it's a good motivator, it's good juju as they say. It's a blessing to be heard and seen any time. But yeah, that's the origin of going to Los Angeles for the THOP fest, we've been able to give people opportunity to be there the first time on festival, first time on the plane, first time in California, and the day after we try to have some time to get together if possible, or the day before. The day before this last Paid Dues I took everyone I could to [eat] Ethiopian food and we toured FYI (an app founded by artist Will.i.am) campus, which is the app we are using to conduct this interview. And also, the building where I met the person who is going to be giving social media strategy classes to anyone that wants to participate, so FYI has been instrumental and hopefully we can continue the tradition this year. I'm pretty sure we won't get any funding, but I think 60 East may let us perform at the THOP Festival again, I'm hoping, so yeah!

Can you explain how the "Thank you, come again" rule came about? The overall inspiration from Groundwaves comes from the Good Life Cafe, a lot of it came from the Good Life Café, some from The Eurican, some from Project Blowed, But at the Good Life Cafe. if someone was wack the whole crowd would chant, "Plllleeeeassse pass the mic, Plllleeeeassse pass the mic," and I in the documentary Ava DuVernay, she used to rap at The Good Life Cafe (Ava DuVernay the director of Origin and A Wrinkle in Time, and many other things and dope documentaries). There was no cursing allowed at the Good Life Cafe, so is it was helpful, and shoutout to R/KainBlaze and I think it's his mother B. Hall and they started (The Good Life Cafe) and their rules were no cursing, so the way to get people off the stage you couldn't say, "Get the fuck out of here!" You had to say, "Plllleeeeassse pass the mic," and it was harsh, but it was clean, there's a documentary on hip-hop on Netflix where I talk about being there when Fat Joe got, please pass the mic, and he was signed, and he was on a major label, and he came to rap, so I thought that. And I have a lot of respect for how Joe handled it, I have respect for everyone and that's not a diss to Joe. But I was liked that energy in hip-hop where no matter who you are, or where you're from, you've gotta be dope. Getting that spirit back in hip-hop, but also with, thank you, come again, I added the element. Because there's not a lot of criticism, and when there is, it's a lot of blind trolling, so if you do start a, thank you come, again chant, you must get up, the loudest person or the first person to start it, must give some constructive criticism. It's only ever happened a couple of times in the Colorado chapter, it's never happened in Arkansas or Oklahoma.

​What's your take on AI in Music? I don't really have a[n] opinion about AI in music, just a curiosity. I've been around long enough to see things go from vinyl, to cassette, to CD, to MP3, from record stores to DSPs. Yeah, just asking how the Internet would change music or how car stereos will change music, we'll see, but I feel like if you want to continue to create or just live in this world it's one of those things, cars, the Internet, headphones, electricity, all these things affected music in positive and negative ways. The hardest job is to take it in and work with it.

What's your advice for artists that have went through the Groundwaves experience? My advice for Groundwaves artists is to continue to have fun and continue to work on your craft, travel, read, have no shame in promoting your art, and continue to support the community as a whole, continue to support and respect the culture as a whole.

What's next for Murs? Next for me, continue to praise God, raise my family, put out my final album, do my final tour, and possibly expand Groundwaves. Continue to freestyle on twitch and stream there, podcast, write books, make film, continue to create, and just no longer making albums and touring, but always doing. spot dates and performing, and still reading. getting better at my craft, supporting the culture as a whole.

Working hard and having fun!

Thanks again to Murs for taking time out of his busy schedule to sit and talk with us. Groundwaves is one of the those once in a lifetime events that happened for Tulsa. We need everyone to come out October 10th, 2024, to Skyline Mansion and support the last Groundwaves and show Murs that Tulsa appreciates his hard work and everything he's poured into the artists and the community. Lastly, don't forget to follow Murs. He's still putting out dope music and dop content. 

Follow Murs here:
Spotify: Murs
Twitter (X): @Murs
Instagram: @Murs316
Twitch: Murs
YouTube: MursTV
Groundwaves website: Groundwaves (groundwaveshiphop.com)

We are in good company. LVLC's sets out to prove this on his new album "Lovelace & Company" that comes jampacked with 13 tracks that read more like a compilation project than a solo album. The album features 11 credited artists, that's almost a 1-to-1 with the tracklist, but these are friends. As far as LVLC, with this album, he's out to tell the world that he's one of the best and I have dope friends too. So, without further ado, let's get into the album they call "Lovelace & Company".

