The song that inspired the name of the event… “The WOW” features Damien from The Legendary KO. Performed by Radio Galaxy on March 14, 2010

On Feb 5, 2020, H.I.S.D. is releasing the first single from their highly anticipated album, “The Weakend”. A video is also forthcoming. Joining them for this behind the scenes look is Snap (of the Niyat), who served as director.

Get Your Space Up!!!

Remix from Houston Hip Hop Dot Com caught up with Bun B a couple of days ago during a Thanksgiving food drive to discus, among other things, his charity work, new music that he’s excited about, and the possibility of a “cloned” Bun B.

Shot and edited by Damien Randle for Ethos Music Group.

We wrap up HISD Week by having a talk with 1/3 of the production team, King Midas. Thanks again to Flash Gordon Parks  for the footage. Come meet the gang in person tonight at The Standard.

Catch The original “Get To Know HISD” and more after the jump.

Get To Know… H.I.S.D. from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

Some time during the making of his Taster’s Choice album, D. Rose emailed me a track called “The Caper” that he wanted Big Mon and me to hop on. No problem. We wrapped it up in about 24 hours and got it back to him. When I asked him who made the track, he said “This kid named King Midas. He’s one of the producers for H.I.S.D.”

Again with these H.I.S.D. cats! I still hadn’t officially met the crew, but they were definitely making their mark on the scene. A few months later, I receive a call from Midas, introducing himself and askig if I’d be willing to write to a track that he just created for their Summer Sessions EP. I’m always down to write, and i’d heard nothing but good things about him, so I said YES with no hesitation. I wouldn’t discover until months later that Justin “8 Months” Lewis was the one that referred him to me. Midas was  looking for guest spots on the song, and after running through a laundry list of talent, 8 Months suggested that he let me take a crack at it. The rest is history. “Summer So Good” was created.

In the time since, i’ve probably spent more time around him than any other musician around here. King Midas is a fascinating study, because he epitomizes the term “student of the game”. It isn’t simply enough for him to know whether something sounds good or not; he needs to understand WHY. I’ve only seen 2 or 3 other producers that are as meticulous at music creation as he is. One of them is DJ Cozmos, who he aligned himself with to form King Coz. It’s amazing to see how these two, nearly a generation apart, seem to have been cut from the same cloth.

I don’t think Midas ever takes a day off. He’s always working on music. Sometimes working on tracks just for practice. Not too long ago, he worked on a track for about 12 hours, only to discard it at the end of the day. He understands that some of your greatest lessons are learned from failures.

His home contains “The Gold Room” where the HISD collective meets every week to write, record, and debate. It’s a haven for creativity, and they’re all fortunate to have a place where they can tap into that synergy and bring ideas to life.

A simple blog post won’t give you an idea of how far-reaching his talent is. I’ll let his body of work over the next year or so speak for itself. And yes – i’m documenting every move. He’s one to watch.

-Damien-

By the way, he co-produced the KO “Willie Turner” project with DJ Cozmos. Here’s a taste:

The Legendary KO “Ch 2 – Laid Off (Snippet)” from The Ballad of Willie Turner

[audio:http://k-otix.com/koweekly/02%20Laid%20Off%20Snippet.mp3]

We’ve reached the penultimate chapter (big words!) of HISD WEEK, where DJ Soul One literally takes us on a trip. I need to work on my puns. Flash Gordon’s behind the camera. See HISD at The Standard tomorrow.

Background music: Lower Life Form “Move To The Side” (Produced by Soul One)

[audio:http://k-otix.com/koweekly/Lower%20Life%20Form%20-%20Move%20To%20The%20Side%20(Produced%20by%20Soul%20One).mp3]

Lower Life Form is hosting The Standard. Coincidence? No.

More below:

Soul One was the person that introduced me to H.I.S.D.

I’d already known him for years as one of the “young boys” on the scene, an up and coming DJ who kind of studied under the wing of DJ Cipher. Kind of an interesting read because he started as a DJ with no real affiliation; he made a name for himself through his own accord.

He was part of the crew that played ball at a local YMCA on Sunday nights. This was when I had hops. I think it was one of those Sundays when he first told me about H.I.S.D.:

(Pulled from my fragmented memory)

Me: “So what are you working on these days. I see that you’ve started producing now.”

Soul One: “Actually, i’m working on an album now with this new crew. Kind of like a collective.”

“Anybody I know?”

“Maybe. You heard of Savvi?”

“Yeah, Savvi’s cool. I finally met him not too long ago. I told him we need to work together.”

“Well, Savvi kinda put this group together. It’s like 4 MCs and 3 or 4 producers.”

“Damn – putting together your own Wildstyle!”

{Muted laugh} “Heh. Yeah, it’s really kinda cool”

“What’s it called?”

{Pause to figure out how he’s going to explain it} “Okay. The name of the crew is H.I.S.D.”

“Like… the school district?”

“Yeah but no. It stands for Hueston Independent Spit District, But Hueston is spelled with an H-U-E instead of H-O-U.”

“Okay – I follow you.”

“The one thing we’re still working on is the ‘S’, because it can really stand for anything, like Soul or Slang-”

“Or Southside.”

{Very reluctant laugh} “No – not really.”

I may have embellished the last part of my story, but I credit Soul One with introducing me to this collective of talent. He functions as their DJ, and 1/3 of their production team.

Whatever you do, don’t ask him about the time he tried to throw me an alley-oop; he’s thought little of me ever since.

