a-Tunes » Shogunna

Shogunna Reportedly Arrested & Detained

a-Tunes.net — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 01:23:34 +0000

Details are a bit sparse but folks close to the rapper known as Shogunna have taken to twitter to spread the word that he has been arrested and is currently being detained. Unfortunately, this is not Shogun’s first brush with the law. We have no official details to report at this time but it’s always with a heavy heart when we have to share such difficult news regarding our artists. We wish Shogunna the best during these trying times and hope he is able to move past all of this very soon.

Ma nigga Shogunna is locked up… Fuckin gettin tires of these muhfuckas I swear… Tryin to get all of us—
(@66IZ) April 21, 2011

Fuck the bullshit #freeshogunna—
DC (@deciphermusic) April 20, 2011

Decipher Drops The Cause Mixtape [Free DL]

a-Tunes.net — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:29:58 +0000

With anticipation building for Decipher’s next full length album, he’s gone ahead and dropped a mixtape to keep the fans satiated. It includes a lot of old work and some never before heard material. To say it’s jam packed is an understatement, where else you gonna find a release with 43 tracks? Of course, there are features from some of the usual suspects including Shogunna, Andrew Choi, Chan, Ailee, Manifest, Johnnyphlo, Rousseau and more! It’s a free DL so don’t sleep!

Check out what he had to say about the release along with the full tracklist after the break.

Most artists go out of their way to try and hide their first songs but I want to show yall out there how far I’ve grown with my upcoming album The Effect. That’s what this compilation, The Cause, is to me. Some songs such as One of them Days, Girl From Around The Way, Sinner’s Prayer, etc. were songs people have been asking about for years and I finally had the right reason to give it to them. Some other’s songs are purely for the sake of showing you how I rapped 10 years ago. Honestly, I know some of these songs are wack lol but I want you to feel my growth as an artist when you hear the new album. Shout out to DJ Dutta of DMD for mixing The Cause down.The Cause is available for free download here. Let it be a reminder to you that The Effect will be available January 4th!

ALSO! I will be releasing something NEW everything TUESDAY as a part of #TheEffectTuesday until the release of the album so be sure to check back! Love yall.

Shogunna x Mye-T x Jolly-V Release “Collaboration”

a-Tunes.net — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:59:54 +0000

A new song produced by Lukalee featuring Shogunna, Mye-T and Jolly-V appropriately called “Collaboration” was recently released online. The beat is sick and has a great strings sample and each MC comes correct. The scratching it just icing on the cake. Plus it’s always dope to hear a female rock the mic and carry her own. I’m loving this track.

Credit: AHHT

Jin Drops Tribute Song to Asian MC’s – ‘The A-List’

a-Tunes.net — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:48:04 +0000

Jin, arguably the most well-known Asian-American MC, decided to drop a track in tribute of all the Asian MC’s he respects that are doing their thing right now. This song is in response to a list that was published by a blogger on their top 10 Greatest Asian MC’s list, where Jin made the cut at #1. It’s encouraging to see Jin give a nod to his fellow colleagues, or as his once famously said in a Freestyle battle “cause Game recognize game”. He spits over the instrumental to Drake’s “It’s Over”.

Here’s the complete list of rapper’s he shouted out on the track. Ill.

Critic’s Corner: Johnnyphlo – Basic Strategy

a-Tunes.net — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 05:01:49 +0000

Although Johnnyphlo debuted with a mini-album last year entitled The Notebook, he is making his first feature length album debut with his latest release, Basic Strategy. His mini-album was a very strong, albeit short, collection of songs that showed a lot of potential and promise for the relatively new artist. Though he’s spent a lot of time behind the scenes in music, only in more recent years has he stepped into the spotlight and he’s really had a strong start to his career since then. With the release of this album, the biggest question to be answered was whether he could sustain the quick pace of his artistic growth and development or would his progression stagnate? Looking at the track listing it’s clear that Johnny’s enlisted the help of a lot of other artists so let’s jump right in and see if all the work and collaboration paid off. Note: The album includes a couple re-releases from The Notebook, which I will not include in this review since I commented on them in the last one.

