DJ Green Lantern Presents: The Natural featuring Emilio Rojas

One of hip hop’s fastest rising stars, Emilio Rojas, sat down with the KarmaloopTV crew to talk about his style on the mic and in the streets, working with DJ Green Lantern and much more. Click the image above to hear from Emilio in his own words, and cop your own copy of new mixtape, The Natural, by clicking the images below. Our dude is about to blow the fuck up, so give him a listen now and brag to all of your friends that you heard it first. And to all of our Boston and Cambridge heads, save the date; Rojas swings through The Hub to rock The Middle East Upstairs on November 29th. Cure those post-Turkey Day Black Friday blues with Emilio and all of us here at Karmaloop.

Dead Prez – “Pulse of the People” Turn Off the Radio, Vol. III

For those of you who believe hip hop is dead… you’re half-right. Hip hop is dead prez.

Following the critical acclaim from both the underground and the deeper waters of the mainstream after the first two Turn Off the Radio independent releases, Volume 1 and Volume 2: Get Free or Die Tryin’, Stic.man and M-1 of dead prez strike back with yesterday’s release of Pulse of the People – Turn Off the Radio Volume 3, hosted by DJ Green Lantern.

Stic.man and M-1 have now released two LPs, the two Turn Off the Radio underground mix-tapes and two solo albums each of street-level political hip-hop, heavily aligned with challenging the status quo while forcing listeners to think and shake ass coincidentally. dead prez keeps it funky and revolutionary with Pulse of the People, featuring appearances from trailblazer Chuck D. of Public Enemy, Styles P., Bun B. and acclaimed newcomer Johnny Polygon. Host DJ Green Lantern had reached out to dead prez for mixtape contributions numerous times in the past few years, and though the timing was off before, the three found a perfect opportunity to drop this banger following the success of the Rock the Bells Tour that has featured all three hip hop luminaries. “[Pulse of the People is] an album with all original songs written by dead prez and produced entirely by DJ Green Lantern,” explained Stic.man. “[It] is presented in a format that reps the streets and what’s happening in the hearts and minds of the people that don’t get represented in the mainstream.” Furthermore, as one of the few acts with the balls to connect hardcore hip hop heads with the growing movement for liberation, social justice and grassroots empowerment in a scene more inclined to flash jewels, cars and girls, dead prez have gone “green” with Pulse of the People, using sustainable, recycled packaging for hard copies of the record – true revolutionaries stand by what they speak.

To download your copy of Pulse of the People – Turn Off the Radio Volume 3, click on any of the images to be directed to iTunes.

Johnny Polygon – Group Hug EP Out Now!

Comin’ straight outta Tulsa, a crazy motherfucker named Polygon!

With a self-described sound as cramming “Slick Rick, Tupac and Eminem into a sock and beat[ing] the Pixies to death with it, sprinkling their ashes over Freddy Mercury and Kurt Cobain, then somehow impregnating Lauryn Hill with the fodder, the resulting child might have a chance of entering the same school, but definitely wouldn’t be in the same class” of Johnny Polygon, who dropped the highly-anticipated Group Hug EP May 12th, already earning the exalted Karmaloop seal of approval (he paid us – just kidding).

Since the age of 14 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Polygon realized his natural talents as a rapper following a quick foray into the life of a b-boy. Armed with raw, razor-sharp wit and defiant pride, Polygon’s experience in local theatre productions and rap battles helped dude develop a formidable stage presence, further assisting his perseverance in the underground Midwest scene for years before a full-time move out to the left coast. Since the move, Polygon has doubled the back catalog of his distinct brand of hip hop and indie R&B that has blessed stages from L.A.’s Roxy to New York’s Knitting Factory, leading to gigs on the Warped Tour and openings for notable veterans The Beatnuts, KRS-One and De La Soul.

Johnny Polygon is now working with heralded producer, DJ Green Lantern, who discovered him on MusicNation.com where Polygon worked his way to the semi-finals in a competition that featured hundreds of other undiscovered talents. Since signing with Green Lantern’s Future Green Entertainment, Polygon has recorded “Price on Your Head” for the acclaimed Grand Theft Auto IV video game, a guest verse on Nas’ “Black President,” and future tracks for his forthcoming full-length album.

The future is “better get some Mosley Tribes shades” bright for Polygon, constantly writing and creating music with an atmosphere of positivity that is a definite breath of fresh air in today’s industry. Click the Group Hug EP cover above and witness the work of Polygon first-hand, and stay tuned for more to come from one of today’s finest up-and-comers.