| Project Blowed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1994 [1] |
| Founder | |
| Genre | Underground hip hop |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Official website | Project Blowed on Twitter |
Project Blowed is an open-mic workshop, its affiliated underground hip hop crew and record label based in Los Angeles, California at 3333 Leimert. [2] This hip hop function started in 1994 and features many music groups, emcees, dancers, music producers, and graffiti artists local to the Southern California area. [3]
The roots of Project Blowed can be traced back to the former Good Life Cafe, a health food center in then called South Central Los Angeles, California. [4] It was described by UGSMAG as "a platform for rappers to perform their material" and "a testing ground for Los Angeles' independent rap scene". [5] Lenny Kravitz, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and cast members of the show "Beverly Hills 90210" reportedly attended the open-mic. [4]
In 1994, Aceyalone and Abstract Rude produced the original Project Blowed compilation album. [6] It was released in 1995. [7] In 2005, Project Blowed released a follow up album, Project Blowed: 10th Anniversary, on Decon. [8]
Project Blowed is the essential outlet for much of the LA underground hip hop culture. It is a place that many people of all genders can go to freestyle, rhyme, or just speak what is on their mind. [9] Project Blowed was a turning point for the underground culture; it "did not fan the flames of urban decay and societal attacks. Project Blowed was putting out the fire." Rappers were required to pay a small fee to enter a battle and formally introduce themselves, and "MCs generally did not resort to homophobic slurs or excessive name calling during rap battles, as such behavior denoted lack of skill." This group discouraged violent activity among the youth and encouraged strict norms and respect. [3]
Blowed events provided a "creative outlet and alternative career outside of gang life" for young black men. One of these men, Trenseta, after time in jail, spent time mentoring young rappers at Project Blowed. They successfully built a community and a network for these young, aspiring rappers. [10]
While male MCs were more prominent at Project Blowed, five female members consistently appeared in the beginning of Project Blowed. Medusa, a female MC, MCed Project Blowed for over twenty years. She was the first MC at Thursday Night and won many battles with men and women. [11]
With the expansion of the Blowdian roster to include newer groups such as Customer Service and Swim Team, Project Blowed has since opened new additional workshops in California's Inland Empire to accompany its former primary location in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. [12] [13]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jurassick" | Aceyalone, Spoon Iodine, C.V.E. | Home Grown Beatz | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Who's There?" | Self Jupiter | 0:06 | |
| 3. | "Strength of A.T.U." | Abstract Rude | Digiak | 3:43 |
| 4. | "What a Pity" | C.V.E. | DJ Wolf | 1:05 |
| 5. | "Don't Get It Twisted" | Figures of Speech | Digiak | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Hot" | Freestyle Fellowship | JMD, The Underground Railroad | 4:39 |
| 7. | "Once Upon a Freak" | Tray Loc | CV Shack Productionz | 3:55 |
| 8. | "Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" | Dolla Holla | J-Sumbi | 3:08 |
| 9. | "Solo Is So Low" | DK Toon, B Cartoon | Fat Jack | 3:44 |
| 10. | "This Evening" | 0:42 | ||
| 11. | "Heavyweights Round 2" | P.E.A.C.E., T Love, Aceyalone, Nefertiti, Self Jupiter, BJ, Ganjah K, Medusa, Ko Ko, Myka 9, Volume 10 | Mathmattiks | 7:00 |
| 12. | "Funky Commercial Break" | Funky Trend | Digiak | 1:33 |
| 13. | "Second Chance" | 0:09 | ||
| 14. | "I Don't Know" | Abstract Rude, Aceyalone, Rhymin Riddlore | Fat Jack | 7:59 |
| 15. | "Yeh Man" | Abstract Rude | Digiak | 0:27 |
| 16. | "Narcolepsy" | C.V.E., Rifleman Ellay Khule | Cee Vee Beat Down, Hip Hop Kclan | 4:04 |
| 17. | "I Think?" | Aceyalone | Aceyalone | 1:20 |
| 18. | "Maskaraid Part 1 & 2" | Abstract Rude, Aceyalone | Fat Jack | 8:49 |
| 19. | "Treble and Bass" | Abstract Rude, Aceyalone | Vic Hop | 4:25 |
| Total length: | 63:46 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "4343 Leimert Blvd. L.A., CA 90008" | 2:11 | ||
| 2. | "Enter the Kaos" | Aceyalone, Busdriver, Longevity, NgaFsh | Riddlore | 1:52 |
| 3. | "Who the F*ck Is You?" | Aceyalone, Riddlore, Abstract Rude, Busdriver, Rifleman | PMG | 4:31 |
| 4. | "Live @ the Blowed" | Customer Service | Longevity | 4:00 |
| 5. | "Villains" | C.V.E. | C.V.E. | 3:56 |
| 6. | "The People" | Sach, Pigeon John, Rifleman | Omid | 3:19 |
| 7. | "Sound Boy Murderers" | Abstract Tribe Unique | Fat Jack | 4:11 |
| 8. | "Too Underground" | Busdriver | Kenny Segal | 4:40 |
| 9. | "Sounds Like" | Hip Hop Clan | Nobody | 2:53 |
| 10. | "What's Your Aim?" | Acid Reign | Re.4m | 3:44 |
| 11. | "Cray Crazy" | Aceyalone, Busdriver, Nocando, Subtitle | Thavius Beck | 4:45 |
| 12. | "Jazzy Girl" | Myka 9, Busdriver, Xololanxinxo, Toca | Toca | 1:50 |
| 13. | "Astro Pimp" | Cypher 7 | JB | 3:36 |
| 14. | "How You Been? (Homegirl)" | Otherwize | Jizzm High Definition | 2:52 |
| 15. | "What It Do?" | Medusa, Mr. Perkins, Black Silver, Volume 10 | PMG | 2:29 |
| 16. | "Do Unto Others" | Aceyalone | Beat Science | 4:21 |
| 17. | "13th Month" | Abstract Rude, Busdriver, Phoenix Orion | Kenny Segal | 4:25 |
| 18. | "Mama & Pappa Raised Right" | Pterradacto, Aceyalone, Jah Orah, Nonstop | DJ Drez | 2:52 |
| 19. | "Battle Prone" | Myka 9, Power Tung, Wreek One | Myka 9 | 3:27 |
| 20. | "Ruff Rhymes" | Aceyalone, Longevity | Longevity | 2:42 |
| 21. | "Doing What We Love" | Jah Orah | Beat Science | 5:54 |
| Total length: | 74:40 | |||
Leimert Park is a neighborhood in the South Los Angeles region of Los Angeles, California.