Basic Strategy ft Viruss 44, EXP, DJ Zo – The title track of the album starts things off with a bang with a bass heavy track that encourages all the artists to go in hard on this one. It looks like a deliberate choice was made to feature other bi-lingual Korean-American emcess as Viruss 44 and EXP both deliver verses following JP’s opener. Everyone gave a solid performance while DJ Zo’s cuts bring it all together brilliantly. I though a lot of great choices were made here.

Too Late ft James Ha – This song was released before the album dropped and it’s as strong a listen now as it was back then. James Ha’s light R&B vocals blend very well with the track and add a great touch. For me, this took a few listens to fully appreciate but I found that it grew on me quickly from there. It’s a smooth song and completely different in tempo and sound from the album opener. The instrumentation is anchored by an acoustic guitar, which really helped the sound stand out.

Rollercoaster ft Ailee – I can already tell you, this is easily the catchiest track on the album. It’s a fun Hip-Pop song and the Johnnyphlo x Ailee combination continues to prove to be a winning forumla. Is this the most lyrical track you’re gonna hear? No. Is it the deepest? Certainly not. But it definitely serves its purpose as a strong commercial single for the album and it’s nearly impossible to get out of your head. At the end of the day this is a great pop song. If there was a platform for it, this would be a sure-fire radio it.

Live Your Life [니 멋대로] – In yet another change of pace, JP decides to try his hand at a Southern style of track. I’ll be completely frank and say it took me a while to get used to this song, simply because I’ve never heard this style from him before. Once I was able to move past my reservations I found the song enjoyable though I wouldn’t say this is one of my favorites. I imagine this would be great live though. While I’m glad the entire album isn’t done in this style I will say it’s a fresh track that adds variety within the context of the project.

One of the Best ft Decipher, Manifest, JL, Lyricks – This is pretty much the definition of a posse cut. MUzO (Johnny, Decipher) goes in on the track with the fellas from The Beautiful Cycle (Manifest, JL, Lyricks). This song was released last summer with an accompanying music video, the only difference being JL was added to the repertoire. I though the original MV version was an incredibly strong track as each MC killed their respective parts though I’m not sure JL added a whole lot to it, which is odd considering how strong his verses typically are. It’s not that his contribution wasn’t well done, rather something about it just felt a little bit out of place. That being said this is one of the best collaborative tracks I’ve heard in quite some time, and though released a year ago, it’s inclusion on the album is still welcome.

Don’t Phase Me – If you ever wondered how JP felt about the various criticisms and opinions that he’s faced, this track aims to shed some light on the very subject. The song has a mellow, almost jazzy influence to it that gives it great sound. The chorus is serviceable, but felt a bit thin in comparison. Lyricks makes his second appearance on the album and his flow is bananas here. In fact, the highlight of the track is probably the smooth, lyrical delivery from both MC’s.

내 안에 있으니 [03.03.2009] – This song starts off with an interlude where Johnnyphlo explains the experience of his Father’s passing before moving on to what is easily the most somber, but moving experience on the album. I thought this was a perfect example of where music transcends language as you can feel the heart and emotions he poured into this song regardless if you understand Korean. In a way, this track makes one view Johnny not solely as an artist or a rapper, but instead as a child who lost a loving parent. Although it’s terrible that this song was based on such a heartbreaking experience, it’s truly helped mold what I consider to be the best track of the album.

Top of the World ft Schoolboy Duke – Once again switching gears, Johnny goes in a more pop-oriented direction, enlisting the help of Schoolboy DUKE for this one. DUKE is a perfect choice for this style of song as he tends to defy genre constraints himself. I have mixed feelings about the final mixdown of this track as DUKE sounded kind of muddy on his sung chorus, but his verse contribution kept things fresh. This is another one that I can enjoy as a one-off, in small doses but can easily grow tired off after too many repeated listens. In short, it’s fun but too stylized for me to completely love.

Just a Friend – Also released as a single last year, this is an enjoyable, light, summer love song. The track also had an accompanying music video. It’s got commercial appeal but is chill enough to enjoy no matter what the mood. Like most of the songs on the album, this track serves a very specific purpose and is another cut that strengthens the LP’s mass appeal. It’s certainly not ground breaking, but a good listen nonetheless.

