Hip Hop is Music

Hey, this is Braille and I wanted to give everyone a quick update on what’s going on with the label.  We are still pushing our previous releases including records from Sivion, Surreal, Theory Hazit, Othello and Poems.  You can find all these releases and more in our online store and also on Itunes.  I haven’t had much time to keep this set updated lately because I’ve been preparing for the release of my forth solo record “The IV Edition”.  I’m going to spend all summer touring (my wife and daughter will be joining me) and once I get back it will be business as usual.  Our next release will be a solo record from Sojourn!!!  In the meantime, your support with “The IV Edition” would be greatly appreciated.  You can order your copy now from www.360vinyl.com, www.sphereofhiphopstore.com, www.qualityjunk.com, www.ughh.com, www.accesshiphop.com, the bus shop, Best Buy, Amazon and many more spots worldwide.  Below are some banners and pictures you can check out as well.

The Sounds of Poems have been Blooming around the world.  Check out this store display from a shop in Japan.  We also have vinyl out now and the album is going worldwide on digitally in February.  You can get your copy NOW in our online store featuring 15 tracks and production by Ohmega Watts, Stro and Mr. J of the Procussions, Vintage, Tony Stone, Choice 37 and more.

Braille and DJ Idull team up to offer “Box of History” as a free download mix. DJ Idull mixes and blends over 21 tracks from the last 8 years of Braille’s career. Most of these songs are from feature appearances and many of them are rare. Download the whole mix (two parts) at http://www.hiphopismusic.com/BOH/

The special splash/flash page for the mix was designed by Lain. The page is filled with secret links. You can grab the mix, the cover, the credits and read the full story all in one place. If you enjoy the mix, please consider supporting via donation. We are raising money to help cover promotional expenses for Braille’s new album “The IV Edition” coming Spring 2008.

The Buzz about Othello’s new album “Alive At The Assembly Line” has been spreading. Othello was a featured artist on myspace.com and his new video is getting great feedback so far.

Check out the new ECARD where you can watch the video, listen to some songs and purchase the album (download or CD). We really appreciate the support.

http://othellorockswell.net/ecard.html

Next up is the Poems album “Blooming Sounds”. More info on that coming very soon.

It’s official!!! Order a copy of the Othello album “Alive At The Assembly Line” before Oct. 30th and we will send you a bonus EP for FREE. The EP features 8 new tracks by Othello and DJ Manwell and it’s called “Rain System”. As soon as you place your order - just email your reciept to braillehiphop@hotmail.com and I’ll supply you with the download link. The EP is ready now, so as soon as you purchase the album, let me know and I’ll send you the link. Instant gratification!!! If you’ve already purchased a pre-order, just let me know and I’ll hook you up. We even leaked a sneak preview at www.myspace.com/hhismusic . You can place your order at our store, www.sphereofhiphopstore.com, www.ughh.com, www.accesshiphop.com, bus shop, www.360vinyl.com or any other spot you find the album at.

We got two records dropping in October and they are both available for pre-orders now.

1. Sev Statik and DJ Dust (Mars Ill) come together for the album “Back to Dust”. This album is going to be available digitally through the Rawkus 50 platfrom, but HHIM is also in the mix offering 1,000 limited edition DigiPacks. Pick up yours now. WORD
   
2. Othello “Alive At The Assembly Line” is officially dropping October 30th!!!! As a special bonus, anyone who places a preorder will be given access to a free EP download by Othello and DJ Manwell. “Alive At The Assembly Line” is worth the price alone, but with this bonus EP it’s an incredible deal. This album has the live jazz flavor plus beats from Stro and Mr. J of the Procussions, Ohmega Watts, Illmind, MPhazes and more. CHECK IT OUT ya’ll.
3. On another note - Braille and Theory Hazit will be touring heavy in October. First they are running around Canada with The Joe and Jonek. Then they are running around Europe with Ohmega Watts. We still have some dates available for booking on the Canada tour - if you’d like to get involved please contact www.myspace.com/thejoehiphop

Hey, this is Braille. We have some brand new limited edition Hiphop IS Music t-shirts. This design was inspired by the local Ashes 2 Ashes B-boy battle (www.amplifiedtechniques.com) and Karate Kid. My man Laine hooked up the design. We have small, medium, large and x-large. The shirts are $20 (shipping included in the U.S.) If you’d like to place an order then simply paypal $20 to Braillehiphop@hotmail.com. For international orders, please email first.

