If you know me, if you’ve been in my vehicle or been in my dorm room while I was in college, you’d know that my affinity for A.B. The Pro‘s music is probably unrivaled. I have a lot of confidence in this SE representer’s sound, and he’s my favorite artist on DC’s Studio 43 imprint. I felt like his mixtape he dropped back in ’09 was criminally slept on as far as production and the artists featured. You can tell that he cares a lot about putting DC on the map, and he without a doubt brought out the best in artists that otherwise may not have been able to convince you of their talent. In my eyes, “Stussy on My Back” with Young Marley could have been a local smash if the proper push was behind it (Stussy could have easily jumped on that joint and licensed it out and more money could have been made!), but 43 made the poor decision to push “W On The Fitted” instead, which was by far the worst joint on the entire tape. No offense to any of the artists on that track, but…that joint was so weak.  But hey. I’m not hear to chastise too much. That’s the past. We’re on to the future.

A.B. let me hold an early version of the mixtape to give him some feedback and criticism, and it’s so awesome to see that not only did he take it well, but he actually listened to the majority of what I said! Swapped some songs out, changed the tracklisting, and dropped a lot of freestyles over industry beats. In order to give you A.B. as an artist as opposed to just a producer, I feel like he needs to rap over his own $#!t. The one thing that I wished he did was to start the album with “Young Jimi Hendrix” (which is the first preview I’m gonna give you), or at least make that joint #2! It goes way too hard and kinda introduces you to what the entire album is gonna be like. Besides that, I don’t have too many gripes. The beats are mixed and mastered to thump in the vehicle or through your headphones, he has some club bangers that’ll make you raise an eyebrow and wonder why he doesn’t have stuff on the radio (or with bigger artists outside of DC, to be completely honest), and while he’s not exactly a rapper, you can’t be mad at his lyrics, cuz it’s all stuff people can relate to.

DC is proud of this, but I’m tryna make sure everybody beyond DC hears this product. Featuring a lot of untapped and under appreciated talent that you can read about on the back cover, this is a really good project that I’m proud to have been a fake-me-out A&R on, lol. Nah but really. Jam the previews, and then grab it below.

DOWNLOAD: A.B. The Pro – Crown Vic Music [Mixtape]

From 12 pm to 6pm on Friday, March 19th, DC to BC and The Great Progression, along with several other fine organizations, will be hosting Quality!, a South By Southwest showcase in Austin, TX. How did this all happen? If you’re interested, you better read on.

Several years ago, probably in either late high school or early college, I was put on to a remarkable boutique music blog by the name of Blind I For The Kids. Headed by music buff Suli, or $ as he goes by on the internets, Blind I has been hipping me to the vast majority of the eclectic jams I’ve had in rotation. Every other rarity and B-side in my 22,000+ patchwork collection of legally and illegally acquired music has been downloaded from Blind I. They were the biggest inspiration in starting this site that you see today, providing support and motivation while I tried my hand at building a safehaven where people could revel in music, trillness, and tomfoolery.

Almost two weeks ago, Suli reached out to me and said, “Modi, you tryna do a showcase at South By Southwest with me?” I thought it was a joke. As you can see by the flyer, it wasn’t a joke at all. 10 or so later, I got my $#!t together. The wonderful team behind Blind I (especially Noah, Maiya, and $) obviously gave this endeavor much thought before I was involved, from gathering sponsors to finding the acts, from securing the venue to getting the little intangibles dealt with. I’m honored to be a part of this experience, and it’ll be a journey. If you’re interested in following it all, follow @DCtoBC (me) or @QualitySXSW on Twitter. Below is a nice little summary of exactly what’s going on.

We present to you “QUALITY,” an eclectic progressive musical display showcasing some of the best and brightest in 2010’s new musical landscape. Hosted by the tastemakers of Blind I and DC to BC / The Great
Progression, “QUALITY!” aims to provide the community of burgeoning talent that Blind I, DC to BC, and The Great Progression promotes virally with a visual showcase during the famed South by Southwest (SXSW) week.

DATE: Friday, March 19th, 2010
LOCATION: Soho Lounge (217 E. 6th Street, Austin, TX)
Expected Attendance: 600+ (600 people!? My goodness!)

Performances by: Theo Martins, Vandalyzm, Classy Hand Favours, TiRon, The Paxtons, KJ, Project Mayhem, Mic Terror, Black Spade, Brittany Street, Bad Rabbits, Phil Ade, U-N-I, Kinky Notti, Tabi Bonney, Brittany Bosco, Peter Hadar, Sulaiman, YP, Big Homie Doe, Rockwell Knuckles, House Shoes, BBU, Coultrain, L.E., Pugs Atomz, and some special guests.

Yeah, and if all those names didn’t ring too many bells (and some should, but some shouldn’t, because it’s a showcase. It’s where relatively known and unknown artists give you a reason to check for them in the future.), we’ve done you a favor and compiled a smooth sampler mixtape to prepare you for what you’re about to see, or for you to live through vicariously if you can’t make it to Austin for the weekend. Click artwork or the link below that to download!

DOWNLOAD: QUALITY! Showcase Sampler Mixtape

Quick note: U-N-I was a last-minute addition, so the song you played while reading this post was a song of theirs. Wasn’t that some crafty thinking? Ha. Grab it below.

DOWNLOAD: U-N-I – Windows

]]> http://DCtoBC.com/2010/03/south-by-southwest-showcase-quality/feed/ 18 http://DCtoBC.com/2009/03/ab-producer-producers-credit-mixtape/ http://DCtoBC.com/2009/03/ab-producer-producers-credit-mixtape/#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:58:38 +0000 modi http://www.DCtoBC.com/?p=4592

oh my lord. studio 43‘s A.B. the Producer has delivered with this one.

this among is the most enjoyable mixtapes i’ve jammed in a while. i didn’t say the most technical, or the most ingenious. A.B. is a producer first, but as a rapper/singer/whatever you wanna call it, he’s definitely entertaining and can make some catchy songs. agree or disagree, i don’t really care. i’m all about those craaaaaazy beats. that’s what i live for. and apparently, so does A.B. i remember after i heard his “charisma” last year, i was beyond impressed with his production skills, but to see such tremendous growth in such a short period makes me pretty excited to see what the future holds. from samples to original compositions, he rocks every single beat. i even think some of these joints should be held for some A-list talent (meaning world famous, not like the artists on the mixtape aren’t good. you know what i mean!) if you ask me.

i really dig how the DMV artists all support each other. virtually anybody who is anybody on the scene blesses the mixtape with a verse. literally. you name them, they’re probably on it. yes, that means wale is on the joint. but so are raheem devaughn, lyriciss, marky, pro’verb, mouse, X.O., ra the MC, and a slew of other emcees and singers. you gotta check the tracklisting after the jump to see who else blesses the mixtape.

A.B., this joint cranks. great work. everybody needs this in rotation right about now. i’m throwing up a couple samples, just in case all these words didn’t persuade you to download it yet.

*note: you need some nice speakers to jam these. trust me. at least have some bass at your disposal.*

DOWNLOAD: A.B. the Producer – Producer’s Credit [Mixtape]

tracklisting after this.