Track 1 "Y.O.T.D". I learned that this actually stands for “Year of the Dragon” it’s a soulful feel-good track "so I told God, thanks a lot, but I don't need love when it's my name".  It’s lines like these that grab your ear and make you pay close attention. I like how he even adds a foreshadow to his track "Love Me" with his bar "boy get out your feelings, ain't no money in that place". LVLC shows his versatility on the track by the way he switches his flows to a Kendrick Lamar-like voice when spitting the bar "This is that double-sided Genimi" which for Kendrick fans know that Kendrick is one of the most diabolical Genimi's in the game.​

​The second track on the album is called “Primordial” and admittedly I had to look up the meaning of the word. It's always good to learn right? Well, I would describe this album as a learning album. LVLC does what he does on the track which is deliver some amazing bars while we also see the first appearance of his super friends on the album, this time its FaDello who delivers a solid performance, his vocal tones keep you engaged, and his bars are agreeable to the listener like Fadello's verse is more conversational than outright lyrical assault which fits with the mood of the song. But then I would counter this point with The Thought's verse which immediately seemed like a lyrical tirade. His voice broke through the beat like a superhero's entrance, his bars landing powerfully as he kept your ears on its toes you were careful not to miss a metaphor. It was an amazing verse.

Track 4 "Homies" is a reminiscent track that features again, FaDello but also GWayne and Kendra Mars. The track has a catchy fun hook which LVLC lends his voice to. Surprisingly he doesn’t rap on this track, but I guess that is what friends are for,  one of the homies, Kendra Mars comes in very smooth, then gradually switches flows to so cleverly, it’s like when you hear about that athlete that can turn their talent off and on, they’re at times the most talented athlete but then it’s times when they let others shine. This is also FaDello’s second feature and it's a standout verse on the song he knows his pocket and how to entertain which comes through on this track. Homies is a standout track. ​

Track 5 Pints & Fifths I would've liked to see this chorus evolve better, I feel like it's too repetitive, not as bad the viral "period ah period uh" but just repetitive. But G Wayne really stands out on this song, he comes in with a heavy inspired West Coast tone and backs it up with lyrics suggesting his willingness to stand on his lyrics. I do think LVLC delivers a dope verse as expected but again I think the simplicity of the chorus is unexpected from such a complex artist.

Then you get to one of my favorite tracks from LVLC period. Track 6 "Love Me". The song is filled with such a quotable bar that starts off the song and is repeated throughout "boy get out yo feelins ain't no money in there" I remember going to Groundwaves and hearing the chorus and seeing everyone sing along. It's a very intrinsic song that proves that even LVLC's simplest bars are so tightly worded and expressed that you still go "ouuu" as if it were the quintuple entendre that Drake was wanting from Kendrick. The second thing I noticed about this track was the feature Da'juan Dupri, who has been killing verses and killing performances. But as much as I was filled with excitement I was met with a deflating verse. I felt Da'juan Dupri was uncharacteristically subpar in both his delivery and unserious on the track that left me confused. The song seemed to be a chance for a lyrical heavyweight battle but instead it was more of Jekyll and Hyde. But Dupri has time still to redeem himself on the next track.

Florence Pugh. You can’t do no half-steppin on this beat. LVLC is really on his rappin shit. He goes straight in leaving no room for guessing who's album this is. He's just ice cold. Then FaDello immediately comes, this being his third featured verse on the album he doesn't disappoint as he spits this crazy entendre that lasts 4 bars using concepts centered on the nose. His delivery is on point, and he keeps the song elevated from the previous verse. Then the final verse. America loves comeback stories. I think this verse from Da'juan Dupri is his redemption verse. But this verse proves to be Dupri doing what Dupri does, "no boxin, get a jab, I'm Johnson & Johnson" that's the Dupri with the bars and the delivery and that I'm accustomed to. The metaphors are there, Dupri welcome to the show.