+Color of T-shirt will be slighter darker then image shows. It’s a carolina light blue.

Braille’s next big show will be happening in his hometown. August 4th he’ll be rocking at GrapeDrink in Portland with Sleep, Da’rel Junior and more in the line up. This is a “Hiphop IS Music Presents” event and will feature music from finalists of an international beat battle and will also have an open floor for B-Boys and B-Girls. Braille has been working hard on his performance over the last couple years and now he is striving to take the whole experience to a new level. This concert will be much more interactive with opportunities for the crowd to be involved and engaged. If you live in Portland and would like to help promote - please contact Braille at braillehiphop@hotmail.com. If your interested in throwing an event in your city, just shoot him an email regarding that as well. Braille is actively touring right now but he is only doing select shows based on what works with his schedule. More details regarding the concert on August 4th can be found at www.myspace.com/braillebrizzy

Here is an early look at the cover for Poems album “Blooming Sounds” coming out later this year. “Blooming Sounds” features production from Stro and Mr. J of the Procussions, Tony Stone, Ohmega Watts, Vintage, Choice37 and many more. Right now Poems is on tour in the U.S. with Othello - check him out if he’s in your area. Let us know your thoughts on the cover, you can post comments here or on our message board forum. We are also in the process of doing a remix contest for the song “Extra Credit” by Theory Hazit. You can get more info about this at www.myspace.com/hhismusic

Othello and Poems Summer Tour
brought to you by www.hiphopismusic.com

- if you have any questions regarding a specific show then please contact braillehiphop@hotmail.com

To hear music from these artists and get more info about the exact costs and locations please visit www.myspace.com/othello and www.myspace.com/sharlokpoems

June 15th - Marion Street Skate Park - Salem, OR
June 15th - Latitude 21 - Eugene, OR
June 16th - Tiger Bar - Portland, OR
June 17th - Stitches - Salem, OR
June 20th - Liberty Christian Center - FairField, CA
June 22nd - Destiny Worship Center - Lancaster, CA
June 23rd - Bad Habits Biker Shop - Palm Desert, CA
June 24th - Arizona DATE - Flaggstaff, AZ
June 26th - Calvary Chapel - Albuquerque, NM
June 27th - Ignite Youth - Irving, TX
June 29th - Refuge - Ponca, OK
June 30th - TBA - Tulsa, OK
July 4th - TBA - Chicago, IL
July 5th - TbA - Chicago, IL
July 6th - Revolution - Chicago, IL
July 7th - The House - Chicago, IL
July 8th - Zion Church - Troy, MI
July 11th - Bay CITY DATE - Bay City, MI

new albums from both artists dropping this year.

Othello “Alive At The Assembly Line” - - Poems “Blooming Sounds”

This is Braille. Me and Theory are having an incredible time so far on our tour. Tonight was our first official show of the tour and it took place in Switzerland. This was one of the BEST crowds Ive ever performed in front of. There was like 700 people there and we were the headlining act. It was really mindblowing. The crowd was jumping, interacting and requesting songs the whole night. I was so humbled. People were even requesting some rare songs that I have never performed live. I felt bad because one guy wanted me to perform Together Not Alone and I didnt have the instrumental with me. He was literally begging and I dont even have the lyrics memorized. It was a lesson for me, that I need to constantly listen to all my songs and bring the instrumentals just incase someone wants to hear it.

The story of this tour is so incredible. Theory Hazit almost didnt get his passport in time and he would have to stay home without his passport. The delivery was coming late and I spent 6 hours on the phone talking with fedex to get an earlier delivery and talking with the airlines to change his flights. In the end, it was a miricle right before our eyes. Fedex delivered the passport earlier then planned and we were able to switch his flight last minute for only 25 bucks. We had so much opposition trying to get to Europe. Then, when we finally arrived in Europe - Theo’s bag didnt make it. haha. It didnt matter because he ended up getting two sponsorships with free clothes from Carhart.de and Mahogony. Carhart had a box of pants, sweatshirts, shirts and jackets for him to rock - and we did a great photoshoot in Germany. There were also like 5 or 6 interviews that Theory had to do during the first two days. After all the photos and interviews were done, his bag arrived and then we left for Switzerland. It was crazy, but we were so BLESSED the whole time. We want to thank Andreas, Gizmo, Rene and all the family in Germany. We also want to thank our brother Yann in Switzerland. This brother organized an incredible show and obeyed God with some very difficult decisions. We could really feel God moving in Switzerland and we even ended up praying with some people in the parking lot after the show. It was incredible.

