Hieroglyphics
The Oakland-based Hieroglyphics are an underground rap collective who, at their best, combine an offbeat sensibility with a strong grounding in battle rhyming, freestyling, and other hip-hop traditions. All the members enjoy their own separate careers -- founder Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Casual, the Souls of Mischief, Extra Prolific, producer/manager Domino, Pep Love, and producer Jay Biz (the latter two of which have also worked together as the Prose). Most of the members had known each other since high school (or earlier), and after Del scored a record deal with his cousin, Ice Cube's help, much of the Hieroglyphics crew wound up with major-label contracts of their own. Del, Souls of Mischief, and Casual, in particular, earned strong cult followings, but Hieroglyphics never produced a breakout mainstream star, and all the members wound up dropped from their respective labels by the mid-'90s despite their generally high-quality work. The crew regrouped with their own label, Hieroglyphics Imperium, which provided not only a platform for their future releases, but total creative control. In addition, the entire collective teamed up for the first album under the Hieroglyphics name, Third Eye Vision, in 1998. Several self-released compilations also appeared, and the proper Hieroglyphics follow-up Full Circle dropped in 2003. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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Rising from the ruinsMalaysia Star, Malaysia - 6 Sep 2008A cartouche in Egyptian hieroglyphics is a figure that contains characters representing a name. Because of that cartouche, “we can say this one (pyramid) ... |
GREAT BASIN RANCH: CATTLE BRANDS SERIOUS BUSINESSLas Vegas Review - Journal, NV - 8 hours agoIt was a little like learning a new language, one Riess compares to Morse code or hieroglyphics, with letters and symbols that contain entire phrases if you ... |
Watton war memorial vandalisedNorfolk Eastern Daily Press, UK - 19 Aug 2008Paving has been sprayed with turquoise paint, much of it described as 'hieroglyphics', and the words 'magic' and a picture of a mushroom painted. ... |
Not your usual English teacherSouthern Highland News, Australia - 21 Aug 2008... the ability to materialise historical objects, including the Rosetta Stone used to decipher Egyptian Hieroglyphics and is kept in the British Museum. ... |
Hieroglyphics - Google News
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Swollen Members is a Canadian hip hop group hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, consisting principally of the duo Mad Child and Prevail. They have been called "two of the most innovative people in hip-hop".
This trawl through the vaults of the Vancouver-based hip-hop collective Swollen Members is unusual for a collection of B-sides and leftovers -- in that it ends up being more forward- than backward-looking. That's because the underground stalwarts -- Mad Child and Prevail, plus recent addition Moka Only -- decided to record a few new songs to fill out the disc, which ends up pointing the way to possible commercial successes previously undreamed of. "Breath," with its hook from Nelly Furtado and a juicy R&B foundation, could slot comfortably between the latest Murder Inc. and P. Diddy hits on a mix tape, while the manic "Battle Axe Exclusive" rages along in true Eminem fashion. Such moments won't necessarily be a pleasant surprise for the Members' devoted fanbase, but the remainder of Monsters in the Closet provides a generous helping of the less-conventional musical ambition that has won the group comparisons to Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, and other old-school revivalists. There's one true gem -- "Long Way Down," a sensitive love song that samples Sarah McLachlan's "Ice Cream" -- and many outtakes of better-than-average quality; though they aren't all monsters, they certainly deserve to come out of hiding. ~ Dan LeRoy, All Music Guide
Romancing the elements of nature, the witching-hour lyricism of the Swollen Members (Madchild and Previal) delves deeply into topics that have yet to be captured or pontificated on wax. SM are shaman-like oddities in this game, and judging from their topic matter alone, they would seem to fit in more at a Renaissance festival than in hip-hop's machismo-filled atmosphere. Prevail and Madchild divulge their cloak-and-dagger lyrics in a highly animated manner, and their chemistry is very developed for a group embarking on their freshman effort. Western guitar riffs and staccato high hats augment the duo's mental gymnastics on "Out of Range," and the Alchemist leads a one-man symphony on the possessed "Horrified Nights." Swollen Members enlist a stellar supporting cast throughout, with Dilated Peoples ("Counterparts"), Evidence ("Bottle Rocket"), Everlast, Divine Styler, and Del's Hieroglyphics ambiance, prevalent on "Left Field" with Unicorn. The witchdoctors of hip-hop are definitely at the forefront of developing a new style, and after listening to the Swollen Member's debut, your view of hip-hop may never be the same. ~ Matt Conaway, All Music Guide
With the release of their sophomore album Bad Dreams in 2001, Swollen Members saw their music embraced by a widespread audience in Canada. Commercial radio and video airplay fuelled Swollen mania, and accolades and awards piled up, including the Vancouver British Columbia crew winning Juno Awards (Canadian version of a Grammy) three years in a row. Bad Dreams was certified platinum in Canada, Balance went gold, and their third album Monsters in the Closet has ... nearly reached platinum status. Producer Rob The Vikings contributions led to him being made an official member as Swollen Members became the best selling hip hop group in Canadian history. Though they spent several years promoting and touring almost exclusively in Canada, with no international promotion their records have sold nearly 500,000 copies worldwide, still through the ever-independent Battle Axe.
Youtube Video Author: Hippylife420
Video Keywords: Mad child prevail swollen members moka only ground breaking balance strength Freedom Demo Dickhead Brutal Elaborate bio
Video Added: September 7, 2008
Hieroglyphics perform in downtown Oakland, CA on Sunday, August 31, 2008
Youtube Video Author: jeffperry1970
Video Keywords: Hieroglyphics Rap Oakland
Video Added: September 2, 2008
The East Oakland backpacker crew are members of the loose underground hip-hop consortium known as Hieroglyphics. The group consists of four erudite but hardcore MCs: A-Plus, Phesto, Opio and Tajai. Their debut album in 1993, '93 Til Infinity, produced an early-'90s anthem of the same name and spawned a movement towards bohemian yet rugged hip-hop. The crew drew comparisons to De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest for their abstract, whimsical style of storytelling. '93 Til was a youthfully impressionistic album echoing jazz and funk influences combined with precocious lyrical gestures. Such tracks as "That's When Ya Lost" and "Never No More" were memorable for their lyrics and feel alike.
Youtube Video Author: BVMUndergroundHipHop
Video Keywords: Souls of Mischief Oakland Hieroglyphics Alternative Hip Hop BVM Music Videos
Video Added: February 8, 2008
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