October 31st, 2011

BACKBURNER: (more) long-delayed reviews… Awesome!

Backburner’s Heatwave continues to receive reviews and currently rests at number 1 on Earshot’s college radio hip hop charts for the last week, but a few reviews have slipped through the cracks when they really should have been given space on this page. So, with no further ado, reviews:



Thanks to Cheryl Thompson for coming through with another review for Hand’Solo Records, giving Backburner’s Heatwave 3.5 out of 5. Here’s what she had to say on the subject:



Read the review here: http://www.soulmattersmag.com



And major props to Darcy MacDonald for coming through once again with another review for the Montreal Mirror. Thanks for giving it 8 out of 10. Here’s what he had to say:



Read the review here: http://www.montrealmirror.com



Finally, thanks to Flash and RapReviews.com for providing space on their site for a review of another Hand’Solo release. Reviewer Patrick Taylor gave the album 7.5 out of 10 and described Heatwave as:

“It has the bounce of L.A. true school acts like Jurassic 5 and People Under the Stairs, keeping true to the hip-hop tradition of crate-digging and MCing” and “Influence-wise they are part Sugarhill Gang, part Eric B. and Rakim, part KRS-One, part Wu-Tang Clan, with a little bit of Eminem’s smart-ass character.”

Read the review here: http://rapreviews.com/

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN AND REVIEW, POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE…

October 16th, 2011

$5 RAP SHOW: Swamp Thing’s “All About the Brains” live!

$5 Rap Show was weird this month. Unfortunately CasUno and Esh the Monolith got turned back at the border and no one really knows what happened to Kodac. But there was still more than enough live music to go around, ending with an awesome set by Timbuktu, Chokeules and Savilion performing together for the first time as Swamp Thing. “All About the Brains” is their first leaked song, available on the Hand’Solo Records mixtape Grandpa Funnybook Presents The Mixtapingly Arranged Rapping Song Album, a limited edition CD released exclusively at Fan Expo 2011 in Toronto.

Anyway, for those who can’t make $5 Rap Show or choose to voluntarily miss this great showcase of underground talent, here’s a bit of footage:

And sorry for those in London who were looking forward to CasUno & Esh playing the Black Shire Pub, and to the Black Shire Pub itself for the trouble, please accept my deepest apologies for the cancellation. I wish I could say it will be re-booked soon, but it’s probably not likely in the near future.

October 11th, 2011

THE (INVISIBLE) INTERNATIONAL ILLTELLIGENT INTERVENTION tour

Making their way up from the U.S. for their first series of shows, CasUno and Esh the Monolith are coming to rock a stacked $5 Rap Show at Rancho Relaxo in Toronto on Thursday, October 13, 2011, followed by another show in London at Black Shire Pub the following night. And each show is only 5 bucks!

More info at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=133087906791805