We will have photos and videos from our tour to share with everyone once we get home. In Switzerland, we didnt even take stage till 130 in the morning. haha. Now we have to leave for our flight to Spain at 6 AM so we are getting no sleep. We have 6 shows in 6 days…. so even though we are going to get worn out, we are excited because we can see that God is with us on this tour. Plus, we didnt want to be away from our families for to long, so that is why we are doing shows every day - trying to make the most out of our time in Europe.

Between touring, writing new songs and trying to run Hiphop IS Music - I often face many challenges. If I didnt see God moving or using these efforts then I would probably slow down and devote my time to something else. The encouragement from the people and the love/grace of Christ keep me motivated to keep pushing forward during the ups and downs of this whole adventure. Tonight, I feel inspired once again to continue striving - I strive to be the best servent, husband, father, man, artist and friend that I can be. I know I am flawed, and God gives me eyes to see my flaws but he also gives me grace, patience and the ability to continue GROWING. much love yall

This weekend Braille and Theory Hazit will be rocking live in Baltimore.  This show will help them get prepared for their European tour which is taking place in about 3 weeks.  Check out the flyer!!!!  In other news, we updated our ARTIST section with a full bio of Theory Hazit (including recent press) and a photo section with a new picture of (Sharlok) Poems.  We also have a picture of Surreal, Sojourn, Speech, Poems and Braille all chilling together in Orange Country at the Freedom Project event.  You can read a full blog about this event at www.braillehiphop.com in the journal section.  Check out www.thegluenetwork.com for more info about this event, it was a benefit concert raising money and awareness for human trafficking.  Here at Hiphop IS Music, we are making an effort to get more involved in many social causes.  The Glue Network is helping to connect us with the right organizations so that we truly can work together and make a difference.  Allow many problems in our world feel overwhelming, we should not neglect our opportunity and responsibility to get involved.

Braille vinyl EP featuring “Evacuate”, “Survival Movement”, “Survival Movement remix” and “Cooling Out”. 4 songs plus instrumentals. Limited to only 500 copies (mostly only available in Europe). If you live in Europe you can get a copy (while supplies last) at http://www.hhv.de/item_89884.html. For U.S. customers, you can order directly from Braille. $15 for one or $25 for two. Send paypal to braillehiphop@hotmail.com. We anticipate this item to be sold out within the next week or two. Peep the cover and back side graphics below.

Fresh from our desk to yours - check out the official album cover for the Hiphop IS Music release of Othello’s album “Alive At The Assembly Line”. Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

We also just set up the official Hiphop IS Music youtube page. Check us out at www.youtube.com/hiphopISmusic. At this page you can view a video blog from Othello and also view the brand new video from Theory Hazit for the song “Emit Gninrut” (Turing Time). Both of these videos have also been added to our video section here at hiphopismusic.com. Let us know what you think, leave a comment and please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested. WORD UP!!! Much love - peace and GOD bless

Braille was recently featured as “artist of the week” by Adam Bernard. This feature includes a full interview regarding Hiphop IS Music, his solo works and more.

Theory Hazit just sat down with Entertainment World for an indie spotlight where they asked him 20 random questions.

We are now taking pre-orders for the Theory Hazit album “Extra Credit”. All pre-orders are shipping May 16th!!! The first 1,000 copies come with a 12 page booklet printed on special living tree paper. We have also established some great partners for the “international” release of “Extra Credit”. GrooveAttack will be helping to expand our distribution in Europe, The U.S. and Canada. We also have partners in Japan and South Africa getting involved so this album will literally be getting pushed all over the world. Stay tuned for an animated video of the song “I Just Wanna Go Home” coming next week. Thanks so much for the support. If you feel inclined, please help us spread the word. WORD UP!!!

