Ruby Hornet - Swagger Like Chi

FR: RubyHornet

"Swagger Like Us" hit the internet a few weeks ago and has become a monster smash. Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil' Wanye, and T.I. all delivered on the biggest posse cut in years, and the infectious beat has been tackled by emcees nationwide. Shortly after the track's release, I was able to get my hands on an instrumental, which I emailed to Mikkey Halsted, jokingly asking him to shout me out if he decided to go in on the beat. A few days later Really Doe came through the RH office and told us about his experience with the beat, and a futile attempt to land it for his American 2 Fresh debut. We pitched him the idea of jumping on the track with Mikkey and he was down. More importantly, the wheels were in motion. We quickly hit up Naledge, who was in town gearing up for Kidz In The Hall's tour with Murs, he was in as well and "Swagger Like Chi" finally had some legs. We enlisted GLC for the final slot, called Michael Kolar at SoundScape Studios and booked a recording session...

We weren't sure who was going to show up last week Wednesday. Our goal was not only to record a remix showcasing a wide range of Chicago emcees, but to actually get everyone together to record the track, something that has been talked about but not yet done. We knew Naledge would be there, as he can easily be found at SoundScape anytime he is in the Chi. Really Doe gave us a confirmation, and Mikkey Halsted provided his guarantee as well. In addition, Mikkey was bringing two new guests who heard about the idea and had to get down on the track, MarVo and Bump J. We welcomed both emcees, and by 8 PM on the first Wednesday in October all artists mentioned aboved were in the same room writing rhymes, sharing stories, having some drinks and making music. Chicago producers SC and Boogz both swung through the studio as well after learning about what was going on and feeling like they had to be there to see it.

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(Mixtape) Naledge / DJ RTC - Brainiac...

DL Link: Brainiac Society

Read the Full article: Naledge / DJ RTC...

Naledge of Kidz In The Hall enlisted the services of RubyHornet's DJ Roosevelt Treasurechest to put together the first installment of the Brainiac Society Mixtape series, Welcome To Brainiac Society. The free mixtape is a nice collection of music by Naledge, as well as other artists that he's built with and that he has been inspired by. Get the full story on Brainiac Society, the tracklist, and download link below. Props to St!zo on the artwork, and special props to Mike Kolar of SoundScape Studios for making it sound so, so crisp.



From Naledge
"Welcome To Brainiac Society is a compilation or collection of music that I
like, and that I might have made or contributed to. There's no real rhyme
or reason to it. I think a lot of people got confused when I started
repping Brainiac Society as my crew or my label cause I think a lot of
people took it as a separation from Kidz In The Hall, which is not what it
is. It's just me giving a platform to people that I like, and I want it to
be looked at moreso as a Native Tongues type of thing than as a Bad Boy type
of thing. It's just a group of people that make dope music and appreciate
the artistry of Hip Hop and doesn't have to necessarily mean they are
rappers. They can sing, they can make beats, DJ, whatever. It's about the
creative renaissance that's going on within Hip Hop all over the nation.
These are people that I met in my travels who I feel are dope and they
inspire me. We just get together and we collectively make art...It's also a
platform for me to put out Fooch who is my artist. It's no departure from
Kidz In The Hall. Me and Double O are such creative beings in general, that
we don't know how to operate without 30 things going on at once. We're very
much multi-taskers and we've always been that way. We try to have our hands
in everything.

RTC mixed it, it's got new freestyles, some exclusive stuff, some stuff
that's been leaked on the internet, stuff that you might have forgot existed
or never had or never downloaded on a a CD. My hope with this is that
people will download it, burn it to a CD, and just play it, or add it as a
playlist to their ipod. That's really what it is, just a dope mix, a dope
collection of music. Talented individuals on all fronts, and I'm really
excited about it."

(Video) Eighty81 x Kids N the Hall

Naledge Celebrates his Birthday w/ new Song

Ruby Hornet Exclusive - September 10, 2008
For Immediate Release:

"Not every birthday is a good one," says Naledge of Kidz In The Hall. But
every birthday does present a chance to reflect and take note of another
year of growth. Self-reflection is at the heart of Naledge's new solo
track, "Happy Birthday To Me" which premiered today exclusively as part of
RubyHornet.com's Inspired By Column, and is available for download on the
Chicago based music and culture website.

The song is produced by Statik Selektah, and its early beginnings can be
traced back to an Arizona jail cell, where Naledge sat alone, just hours
after a Kidz In The Hall performance. The contrast of going from a crowded
club, to lonely jail cell were extremely stark and provided Naledge with a
lot of time to think. The result is "Happy Birthday To Me", a song set in a
bar, which tells Naledge's story through a character celebrating his 25th
birthday drunk and alone.

"I¹m trying to take the perspective of somebody who is just being fully
honest and fully blunt...The irony is that it¹s a celebration, he¹s saying
³happy birthday to me², but he¹s by himself while drinking at a bar. That¹s
the mindstate I put it in," Naledge explains. "I just saw this scene of me
at a bar by myself drinking and being like, Œlet me reflect on this year.
The good, the bad, and the ugly.'"

To read the full inspiration behind the new song, as well as hear the music
please visit:

RubyHornet