내 꺼 – Johnny relies heavily on the autotune for the hook and bridge of this song, and it actually worked a lot better than I thought it would. This is another easy-listening song but there isn’t a whole lot about it to set it apart from the rest of the album. I gotta admit though, the chorus melody is pretty catchy. It makes me wonder what could have been if JP had used another artist to fully sing the hook. This cut is a good song but there’s nothing particularly note-worthy about it.

Be ft Shogunna – If I had to choose my favorite beat on the album, this song is it. The bluesy electric guitar adds so much flavor to the song and almost paints a picture on it’s own. JP delivers a Tiger JK-esque performance here, and it suits him and the track as a whole perfectly. Shogunna adds a lot of texture in contrast and really helps anchor the song. This may be one of the most well balanced songs I’ve heard in quite some time. I thought every element complemented each other beautifully. Easily another one of my favorites.

One Day ft Decipher – Ths entire track is pretty much an extended shout-out in rap form. That said I think some will appreciate this song more than others. For anyone that’s invested in or is a fan of the Asian-American music community, this song will serve as an encouragement and fond acknowledgement of the scene and many of it’s major players. If you have little interest about AA music and it’s artist then this one will likely go right over your head.

Once Again ft Sam Ock – Featuring production and vocals by Sam Ock, this is a gorgeously arranged song though it’s certainly not without it’s faults. As JP addresses his struggles in reconciling his spiritual life with his day-to-day life it all comes off a little bit flat. I don’t feel the same emotional connection and comittment to the song as I did in 내 안에 있으니 [03.03.2009], though it could easily be that JP is more connected to one topic over the other. The song is well written and produced but falls short of some his other work in delivering a genuine experience.

Conclusion: The most interesting thing about this album is the fact that I was able to appreciate it in two very distinct ways. There are a handful of choice singles on this album that I absolutely loved, and would throw them into my favorites playlist any day. Conversely, there are some songs on here that I wouldn’t appreciate as much as singles, simply because they may be too stylized or unexpected for my taste. But when heard within the context of the entire album, even those songs become truly enjoyable as they offer a refreshing change of pace by adding variety and flavor into the mix. In fact, if I had to sum up this collection of songs in one word, it would be variety. And believe me, in this case variety is good. One of my main complaints about his mini album was the lack there of and it seems Johnnyphlo had directly addressed that. Some may point out that all the different genres and styles on this album indicate a lack of focus and authenticity but it seems more to me that it’s just a deeper representation of the fact that JP is a multi-faceted artist with diverse tastes. I appreciate the fact that he doesn’t limit himself to one box or label. He certainly made some very smart choices here, and although he pulled of some styles better than others, there is very little that I actually dislike about this album. Genre purists and elitists may want to avoid this release but for anyone else that has an eclectic palate for their music, I highly recommend this one. Now the next test for Johnny will be to see if he can pull it off again, only without the abundance of strong supporting features.

Must Listen: Basic Strategy, Rollercoaster, 내 안에 있으니 [03.03.2009], One of the Best, Be

a-Tunes Score: 9.5/10

WTF: Shogunna – Signed 2 The Streets Instrumentals

a-Tunes.net — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:54:32 +0000

Hello folks, it’s that time again! We got another Weekly Thursday Freebie for you courtesy of Shogunna himself.

Shogunna has released a lot of the instrumentals from his Signed 2 The Streets. All the beats he’s released are produced by X-Facta. The production was definitely more than solid on this one so be sure to check it out. For all you beat heads out there, or any MC’s looking for some music to spit to, here’s a great collection for that mixtape you’ve been working on.

Don’t forget, Shogunna’s earlier work, including Signed 2 The Streets, was featured as a Weekly Thursday Freebie in the past and is still available! So you can always hear the finished product in addition to the beats.

The Introduction
Shogun’s Theme
Gotta Get Mine
If You Ready
Here Now
All It Takes
The Setup
Long Ago
Street Life
Live Life
Keep On
One To Remember

Link after the break!

Get it HERE!

