PROMATIC, JAY DEE, AND INTRODUCING...ATHLETIC MIC LEAGUE
K-Fresh
Email: djkfresh@renaissance-soul.com
Founder and Editor of Renaissance-Soul.com

The summer is starting the wind down and the kids are starting to go back to school. In addition to a few Detroit tidbits, let's go a little outside of the D for this report to the college town of Ann Arbor to see what's going on.

Let's start off in Detroit though with a new album from a pair of emcees that's been holding it down in the D for many years. I'm talking about the duo of Proof of D12 and Dogmatic (formerly known as K-Stone) collectively known along with the Sick Notes production team as Promatic. Their brand of quirky street rhymes are must listen for any D12 fan. The Promatic album just released on Koch Records acts almost as a teaser for all the D12 Dertyheads out their in anticipation for the forthcoming Proof solo album titled "Searching For Jerry Garcia" due out later this year on IF/Warner Records.

Out of the Slum Village camp, the previously reported launch of Waajeed's Bling47.com web site has finally happened. The site will feature exclusive audio and information from Detroit artists like Jay Dee, Slum Village, Lacks, and many more. Check out the interesting feature on the site called "Slum Village: B4 and After", which sheds light on the state in which Slum Village is in relationship to Jay Dee. Also only available for pre-order now at Bling47.com, is the first in a series of Jay Dee instrumental 12"s. The first edition is a collection of unreleased Jay Dee beats handpicked by the man himself for this special release. More 12"s from Jay Dee and Waajeed to be available on the site in the future.

Speaking of Jay Dee, all the Toronto heads will be happy to know that on September 27th, J Dilla himself will be spinning at club Fez Batik on Peter St. Doors are open from 10pm-3am and Dilla is scheduled to be spinning from 12am-2am, so don't miss this rare appearance.

Now, let's travel outside the D to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the rest of this report. Recently I was blessed with the new mix CD from DJ Graffiti titled "Bling Free Vol. 2: Wake Up!" on his Bling Free Records label. Usually I'm not much for mix CDs, but this one caught my interest quickly. The mix includes many recent offerings from some of the dopest in underground hip-hop across the nation. There's new singles from Talib Kweli, Atmosphere, Jurassic 5, Defari, and many more feature on the mix. What makes this release special comes in the way Graffiti shows love to his fellow artists from the mitten. Featured on "Wake Up" is new material from Wasted Youth, Slum Village, Dabrye, Elevator Music, and Royce 5'9". Also included is exclusive freestyles from Michigan rhyme-sayers like One Man Army, Finale, and Athletic Mic League. The freestyle by Athletic Mic League titled "Squad What!" over the backdrop of Freeway's "Line Em Up" instrumental really shows the talent that these cats have. They sound a lot better over that beat than Freeway does. Graffiti also puts his own personal touch on the disc by producing a few cuts for emcee's like S.U.N. and Obie Trice & Shim E Bango. All and all, this mix CD is a great listen for underground heads and for heads that want a glimpse into Michigan hip hop. For more info about obtaining this CD or just helping out, shoot over to DJGraffiti.com.

Introducing...Athletic Mic League

Coming straight out of Ann Arbor, Michigan is the 7-piece collective (6 emcees, 1 DJ) known as the Athletic Mic League. Their brand of athletically trained hip-hop has been creating a buzz in Michigan since the later 90s. In 1998, AML recorded their first demo release "The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat", which found it's way around the Detroit/Ann Arbor area, inflicting the ears of hip hop heads with their first taste of AML. After a brief stay lighting up the clubs in New York, AML returned to the mitten with a whole new sense of dedication.

In 2000, they began plans for a proper debut album. Before that could happen, they released as teaser a remix project of their original demo release, which they called "The Thrill Is Gone". It was never intended to be their debut album, even though they were able to push 1,000 copies of it in a 4-month time span. And for all the vinyl junkies out, they released a couple of 12"s from the CD, "AML Volume One" and "Lyrictricity". The song "Lyrictricity" featured the rhyme styling of One Man Army from Subterraneous and Binary Star, and quickly gained huge underground popularity. By this time, AML had created a nice fan base and now had the money to record their debut album.

Now in 2002, AML was finally able to drop their debut album, which they titled "Sweats and Kicks". Before they dropped the album, they released the "Feel Good EP" as a summer time treat in anticipation for "Sweats and Kicks". "Feel Good EP" was a 7-track project with the goal to present some recreational music to relax to in the summer time. With standout tracks like "The Next Chapter" and "Feels Good", this project is a must for anyone that loves some enjoyable and fun hip-hop. What's most appealing for the sound of AML is the way they can blend underground hip-hop, soul, and funk into a very fun-loving experience.

The long planned debut AML disc titled "Sweats and Kicks" has finally dropped and continues to show their excellence. Not only have they continued to bring quality hip-hop with this release, they keep improving. The 15-track debut album serves up a bunch of head nodding tracks that will no doubt satisfy the ears of any hip-hop fan. "Sweats and Kicks" really doesn't have any standout tracks for that the whole album is enjoyable in it's entirety. They did included a couple guest emcees on the album with one of Michigan's finest (in more than one way) female emcees Invincible (okay, she lives in NY now, but she's from here) on the track "Got 'Em Sayin" and Subterraneous members Majestik Legend and One Man Army on "F.E.V.E.R.". In short, "Sweats and Kicks" is a great debut hip-hop album and must listen for any true hip-hop head.

For more in depth information about Athletic Mic League and how to purchase their products, go to their really cool looking web site at AthleticMicLeague.com.

Hit The Links:
Bling47.com
DJGraffiti.com
AthleticMicLeague.com

PREVIOUS REPORTS
August 16, 2002 - Detroit Bling47 and Introducing...Frank N Dank
July 15, 2002 - Hot Summer Shows and Introducing...Wasted Youth
June 30, 2002 - WELCOME TO THA D! [Detroit Report Debut]