1)  Dark Time Sunshine ANX (Fake Four Inc)

The biggest mover for this week is none other than the new album from rapper Onry Ozzborn and producer Zavala, which gets my vote for best hip hop album of 2012 thus far.  The music that these two craft together is something very special, and taps into the edgiest and most provocative elements of the genre in a way that few groups can. Zavala’s beats are like transmissions from a different futuristic dimension where people still bump old school hip hop on occasion, and Onry’s deep vocals fit perfectly in the mix.  Features from Aesop Rock, P.O.S, and Busdriver amongst others. Very highly recommended!





2) The Chicharones Swine Flew (Camobear)

This new album from Josh Martinez and Sleep delivers more of the fun, clever, infectious hip hop you’ve come to expect from these two. These guys have a rep for amazing live shows that landed them a headlining spot on this year’s Warped Tour, and Swine Flew is an album years in the making that balances their bouncy party songs with some serious songwriting. Great hooks, intricate verses and terrific beats from Smoke of Oldominion make this an album worth checking for.  Bacon.

DJ Sol Rising, the winner of last month's Bay Area Regional DMC DJ Battle - the first Bay Area DMC battle to be held locally in six years, may have thought his battling days were long over: his last battle been eight long years ago. Back in both 2003 and 2004 the DJ, formerly known as Skwint, made it as far as the DMC US Finals, placing 2nd in the US Supremacy in 2003, Vinyl Kombat US Finals in 2004, and winning Scribble Jam in 2002. In fact the DJ had absolutely no desire nor any intention of ever returning to the DJ battlefield; at least was not until fellow Bay Area turntablist. Snayk Eyez invited him, in March of this year just a few weeks before the April 7th DMC Bay Area Regional battle, to showcase at Skratchpad - the monthly scratch party that Snayk Eyez is a part of along with founders Deeandroid and Celskiiii and others.

"I was really hesitant as I hadn’t practiced routines in years. But I guess it planted the seed," he said of DJ set he did at Skratchpad just weeks before the DJ battle that most entrants practice for all year long beforehand just to enter and do their short well-studied routines.

But still the Oakland based Sol Rising, who was born in Canada and grew up in the MidWest before relocating to the Bay some years ago, said he had absolutely no intention of entering the DMC battle this year. But then he changed his mind because of a dream - literally. "A week before the battle I had this crazy vivid dream about battling at the Bay Area regional. The next morning I woke up earlier than usual and just started messing around on the turntables before work. The whole day at work I couldn’t wait to get home and practice. In the evening I created two scratch routines and then came up with a beat juggle a few days later. So I came up with three usable routines in less than a week which would have taken me several months if not a whole year in the past," he said of the winning routines that qualified him to travel to the DMC US Finals in New York in August to represent the Bay Area. "Everything was super accelerated. I honestly can’t say that competition is the path I’m on but I feel the universe guided me to compete for a reason that has yet to be revealed." After this intriguing sharing I felt compelled to follow up and interview Sol Rising further for the Amoeblog on his career as DJ and his take on the Bay Area DMC battle that he won (second place was DJ Cocheze from SF and third was Primo from Santa Rosa) in which in the first round he did a two-minute routine and, in the final round, he did a six minute routine.