Johnnyphlo’s “Basic Strategy” Album Officially Released

a-Tunes.net — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:53:53 +0000

After thanking all his supporters at his album released party, Johnnyphlo goes on to announce that his debut full-length album ‘Basic Strategy‘ has been officially released today.

The album is on sale for $10 via paypal but 50% of the proceeds will go towards the relief efforts in Haiti. It will also be available via different online retailers in the near future.

Like I explain in the video blog, I’m going to donate 50% of my sales to Haiti. I’ve never been the type to really go out of my way to help the others around the world. I was always caught up in my own life and lives of those around me that I never bothered to look around to help those that’s really, really in need. With everything that’s happened for me for the past year or so, I just feel so blessed and felt like it was only right to give it back to the world, no matter how small it may be. Also to be honest, I did feel like it will motivate some of you to purchase the album to support the cause. It ain’t about the money. It’s more important to me that you listen to my music and I hope you can feel better knowing that part of what you pay for will go to help those in need!

If the album is as strong as the singles he’s dropped so far, it should be a great listen. We’ll have a review for you as well soon.

Tracklist after the jump:

Basic Strategy feat. Viruss 44, EXP & DJ Zo
Phone Call [Narration by Miree Park] (Skit)
Too Late feat. James Ha
Rollercoaster feat. Ailee
Live Your Life [니 멋대로]
One of the Best feat. Decipher, Manifest, JL & Lyricks (Original Version)
Don’t Phase Me feat. Lyricks
Biggest Influence [Interview w. S Radio] (Skit)
내 안에 있으니 [03.03.2009]
Top of the World feat. Schoolboy Duke
Just a Friend
내 꺼
Be feat. Shogunna
Once Again feat. Sam Ock
One Day feat. Decipher

Johnnyphlo Announces Album Release Date & Cover

a-Tunes.net — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:38:03 +0000

Johnnyphlo’s has just announced the release date for his upcoming debut full-length album ‘Basic Strategy’. It’s all set to drop January 19th, 2010, nearly a year after the release of his mini-album ‘The Notebook‘. This time around he’s collaborated with a list of artists that reads like who’s who of all the top Asian American talent.

We’ve been informed that Ailee, Decipher, DJ Zo, EXP (aka Explicit Linez), James Ha, JL, Lyricks, Manifest, Sam Ock, Schoolboy DUKE, Shogunna, and Viruss 44 are all on the album! A couple of the tracks have been released already like ‘One of the Best‘ and ‘‘Too Late‘ but it seems like there’s a lot more to look forward to.

JP is also holding an album release party in NY, so if you’re in the area you can find out more details at his site.

WTF: ARW Presents The LS Mixtape

a-Tunes.net — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:06:03 +0000

Yo a-Tunes readers! I know I’ve missed the past couple weeks of WTF due to my vacation but I’m back with a new one for you today courtesy of Asian Rap Worldwide. ARW has posted up their first release, ‘The LS Mixtape’. This compilation album is dedicated to none other than LS, a veteran asian american MC who was part of the early movement but has since left the music scene a few yrs back.

Read what ARW posted about the mixtape including the dialogue w/ LS himself:

I’m very proud to announce that Asian Rap Worldwide has just released its very first mixtape called The LS Mixtape!! The LS mixtape features 12 songs from LS, a Chinese-American rapper from New York that rapped about his life experiences in the streets of New York’s Chinatown. He was coming up in the rap game around the same time when Asian-American rappers such as Jin, Chan and Shogunna were also coming up. That was in the early millenium which marked the beginning stages of an Asian-American hip hop movement, which LS was a part of. If you haven’t heard any new songs from LS lately, that is because LS is not rapping anymore (or at least is putting his rapping on hold for a while). LS explains it all in this the email he sent to me:

Wuts good Royal? Sorry bout the delay, after i got out the hospital n all i had to catch up on mad shit but i didn’t forget about you… i appreciate the luv fam… i juss wanna let you kno that, i haven’t been in the game for a minute now… it seems my time has come and gone… it’s funny because when i was younger i had dreams of making it big but i never thought it could ever happen… then when it really did start happening n things started to take off it kinda took me by surprise because it was happening so fast and i didn’t really kno what to do with it, all the visions i was having was coming tru but i wasn’t really taking it that seriously when i should of been… but thats how life is sumtimes… whether i decide to pursue music again or not i could say say that i’ve definitely made my mark… even with the limited amount of songs that i put out there, i’m still arguably one of the best asian american artist that did it… it was definitely fun while it lasted and who knows, maybe i’ll pick up the mic again n show these niggas wuts up lol… HOLLA AT THE KID!