Opportunites is a nice change of place track at the midpoint of the album. LVLC pulls another flow out of his bag that's more melodic than the punchline hard core hip-hop vibe of the earlier tracks on the album. Creo Cash was the perfect person for this feature, his rap\singing verse is complementary to the track "if my soul is attached to it then it ain't opportunity" and finishes the track by repping his group BDM. 

​Fuck it Up is that posse track that feels like it could’ve been on Ruff Ryders Vol: 2. It’s this hardcore bass hitting, air guitar having, punch to your ear drums. It’s like a rock and rap mashup. Kendra Mars goes off on this track and reminds me of Eve holding her own amongst men. “I ain’t this light, I’m thinking Zeus, I’ll get a nigga struck”. FaDello has seriously been holding it down the whole tape and spitting some tuff bars. Lastly, Liberal Media throws around bars like a conspiracy theorists crime web, I’m still tryna dissect the verse, ornaments and organs, then the trail keeps going. This that one.

Brothers starts with a sample from Donald Jenkins & The Delighters "Music Revolution" AceDaKid War Mothershed stood out in his delivery, he matched the energy of the beat, his verocity he approached the beat was like he was in a rap battle. LVLC keeps spittin. Check his wordplay. My God! At times he slows up his verse to make you understand and leave no guessing. He is the Dragon!!!

What You Know is something for the radio or even a placement for the end credits to a movie or your favorite video game. LVLC singing. Who would’ve thought the lyrical artist could also serenade us, he really shines on the hook and blends well into his verse which is more singing rap. Even at the end of the track I was surprised, LVLC really showed off his vocal talent and sounded like an R&B singer in the rain that left me singing along, “Yeahhhhh Yeaaaahhh Yeaaahhhhh”!

Every album needs that little bounce and that’s exactly what Skate Song is, it reminds me of that smooth soul dance track with rap. I can literally imagine being at Skate Land and vibing to this. It's a fun upbeat house style type beat and Emani blends her voice with the soulfulness of the production. LVLC even on a fun song like this LVLC's verse is lyrical he is still intentional with his delivery making sure to switch up flows. He paints this vivid picture with his use of wordplay and vocal inflections. I can only raise a glass of tea to this sweet verse. Congratulations sir, you sir have a hit.

The last song on the album Lovin is the end credits to this album of a movie that has shown us inside the brain of LVLC, it’s also given us a glimpse of his friendships and the lengths that they will go to show that they have his back. Promise Cezar is one of these friends who chops up the beat with each word and like a calming voice on a track that is meant to ease the mind. The track closes with this sing-along “We Are The World” feeling where multiple voices sing along. You just might sing along too.

So, there you have it. This album "Lovelace & Company", it's proof for the artist that doesn't need proof. He's extremely talented that has created an album that he chose to share and incorporate his friends. Maybe this isn't his solo masterpiece, but it is still a masterpiece that proves that there is no 'i' in team. LVLC doesn't need a team but I'm sure it was more fun having one to navigate each track. And even though its friends, it's still a competition and LVLC is known for throwing haymakers/bars when it comes to verses, and everyone raises their lyrical prowess when working with him. So, listen to the album and let us know what you think of "Lovelace & Company".​

If know you know. And many people know about the producer/ artist/ manager/ photographer/ project manager/ yelper/ last but not least dj, they call dj noname. He's released so much classic music. But did you also know he writes? Here's something special from the one they call dj noname. talking about his newest single "A Love So Complicated".

The main point of my production stems from how I grew up, especially late-night freestyle takeovers. It was all about the raps, I didn't care about subject matter to an extent, what did the production make you come up with initially? That's what I wanted to be laid on my production. 

As my first year chopping samples ended up turning into (almost) 5 years, the more songs + projects I released, the more artists (even ones who didn't take music seriously) would approach me with getting on a track. I wouldn't even second guess the individuals, it was more of an experiment that I'd like to test out. "A Love So Complicated" is one of those things stemming from that notion. A person who is in this art world, who isn't even a musician, always threw the bug in my ear about sending some stuff over & he was super serious because we've had a few conversations about it.

This conversation continued for about a year; the beat is maybe that old as well. Along with that, I might've sent another beat or two. I have a good problem with always doing albums instead of singles + loosies (whether 3 or 10 songs... I treat everything like an album) & I felt like this song was so good that I couldn't even include it in a project I had in mind for it, The Album Before The Album. 