Regan Farquhar, better known by his stage name Busdriver is an American rapper and producer from Los Angeles, California. He has collaborated with rappers such as Myka 9, Milo, Nocando, Open Mike Eagle, 2Mex, and Radioinactive. His primary producers have been Daedelus, Boom Bip, Daddy Kev, Loden, Paris Zax, Omid, and Nobody. He has also worked with D-Styles on two albums.
Freestyle Fellowship is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. It consists of Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Self Jupiter. The group was a prominent part of the Good Life Cafe collective, and are part of the Project Blowed collective.
Edwin Maximilian "Eddie" Hayes, Jr., better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California, United States. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team. He is also a co-founder of Project Blowed. Aceyalone is best known for his role in evolving left-field hip-hop on the West Coast at a time when the West Coast was dominated by gangsta rap.
Aaron Pointer, better known by his stage name Abstract Rude, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California.
Haiku d'Etat is a super group rap trio featuring Aceyalone and Myka 9 of Freestyle Fellowship and Abstract Rude of Abstract Tribe Unique. All three members are heavily affiliated with Project Blowed, Aceyalone and Abstract Rude being co-founders. The name "Haiku d'Etat" is a portmanteau of haiku and coup d'état, implying something akin to a musical revolution or a "poetic takeover" as one of their songs puts it.
The Good Life Cafe was a health food market and cafe in Los Angeles, California, known for its open mic nights that helped the 1990s Los Angeles alternative hip hop movement flourish. In 2008, director Ava DuVernay, who had performed at the cafe with the Figures of Speech hip hop group, released a documentary about the cafe, This Is The Life. The film featured a number of hip hop artists discussing the importance of the Good Life Cafe to themselves and the hip hop scene. The Cafe was open from 1989 to 1999.
Michael Lafayette Troy, better known by his stage name Myka 9, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku d'Etat and Magic Heart Genies. Known for years as Mikah Nine, he changed the spelling to Myka Nyne with the release of A Work in Progress in 2003. Since Magic Heart Genies' album Heartifact in 2008, he has been credited as Myka 9.
Ornette Glenn, better known by his stage name Self Jupiter, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship alongside Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Aceyalone. He is also one half of The Kleenrz alongside Kenny Segal.
This is the Life is a 2008 documentary film directed by Ava DuVernay, which chronicles the alternative hip hop movement that flourished in 1990s Los Angeles and its legendary center, the Good Life Cafe.
Mtulazaji Davis, better known by his stage name Peace is a rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship along with Aceyalone, Myka 9 and Self Jupiter. He has released two solo albums.
Jonathan Edgar Park, known by his stage name Dumbfoundead, is an Argentinian-born American rapper and actor. He began his career in the 2000s as a battle rapper in Los Angeles and has since become one of the most prominent Asian American rappers in the United States, known for his witty and socially-conscious lyrics.
James McCall, better known by his stage names Nocando and All City Jimmy, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is the 2007 Scribble Jam champion and founder of Hellfyre Club. He is a member of hip hop groups such as Customer Service, Bomb Zombies, and Flash Bang Grenada.
Watergate is the second album by American underground hip hop group Thirsty Fish. It was released on Mush Records on May 10, 2011. It is a follow up to the 2007 album Testing the Waters. The album is executive produced by Busdriver of Project Blowed.
Michael W. Eagle II, better known by his stage name Open Mike Eagle, is an American hip hop artist and comedian. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, he is now based in Los Angeles, California, where he is a member of the hip hop collective Project Blowed. He has also been a member of Thirsty Fish, Swim Team, and Cavanaugh.
Jimmy the Lock is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Nocando. It was released by Alpha Pup Records on January 26, 2010. It includes productions from Nosaj Thing, Nobody, Thavius Beck, Free the Robots, and Daedelus. The remix version of "Hurry Up and Wait" was premiered by Los Angeles Times in May 2010.
Omid Walizadeh, also known as Omid or OD, is a hip hop producer based in Long Beach, California. He has produced tracks for the likes of Freestyle Fellowship, Busdriver, 2Mex, Subtitle, and Awol One.
Hellfyre Club is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded and is currently owned by rapper Nocando.
Kenny Segal, also known as Syndakit, is an American record producer and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. In 2018, Mixmag described him as "one of the best hip-hop producers in the city." He has been a member of Team Supreme, The Kleenrz, and The Jefferson Park Boys.