-LS

Well… you heard it straight from LS. Now about the mixtape. The LS Mixtape is a mix of some originals, some covers over instrumental beats and some collaborations with other Asian rappers.

The mixtape also features Jin, Jay Chou, Shogunna, Chan, Rook, Young Mac, Thai Streets, South Star, FM, & Ailee. You can check out the back cover, tracklisting & download link after the jump. Thanks to ARW for putting this one together!

I’m Back
Mr. Right Mr. Wrong feat Jin
Checkmate feat Jay Chou
Long Road Ahead
Notorious (Chinatown)
Still A Chink feat Jin, Shogunna, Chan, Rookadamus & Young Mac
4th Chamber feat Jin & Chan
Protect Ya Neck Remix feat Jin, Young Mac, Thai Streets, SouthStar, Chan & FM
Life I Chose
Life or Death feat Ailee
Last Laugh feat Jay Uno
Changes

Get the mixtape HERE.

WTF: a-Tunes Mix Vol1 – Summer Break

a-Tunes.net — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:29:19 +0000

This marks a special edition of Weekly Thursday Freebies as we are presenting what is hoped to be the first of many releases to come in a series uncreatively titled ‘a-Tunes Mix’. In short, the a-Tunes Mixes are going to be digital mixtapes comprised of music released by Asian/Asian-American artists here in the states. These mixes should fit on a standard 80 min CD when burned and/or play on the media player of your choice.

The main purpose of this project is to promote artists you wouldn’t normally hear in mainstream media and increase their exposure because they truly do deserve it. In no way are these mixes meant to undermine or serve as a substitution to actually supporting these artists by buying their music. In fact, it is meant to encourage all of you to find new artists you really enjoy and show your support. That being said, if there any artist(s) or members of their staff who are reading this and object to their inclusion, then please let me know (giftedthought at gmail) and I will respectfully leave you out of future releases.

Now, with all the information and disclaimers out of the way… a-Tunes is proud to present the ‘a-Tunes Mix Vol. 1: Summer Break’. I know the summer season is rapidly winding down, and many of you will find yourselfs back at your fine educational institutions soon (if you haven’t already). However, that doesn’t mean we still can’t appreciate some fun, catchy music. All the songs included on this mix were released in roughly the past yr (given a couple exceptions), and are light and infectious enough to simpley relax and enjoy like it’s summer break all over again.

You can find the tracklist, links to the artists, and link to DL all after the jump!

Far East Movement – Girls on the Dance Floor ft 24/8
Wonder Girls – Nobody
Zee Avi – Bitter Heart
Magnetic North & Taiyo Na – Summertime ft Conchita Campos
Johnnyphlo - Just a Friend
Tim Be Told – Analyze
BoA – I Did It For Love ft Sean Garrett
Lyrics Born – Pushed Aside, Pulled Apart ft Lateef the Truthspeaker
Calista Wu – Belong to You
Kina Grannis & David Choi – My Time With You
Roscoe Umali – Never Fallin’ ft One Block Radius
Paul Dateh – Untitled #1
Decipher – There She Goes
Utada – Come Back to Me
Jennifer Chung – Common, Simple, Beautiful
Deep Foundation – Never Forget ft Ashley Robles
Shogunna - Yo Rida
Oak & Gorski – One Last Thought
Se7en – Girls ft Lil Kim
David Choi – Won’t Even Start
Kero One – When the Sunshine Comes ft Ben Westbeech
Jacqueline Chun – Alleluia

Get a-Tunes Mix Vol. 1: Summer Break HERE.

Thank you to all the artists for creating great music, whether they know they are on this mix or not. And to all the fans out there, please remember to continue supporting them!