The sample stems from something I've heard before at a different tempo. This was during peak blog era & very close to a decade before I dove into DJing + producing. All of these songs I grew up on + heard sampled are now coming to life to where I'm utilizing them. Without that, there wouldn't be this.

I had to ask dj noname. why is there no artists credited on the single. "Simply because he's not a musician. We wanted to have fun with it [the record]. We made it about the music."

Shoutout to dj noname for the dope insight about his new single "A Love So Complicated".

Can you guess what sample he was inspired by?

Make sure you go purchase this new single "A Love So Complicated". here: 
​djno.name/a-love-so-complicated​

4batz is an industry plant. Well, this is the general consensus when people try to explain 4batz's quick fast rise to fame. Neko Bennett, better known as 4batz is a singer/songwriter from Dallas, Texas who has been taking the world by storm which has also landed him a deal with Drake’s record label OVO. 4batz has the radio on lock but what about an actual project? 4batz just answered this question with the release of his mixtape “u made me a st4r.” The 11-track project comes in at 23 minutes and 35 seconds, making it very consumable. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s dive into it!!!
The first track is actually a skit called "umademeast4r.mp3" and is really a slight jab to all the naysayers and people who have said that he's an industry plant. That he's blown up too fast. I like how he addresses this first, by saying ‘You're the reason’, meaning that all publicity good or bad has helped catapult his career to millions of streams seemingly overnight. But could you blame anyone for thinking this? 4batz came out of nowhere with his viral song "act i: stickerz 99" and each release since has seemed to have gotten bigger. Even his From The Block Performance of "act ii: date @ 8" has reached over 12 million views the unexpected performance is a contradiction to every R&B performance known to man, as he is surrounded by a group of friends from the block and is dressed in a white wifebeater and ski-mask. The performance seems more like a Chicago Drill video than an R&B video.

Now let's get into the music. 4batz was smart, he put the two viral singles on the mixtape. Track 2 which is "act i: stickerz 99" and track 3 which is "act ii: date @ 8". It was smart of him to do this because it means that he can "inflate" his numbers with the track’s existing streaming numbers, as well as entice new listeners to listen to the mixtape solely on having these two singles on there. It's almost a perfect plan. I say almost because he put these songs at the beginning of the mixtape instead of putting them embedding them deeper into the mixtape. Doing this would've ensured that people who came to just hear the two singles were more easily steered toward listening to the other tracks on the mixtape because the streaming service would have another song from the album in the queue. Another point about these 2 songs is that there is no flow from one to the next and it throws off the cohesiveness of the album. It seemed to feel like “let’s just get this out of the way” more than it was “let’s give them something to look forward to”. This is a reoccurring issue with the mixtape.

​Track 4 “act iii: on god? (she like)” is his third radio single that seems thrown on the album. The track already has over 22 million Spotify plays. It’s a slow crooning 4batz singing about not letting go of a lady because of you guessed it, love. The song also has a remix which is the only credited feature on the mixtape. Who would've guessed? Kanye West, which is surprising given that 4batz already has a Drake feature on his single “actii: date @ 8 (remix)”, which is not on the mixtape. Kanye's verse wasn't anything spectacular and did nothing for the song. Honestly, I would've rather he left him off the song altogether and maybe just did an acoustic version. The remix is really just the original song with a Kanye verse on it, letting you know that the two probably just put the song together through emails instead of being in the studio together. The remixes of Diddy years where R&B artists and rappers made a song together on a slightly modified beat are over.

Now we jump into uncharted territory after getting the three radio singles out of the way. Track 5 is a skit called "get out of your feelings ho" where 4batz friend kind of reminds him that he shouldn't be tripping over a female especially since he's already been involved with so many others afterward. It is a light-hearted laugh between the two that was like a snap-out-of-it moment that then leads into track 6 "act iv: fckin u (18+)", the song is this hyper-sexualized song that sounds like it would never play on the radio but humorously bleeps out words that aren’t radio friendly and covering up probably the boldest lines a man could ever say to a woman as a compliment, "I can't stop f##kin you because your body is like a prostitute". Maybe we have to different ways of serenading the ladies because Jodeci would never. 