-Damien-

Day 3 of H.I.S.D. Week brings us closer to The Standard this Friday, with a look at L Da Voice. Visuals by Flash Gordon Parks.

More below:

From Damien -

Of all the members of H.I.S.D., Ldavoice probably has the name that fits him best. He might tell you that it’s because he used to sing or that his voice is an instrument of change that should be broadcast for all to hear. These are valid arguments, but I think the name fits him best because his voice is the one thing that makes the most lasting impression on you. He uses his voice A LOT.

And not in a bad way, mind you. (He probably has a smirk while he’s reading this.) You’ll learn that he’s very passionate about almost everything, and will easily engage you in a discussion about nearly anything. In an age of apathy and diluted opinions, he’s a rare breed of person who is not reluctant to have an opinion and offer it when many tend to shy away from opinions.

If you ever get the chance to sit in on one of HISD’s infamous “debate” sessions, you’ll notice that he’s the one in the middle of the room, animatedly attacking the discussion from all sides. The kid has a lot to say, and you WILL hear it. While reviewing the footage from this interview, I quickly discovered that he had twice as much footage as everyone else. There is no question that he won’t answer. Again – he has a lot to say, and you WILL hear it.

Fun facts about L:

1. He’s a Gemini (greatest zodiac sign of them all)

2. He ran a 4.2 4.5 40 as a sophomore in high school. (I might have to race him someday and test this)

-Damien-

Day 2 of HISD WEEK delivers an intimate portrait of Scottie Spitten, the first team letterman of the crew. Visuals by Flash Gordon Parks. Musical backdrop - “On Fire” from The Gold Room EP.

Catch Scottie with the rest of HISD at The Standard this Friday

Keep reading:

From Damien -

I was kind of slow. It took me a while to realize that Scottie and King Midas were brothers. But I digress.

Scottie reminds me of my roommate from college: heavily into music and basketball; huge fan of the 90’s Chicago Bulls; Scottie Pippen is his favorite player. When you ask him why – it’s because Pippen was perhaps the most underrated player in the history of the NBA. But it’s easy to get overlooked when you’re standing in the shadow of the greatest player of all time.

When Michael Jordan gave his acceptance speech at the Basketball Hall of Fame, the first words that came out of his mouth were in gratitude to Scottie Pippen. He hadn’t even officially started his speech yet. Hadn’t thanked God or his parents. He thanked Scottie Pippen. It’s because Jordan knew that for all his accolades, all his greatness, Scottie Pippen was the cornerstone to his legacy.

In time, Scottie Spitten of H.I.S.D. might share the same legacy. From my interactions with the crew, it’s become evident that Scottie is the emotional anchor of the squad. He’s usually the first to write a verse to a new track, and often sets the tone and direction of any given song. In street clothes, he’s quiet and unassuming. You’d never know he was an MC. When game time comes he’s all business, and tends to his work with an enthusiasm unmatched by many of his peers outside the HISD circle. He studies the music as much as he studies basketball, surveying every angle and honing his game so that each move is executed to perfection. (How’s that for hyperbole?)

He also subscribes to NBA League Pass, and claims to watch every game every night. If you see him, ask what the score is… I bet he knows.

-Damien-

The last in a series of clips from our recent performance with D. Rose and The Niyat. We saved the best for last – “There Can Only Be One”.

From Remix (who was holding the camera):

“Ya know, when we walked in through the backstage, I had the camera on the guys the entire time. You could see that they weren’t taking themselves too seriously. They’re a group of regular guys with their own identities and personalities who have talents. They know they’re not pseudo-celebrities, or arrogant artists who can’t see through their own egos.

When we all hit the stage, the crowd was definitely expecting Tech Nine, but within 2 verses the boys won them over. Once ‘There Can Be Only One’ came on, they started really WATCHING. They were looking at the stage at first, but after a minute or so, they were intently watching. It was an interesting change.

As soon as the set was over, the boys all went back to being the same people they were before we went on: quiet, humble, funny, witty, interesting people capable of holding ACTUAL conversations and not feeling themselves because they can jump on stage and rap. They were normal people with no egos or misconceptions about who they are and what they do. Immediately we went back to talking about whatever inane, unimportant topic we were ranting about earlier, probably picking on each other.

A lot of the magic of these guys is really lost through the camera, but hopefully we can show it somehow over time.”

-Remix

The KO Show – Episode 2.2: “The Science” from Ethos Music Group on Vimeo.

Talk about irony – after knowing the members of The Niyat for over 15 years , this was the first time that we actually shared the same stage at the same time. Sure, we’ve had showcases together where we perform on separate sets, but this was a milestone for us.

This particular performance is a good study for younger musicians. No matter where you are in your career, you’ll occasionally come across crowds that are largely unfamiliar with your music. This show was a perfect example of that. Over the years, i’ve seen a lot of less experienced artists run into this situation, and are shocked because the audience isn’t really reacting to their show. Then they berate the audience and tell them “ya’ll ain’t feeling me” or “I thought {insert name of city here} knew what real music was!” Wrong move.

If you look closely at the video here, you’ll notice that the crowd – who has no idea who we are – are just kind of standing there and studying us. Listening. They came to see Tech N9ne. And when it came time for the crowd participation, they were right there with us. That’s a good sign.

So don’t get discouraged if you’re faced with an unfamiliar crowd and they’re not jumping through the ceiling for you. Do you best show, get them involved on some crowd participation, and if you’re opening for the headliner that they came to see – shout out the headliner.

Enjoy.