Category Archives: The Freshmen

The Freshmen: Lions Ambition – “Memories”

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I think it’s time to meet some new Freshmen, don’t you? For those just joining us – this is where we spotlight artists who haven’t quite developed a large following yet, and are still working on establishing themselves. Remember it’s important that you, the readers, vote either thumbs up or thumbs down on these posts because this will help us decide which of these artists can graduate from The Freshmen and be a part of the regular rotation of a-Tunes Music News.

Lions Ambition may not be a brand new band, but it wasn’t until their appearance in last year’s Kollaboration Seattle did they really start to gain some traction – which is how we eventually came across their recently released MV for “Memories”. The song is from their 2011 album, The Application. The multi-ethnic band is not only a melting pot of cultures, but of musical style too. Comparisons to the likes of Gym Class Heroes or perhaps even a toned down Linkin Park come to mind – but the bottom line is, this isn’t your typical band. So readers, I ask you, is this the right blend of elements for you?

Make your opinions know via the old, trusty, thumbs up and down icons. Thumbs up means you… actually if I have to explain the difference between thumbs up and down to you, we may have bigger, overall communication issues. The moral of the story, lots of thumbs up means Lions Ambitions will grace the pages of a-Tunes regularly. So what do you think?

The Freshman: Goni – “To Me”

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It’s only the third day of February, how about a new Freshmen feature? If you need a reminder – this is where we spotlight artists who haven’t quite developed a large following yet, and are still working on establishing themselves. Remember it’s important that you, the readers, vote either thumbs up or thumbs down on these posts because this will help us decide which of these artists can graduate from The Freshmen and be a part of the regular rotation of a-Tunes Music News.

Now this isn’t exactly the first time we’ve heard from Goni; he’s graced our website once before by merit of jumping on a remix track with Johnnyphlo last fall. But the NY/NJ artist has continued to branch out on his own under the tutelage of his MUzO counterparts. “To You” is the bi-lingual rapper’s music video debut, a memorable milestone in any artists career. The song utilizes a recognizable sample perhaps best known for it’s use in Kill Bill. When all is said and done, you can see both the areas of promise and areas that could use some polish – but which side of him do you ultimately see prevailing?

This is a democratic process, so exercise your right to vote by clicking thumbs up or thumbs down. With enough positive votes outweighing the negative, you’ll see and hear more from Goni on our site. On the flip side, a lack of interest and we’ll have to keep going without the new rapper. So, what’ll it be?

The Freshmen: Boombox Saints – “Late Night Creep”

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Perhaps this would be an opportune time for our first Freshmen feature of 2012. This is where we spotlight artists who haven’t quite developed a following yet, and are still working on establishing themselves. Remember it’s important that you, the readers, vote either thumbs up or thumbs down on these posts because this will help us decide which of these artists can graduate from The Freshmen and be a part of the regular rotation of a-Tunes Music News.

Boombox Saints are a collection of artists from our neighbors up north, Canada. They’ve got a few independent EPs under their belt, but plan to release their debut full length sometime this year – I believe in the coming months. The group has been pushing their single, “Late Night Creep”, in promotion of their latest release, Bringin’ the Boom Back. Although they are still building a following and name for themselves, they seem to have a lot more polish than some of their contemporaries in a similar position. Could they big one of the next big acts to blow up with their classic Hip-Hop style? Or will they remain under the radar, catering to a small, niche, underground following?

We don’t have that answer but we’d like to get your opinion on the matter. Vote thumbs up if you’re feeling ‘em. Thumbs down if it’s on to the next one. With enough thumbs up, you can earn them a spot in our news rotation, giving you at least one more place to help keep up on the group’s activities.

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The Freshmen: Mark Agustin – “Free” MV

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We haven’t had a Freshmen feature since the summer – so this is long overdue. This is where we spotlight artists who haven’t quite developed a following yet, and are still working on establishing themselves. Remember it’s important that you, the readers, vote either thumbs up or thumbs down on these posts because this will help us decide which of these artists can graduate from The Freshmen and be a part of the regular rotation of a-Tunes Music News.

Mark Agustin is a Filipino-American artist from the SF Bay area. Don’t let the guy’s young looks fool you as he’s in his mid twenties and has been involved with music for a while – though he’s just starting to gain some traction. Agustin isn’t a complete stranger to our site though, he was previously involved in a big 2NE1 remix collab. But he’s just dropped a mini-album called Pride & Shame and is pushing the MV for the single “Free” off the project; which is what caught our eyes and ears for this feature.

But what say you? Does Mark Agustin have what it takes to warrant continued coverage? Click the thumbs up to keep the MC around or thumbs down and it’s on to the next one.

The Freshmen: Vickz – “Hater Muzik” ft Al P, Joker, & Bizzy

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Tonight we’re bringing you a new Freshmen feature, where we spotlight artists who haven’t quite developed a following yet, and are still working on establishing themselves. Remember it’s important that you, the readers, vote either thumbs up or thumbs down on these posts because this will help us decide which of these artists can graduate from The Freshmen and be a part of the regular rotation of a-Tunes Music News.

This time around we have the southern rapper Vickz, another addition to the quickly expanding Sky High Lab roster. Known to some as Harrison Kim, Vickz was born in “The Big Easy” but found his way to the ATL at a young age where he’s grown up since. As a true southern representative and given his history and style, it would make sense that he’d end up being affiliated with the Sky High Lab crew. As Vickz aims to create a buzz for himself, he has released a music video for a large collab track entitled “Hater Muzik”. He’s joined by Al P (of the Yellow Boyz), Joker & Bizzy on a high energy, down-south, Hip-Hop track.