Track 7: act v: there goes another vase. I think this is my least favorite song. The lyrics just lack that connection between the feelings he’s trying to describe and the way he sings to express those feelings. His tone is very deep and passionate, but the words seems very surface level. Also, I didn't like how he incorporated the vase into the song. It was too direct I would've liked to see the vase be more of a symbol or just an overall better line. I do think he executed the melodies of the hook to perfection. It's a song about a toxic relationship, yet it has this hold your woman tight and slow dance feel to it, which makes it that more confusing.

By the time we get to Track 8 the flow of the mixtape starts to get better, “act vi: mad man probably has the best transition from feel that carries from song to song. This song is more of a passionate intimate track I would say making love rather than Track 6’s feel of promiscuous sex. It’s the acoustic guitar that has this Latin, passionate feel and sets the tone for the track, 4batz comes in smooth jumping from bar to bar like a nursery rhyme, I oddly hear The Weekend in his town when singing the hook. The hook competes with the smoothness of the verses rather than complementing it, making it just an OK song.

No R&B album is complete without conflict and that’s exactly what 9 is about, "act vii: all we do is argue, argue” comes in with 4batz sounding like he’s imitating Michael Jackson, the short quick bursts of his voice overshadow the slow-evolving production of the track, but is immediately forgotten about as soon as the beat drops. The conflict, which on this track is, you guessed it, his lady, it’s the first time we notice that he’s rapping more than singing on a track. But even with all these things going on, it still doesn’t feel like a complete song.

Throughout the tape 4batz seems to borrow vibes from earlier generations, this is very apparent in Track 10 titled “act viii: i hate to be alone” The song sounds like it samples Luther Vandross’s Always and Forever”, and again also speaks to him tapping into those nostalgic songs from the 90s and earlier eras and putting his spin on them. The song is his attempt at a Love Ballad but is executed more like a late night informercial for BET Lover’s Greatest Hit album. I don’t think Love Ballad’s are his lane. It calls for a vocal performance and vocal range that from my knowledge he doesn’t have.

The album ends with “act iii: on god? (she like) (remix), which we stated before could’ve been left off the album. It sounds like Kanye just sent the verse in an email, and 4batz knew that people seeing Kanye’s name alone would be enough for the song to be a hit. It’s not a hit. But it’s also not my mixtape to live with.
​
Is 4batz an industry plant. Who knows, but as far as his new mixtape I would say that his rise to fame is more formulaic than traditional. The mixtape is made more for streaming playlist consumption where each track can be singled out instead of a cohesive body of work. But maybe that’s what people would say a mixtape is. It’s an introduction and not necessarily a story that an album would build, which would be very opposite of Drake who changed the way mixtapes were made and consumed with the release of his “So Far Gone” mixtape. As for 4batz u made me a st4r the mixtape seems to be filled with deep feelings sung subtly enough that you want to hear more but not deep enough that you would play them to get through different events in life such as a break-up or job promotion. These songs feel like skeletons of what great songs could become and are more reference track like than full complete songs that an User "U Got It Bad" or even a Toni Tone Tone "It Never Rains in Southern California". Maybe technology is a little bit to blame for how we consume music and the abilities it has given people who you wouldn't think of as singers. But I have to also give 4batz his credit, he knows how to make a song that gets your attention, some it by pulling on those old strings of rnb classics. Final thoughts, though it may seem like I may have bagged on this album a lot, I would still consider it a good album because of it's formulaic singles that make it easy to place on different playlists. Overall, I would give it a 5 out of 10. OK to listen to but not replacing any of User’s albums any time soon.

​Let me know what you think of the album:

Again, the residency does provide a stipend, but this fundraiser was to help him create and do more. For Steph Simon this opportunity is a chance to become uncomfortable in a place that nobody knows his work and no one is biased. He wants to test his performance and his pen. For Sneak The Poet this is an opportunity to work with people and create in a place where the movers and shakers are, to see how a L.A. director lives.  Both of them have 40 days and 40 nights to create, and from the Bible we know what can happen after that period. So go support them by giving to their fund. 

They also have merch for sale: hit up Steph Simon on IG: @stephxsimon

To just send a donation to Steph Simon or Sneak The Poet hit them up on IG:

Steph Simon IG: @stephxsimon

Sneak The Poet: @sneakthepoet​