The limited edition Theory Hazit mix CD is now available.  It’s called “The Special Education of Theory Hazit” and it’s exclusive to www.hiphopismusic.com.  A collection of 16 tracks from Theory Hazit showcasing songs from his new album, some unreleased exclusives and some of his favorite guest appearances.  This is part of our monthly Mixtape and Beat-tape specials.  Every month we will be dropping exclusive mixtapes and instrumental projects from Hiphop IS Music affiliated artists.  Most of these releases will be limited to 100 or 200 copies only.  It’s first come, first serve.  These are for the collectors and for the people who are excited about getting some new music.

Price $12 (shipping included worldwide).  You can pay using paypal to braillehiphop@hotmail.com.  It usually takes a couple weeks for an item like this to sell out, so don’t hesitate to place your order.  We will make an announcement on the website once the CD is sold out.  ***** Add a copy of NightOwls 3 to your order for an additional $6.  Nightowls 3 is a new compilation album from Syntax Records featuring exclusive material from Braille, Theory Haizt and much more.  Below is the tracklist for “Special Education Of Theory Hazit”.

1. Ain’t The Devil Happy - Tidal Wave (unreleased) / 2. Extra Credit / 3. Turning Time / 4. Starting Over (unreleased) / 5. Musical Chairs (unrleased) - Ghetto / 6. Ghetto Reprise (unreleased) / 7. I Just Wanna Go Home / 8. Internet Porn (unreleased) / 9. Decisions / 10. Break You Off (unreleased) / 11. Hidden Track with Surreal / 12. Hazit From The Block (unreleased) / 13. Bad Weather (unreleased) / 14. W.T.F. (unreleased) / 15. Yeah Boy / 16. Musical Chairs Hazit Remix (unreleased)

LIMITED EDITION - 300 copies available

This album “Extra Box For Japan” was manufactured by Hiphop IS Music and sent to Japan as a special release. We have 300 copies left over and we are making them available to collectors for $6 plus shipping ($2.50 extra for U.S. orders or $5 extra for international orders).

“Extra Box” features 6 songs from the U.S. version that were previously never released to Japan. It also has 3 brand new exlusive tracks, plus 3 bonus instrumentals. Check the tracklist below.

1. Cooling Out (previously only on vinyl) / 2. Everything Changed / 3. That Feeling (Japan exclusive, only available on this CD) / 4. Leave Behind / 5. Fresh Coash / 6. This Year remix / 7. Survival Momement / 8. Enter-Gritty / 9. Survival Movement (tony stone remix) / 10. Cooling Out instrumental / 11. That Feeling instrumental / 12. Survival Movement (tony stone remix instrumental)

Total price $8.50 U.S. or $11 International. You can pay using paypal to Braillehiphop@hotmail.com (no limit per customer. first come, first serve.) ***** Add a copy of NightOwls 3 to your order for an additional $6. Nightowls 3 is a new compilation album from Syntax Records featuring exclusive material from Braille, Theory Haizt and much more.

Check this out - the Surreal and DJ Balance album “Future Classic” from Hiphop IS Music is currently #1 on the CMJ Charts (click to see charts). This is great news and a huge accomplishment for the entire Hiphop IS Music family. We want to thank Basementalism, all the DJs spinning this album and all the fans requesting songs. The full length CD and the “Can’t Stop The Bumrush” vinyl single are both currently available through Hiphop IS Music. We are excited to have this kind of momentum leading into the Theory Hazit album “Extra Credit” and the worldwide release of the Othello album “Alive At The Assembly Line”.

Also - we will be updating the “artist” pages and bring new sections to this site very soon. Thanks for your patience.

CMJ Charts

For those who don’t know - Sivion was in a serious car accident on Valentines day. He was coming home from work and someone came into his lane unexpectedly. In the process of trying to avoid that car, and others on the highway, he lost control of his vehicle, which rolled and hit the overpass. The car was completely smashed other than the driver’s seat.

Read the rest of this entry »

The new album “Extra Credit” by Theory Hazit will be dropping on Hiphop IS Music in May. We had to push back the original release date because our distributers got so excited about the record. You can currently hear snippets at www.myspace.com/theoryhazit and you can view the album cover right here.

As you can see things look a little bit different around here. Pardon our sparse-ness, that will soon change. This place will be pieced together over the next month so keep checking back.