I’m not sure what I’m supposed to write
about here, but I’m already overdue on turning this column in, so I’m
sure I’ll think of something soon enough. I haven’t written one of these
in a few months now. Truthfully, I haven’t even thought about writing
one of these. It occurred to me a couple weeks back that it’s been a
pretty minute since the last one, so I told Mike (the editor) that I
would probably fall back for a while.
by Mike Breen
05.15.2012
11 days ago
Online Premiere: Ill Poetic's "Gone" Music Video
Clip for Ohio artist's new single looks back at Cincy Hip Hop's past
Below you can check out, for the first time, the final cut of the new music video for Hip Hop artist Ill Poetic's latest single, "Gone." The clip was celebrated and screened at the Northside Tavern a couple of weeks back, but this is the completed version. The video takes a look at Cincinnati and the local Hip Hop
scene in the ’00s, when the MC/producer cut his teeth. Ill Po says,
“This video is for all Cincinnati folks who lived through the riots,
Scribble Jam and everything that happened in the early-mid 2000s, as
well as the new scene of heads who love this city and its music scene."
Ready to Die
The Ultimate Advice: Push yourself to make the best music possible
0 Comments · Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Hip Hop (Un)Scene: Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em
For artists, routine is vital to developing a sustainable daily/career flow
0 Comments · Wednesday, May 18, 2011
I want to talk more about how to find a rhythm in your life and music cycle. I've been doing music full time for about two and a half years now (by the grace of God), and one of the first things I've learned in adapting to the change in lifestyle is the necessity of a daily and weekly rhythm.
Hip Hop (Un)Scene: On to the Next One …
Rushing into a new project can rob potential of current one
0 Comments · Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Bleak-ass February is over. This, as far as I'm concerned, means winter is over. Oh, it might still snow in the next two to three weeks, but it's such a punk-ass snow. Winter in March is like an abusive alcoholic father you dealt with as a child and then grew up to see as nothing more than a sad old man swiping at the air and falling over. Snow all you want, old man — your time is near.
Hip Hop (Un)Scene: Be Here Now
Dwelling on unmet expectations can be a roadblock to finding one’s true path
0 Comments · Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The word dharma is a term used in Eastern Philosophy, primarily in the Hindu faith. Its most literal meaning is "to act in accordance with one’s duty." Over the years, I’ve learned to live by this ideal. The most successful people I meet involved with music, or any industry for that matter, are the ones who let their profession choose them.
Hip Hop (Un)Scene: That's My DJ
0 Comments · Wednesday, July 28, 2010
This column is a sequel to one from last November in which I interviewed my homie Rare Groove, whom I consider to be one of the greatest DJs the city has ever witnessed, specifically in helping to build an artist's stage show into something more than five dudes rapping over vocal tracks, gunshots and tornado sirens. But that's not all a DJ does.
Hip Hop (Un)Scene: I'm Burnt
Artists can use 'burn-out' phases to refuel and reflect
1 Comment · Wednesday, June 23, 2010
I didn't like my last two columns. Straight up. What started out as lessons for independent artists felt like some holier-than-thou shit. And that's not cool. At all. So I'm sidestepping for a minute to write what will be the natural third arc in this column trilogy: the burn-out.
Ill Poetic and Approach
May 13 • The Mad Hatter
0 Comments · Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The talented Hip Hop producer/MC/mash-up king/CityBeat Hip Hop columnist is coming back to Greater Cincinnati Thursday for a bash celebrating the re-release of his nationally-issued and acclaimed 2007 solo album, 'The World Is Ours,' and the new album by Kansas MC Approach (which Ill Poetic produced), 'Aloe Park.' They'll also make an in-store appearance earlier that evening at the new Over-the-Rhine shop OTR (Original Thought Required).
Hip Hop (Un)Scene: Ill Poetic Spills It
Looking back and hustling forward
1 Comment · Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I moved to Cincinnati from Dayton to attend UC in 2000. I dropped out of college a couple years later, but only because I was too addicted to the Hip Hop scene. What started out as high school ciphers and battles back in Dayton grew to UC talent shows, Top Cat’s battles, Scribble Jams and a lot of forgettable shows.
Hip Hop (Un)scene: The Future Is Unwritten
Dreams are great, but temper your excitement, be realistic and enjoy every moment
2 Comments · Wednesday, January 13, 2010
I have a theory: Your dream is kind of like the moon — the further away you are from it, the more beautiful it looks. The closer you get to it, the more you see the reality of it: the craters, the flaws, the reality. If "me" from 2002 could see me now, I'm sure he would be so excited that he finally "made it."