But just because he is with Sky High and has the co-sign of other Southern artists doesn’t mean he automatically deserves a regular spot on a-Tunes. Voice your opinion in the comments section and most importantly vote thumbs up or down to determine if he’s ready to be featured more often.

The Freshmen: Carnivo – “20 Dollars” MV

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I’m thinking that the time is ripe for a new Freshmen feature, where we spotlight artists who haven’t quite developed a following yet, and are still working on establishing themselves. Remember it’s important that you, the readers, vote either thumbs up or thumbs down on these posts because this will help us decide which of these artists can graduate from The Freshmen and be a part of the regular rotation of a-Tunes Music News.

This time around we have a new music video by Southern California rapper Carnivo, a member of the Troubadours along with crew member Aero-K (who directed the video). The visuals are for his lead single “20 Dollars” off his album Not So Lucky, released earlier this year. Carnivo has a style that reminds me a little bit of what a mixture of Dumb & Geo might sound like. C definitely stays busy behind the mic and shows promise but ultimately it’s up to you all as to whether or not you’d like to see more of him on a-Tunes.

So exercise your democratic rights and let us know if you want more Carnivo on the site by voting thumbs up. If “20 Dollars” is more than enough, then hit the thumbs down.

The Freshmen: Dru B Shinin’ – The Admission One MVs

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We think we’re a little over due for a new Freshmen feature, where we spotlight artists who haven’t quite developed a following yet, and are still working on establishing themselves. Remember it’s important that you, the readers, vote either thumbs up or thumbs down on these posts because this will help us decide which of these artists can graduate from The Freshmen and be a part of the regular rotation of a-Tunes Music News.

Dru B Shinin’ is a Hip-Hop artist representing the lone star state of Texas. Although he’s released a couple of projects to date, they’ve mostly remained under the radar and out of the greater public eye. He is aiming to change that with the protion of his The Admission One EP - released last year. What makes his promotional efforts unique is that he’s opted to release an 8 part music video, one of each track on the EP. That’s a lot of time, effort, and material so the question is; did the gamble pay off? The MV’s themselves tend to be fairly simple, straight forward and nothing fancy. As for the songs themselves, he has a chill laid back vibe that I think many could enjoy. But nevermind my assumptions… what say you?

Don’t forget you have the power! Vote thumbs up if you want us to continue sharing more material from Dru B Shinin’, thumbs down if you’ve seen enough. You can watch the other 7 MV’s and vote after the break.

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The Freshmen: Daniel Kim – “All I Need Is You”

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Why don’t we start off the week with a new Freshmen feature, where we feature artists who haven’t quite developed a following yet, and are still working on establishing themselves and making their official debut. Remember it’s important that you the readers vote either thumbs up or thumbs down on these posts because this will help us decide which of these artists can graduate from The Freshmen and be a part of the regular rotation of a-Tunes Music News.

Daniel Kim is a musician out of Michigan whom I’ve had the privilege of seeing him perform live. I remember he sang one of his tunes called “All I Need Is You” at this coffeehouse event and I distinctly recall being impressed by the the raw and simple power of the track. It appears he’s finally put down a studio version of the track and has just dropped the official MV for the song. I think the studio version loses a little bit of it’s raw live energy but it’s a clean, well balanced mix. The video is sharp, standard DSLR fare really – an appropriate visual given the song content. But of course my say means nothing, it’s all about your vote. Wanna hear more from Daniel Kim on a-Tunes? Thumbs up! You’d rather pass? Thumbs down. Let us know!

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The Freshmen: Andy Ha – Would It Matter ft Decipher

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It’s been a few weeks since our last Freshmen feature, where we feature artists who haven’t quite developed a following yet, and are still working on establishing themselves and making their official debut. Remember it’s important that you the readers vote either thumbs up or thumbs down on these posts because this will help us decide which of these artists can graduate from The Freshmen and be a part of the regular rotation of a-Tunes Music News.

So it was great timing that an artist by the name of Andy Ha decided to drop his first single called “Would It Matter” featuring none other than Decipher (this guy seems to enjoying lending his flow to new talent). This seems to be another case where talent runs in the family as Andy is the brother to body beat boxing extraordinaire, James Ha. This track is a mid-tempo R&B joint completely written, produced, and engineered by Andy. Production values are pretty sharp, and featuring De was a good look as it helped switch up the pace and offer some variety. It’s a farily promising start, let’s see where Andy can take it from here.

But of course, it’s your opinion that matters the most. What do you think? Thumbs up or down? Has Andy earned a spot on the a-Tunes news feed?

PS – we’re looking for some fresh, new female talent to feature too! If you think you got what it takes, or know of someone who does, drop us a line! info [at] a-Tunes.net!

The Freshmen: Victor Oh – “Forever Reign”

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And we’re back with another installment of The Freshmen, where we feature artists who haven’t quite developed a following yet, and are still working on establishing themselves and making their official debut. Remember it’s important that you the readers vote either thumbs up or thumbs down on these posts because this will help us decide which of these artists can graduate from The Freshmen and be a part of the regular rotation of a-Tunes Music News.

Do you guys remember Anita Oh? She did a remix with Decipher of “Love the Way You Lie” back in July that has racked up nearly half a million views on Youtube. Well it looks like music runs in the family because her brother Victor Oh has just dropped his first single called “Forever Reign”. The single was released in support of a campaign called MyCharity: Water, an effort to bring clean water to developing nations. The song topic is inherently Faith oriented and as a result shares the blueprint of many CCM tracks that have obviously inspired it. I was very impressed with production values, with everything sounding clean and well mixed, while the backing vocals of Jane Han were a very nice touch. It’s a very strong debut for the newcomer. You can DL the single for free here.

But the question is, what say you? Thumbs up or down; your vote counts!

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