To say we have the most dedicated fan base in hip hop is an understatement. Fact: residents of Strangeland are the most dedicated fans in music. The proof is in the ink.

Check out the pics of these fans keeping it Strange for life!

SEND YOUR TATTOO PICS TO

FANS@STRANGEMUSICINC.COM

• Which tattoo is your favorite?

Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Strange Music Ink – September 2015 appeared first on Strange Music, Inc.

Prozak drops some straight hip hop in “The Plague” featuring Madchild and Ubiquitous of CES Cru from Prozak’s upcoming album Black Ink.

In a return to the days of head-nodding boom-bap and straight lyrical fire, Prozak’s “The Plague” is a reminder of all the things you love about hip hop. Neck-breaking instrumental from Seven? Check. 16 bars of heat from three elite artists? Check. Choral scratches galore? Check.

Now please excuse us as we abuse the repeat button.

LISTEN

• What’d you think of the song?

Let us know in the comments section below!

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER

BLACK INK ON iTUNES

The post LISTEN: Prozak – ‘The Plague’ (Feat. Madchild & Ubiquitous of CES Cru) appeared first on Strange Music, Inc.

MURS drops a new visual from Have A Nice Life with “Two Step”.

Take a glimpse of life on the road with MURS and get ready for the Have A Nice Life tour!

WATCH

CLICK HERE FOR DATES AND TICKETS

TO THE HAVE A NICE LIFE TOUR!

The post WATCH: MURS – ‘Two Step’ – Official Music Video appeared first on Strange Music, Inc.

¡MAYDAY! made what many consider to be their finest album with their Strange Music debut of Take Me To Your Leader.

Did they top that with their latest effort Future Vintage?

¡MAYDAY! answers below.

WATCH

• Do you think Future Vintage topped Take Me To Your Leader?

Let us know in the comments section below.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

FUTURE VINTAGE ON iTUNES

The post WATCH: Does ‘Future Vintage’ Top ‘Take Me To Your Leader’? ¡MAYDAY! Answers [Video] appeared first on Strange Music, Inc.

It would only make sense to have another rapper with an insane knowledge of professional wrestling and “nerd” culture interview MURS.

If you love video games and hip hop and you’re not familiar with Mega Ran, it’s about time you get that way. The Philly-born teacher-turned-emcee has developed a cult following by churning out heartfelt and intelligent rap heavily tinged with video game influences (as you might be able to tell from his name).

Recently, Mega Ran released his magnum opus in RNDM, which features MURS. In lieu of a conventional interview, URB Magazine had Mega interview MURS about life, professional wrestling, and of course, hip hop.

Amid the wrestling and “favorite albums” questions, Mega Ran prodded MURS on his latest album Have A Nice Life: 

Mega: Okay here’s a deep one. I’ve been listening to you for years and I feel like Have A Nice Life is the closest to a personal narrative I’ve heard from you in a while. Makes me understand life in LA more than any other release. Is that the case to you and was that intentional?

Murs: Thanks man. Yeah, the new album Have a Nice Life was intended to be very autobiographical. I feel the young black male in LA story has been told but it’s either been too abstract or too hardcore. I feel like you can play Have a Nice Life for anyone from anywhere and they’ll “get it.”

Check out the full interview HERE, and make sure to check out Mega Ran’s new album RNDM featuring MURS!

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS TO

MURS’ ‘HAVE A NICE LIFE TOUR’!

The post MURS Interviewed By Mega Ran For URB Magazine appeared first on Strange Music, Inc.

Congratulations to ¡MAYDAY! on their brand new album Future Vintage!

It goes up for the Miami talents, who delivered arguably their finest album with Future Vintage. Their fourth full-length album did not disappoint in the sales department either, as it outperformed Believers and shot up the Billboard charts, reaching…

• #8 Rap
• #9 R&B/Hip Hop
• #14 Indie
• #53 Top 200

Congratulations to ¡MAYDAY!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

FUTURE VINTAGE ON iTUNES

The post ¡MAYDAY! – ‘Future Vintage’ Soars High On The Billboard Charts appeared first on Strange Music, Inc.

Is ¡MAYDAY!’s Future Vintage a contender for album of the year? Quite possibly. With a stacked selection of songs that all have amazing songwriting and production, it’s hard to say that Future Vintage doesn’t deserve strong consideration.

¡MAYDAY! covered all the bases with Future Vintage. Songs like “Space Cadet”, “Fuel To The Fire” and “Can’t Take It With You” kickstart the adrenaline, while songs like “Coast”, “Brother” and “All The Time” chill you back out. “Against My Better Judgment” is a song unlike anything we’ve heard from any hip hop group, period, while “Know It” (featuring Tech N9ne) has quickly become a fan-favorite.

With Future Vintage, we got something truly special, and so comes the agonizing task of picking your favorite songs.

We allowed three picks, so use them wisely!

VOTE

• What songs did you pick? Why?

Let us know in the comments section below!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

FUTURE VINTAGE ON iTUNES

The post VOTE: Favorite Song On ¡MAYDAY! – ‘Future Vintage’ [POLL] appeared first on Strange Music, Inc.

Prozak has once referred to his lyrics as “audio cameras.” The music and film multi-talent has often seen his skills cross over, resulting in evocative songs that paint a picture just as well as they get our heads nodding.

We’ve gone through Prozak’s extensive catalog to pick out the five songs that we think best represent Prozak’s ability to turn our stereos into film projectors. Whether it’s through incredible storytelling or through the production choice, these songs have us reaching for popcorn.

We’ll have to wait and see whether any songs from Black Ink make the list after it drops on October 17, but in the meantime feast your ears on these audio movies.

“Crossing Over” – Tales From The Sick

Prozak takes us inside the hospital room of his dying friend, reporting the observations of a man hanging on to his life. The patient’s self-destructive tendencies are recounted, painting a backstory to what turns out to be his demise. What would normally be a hospital scene is also given another dimension, as Prozak paints a picture of demons lurking in the corner, waiting to snatch the soul of a dying man.

Scene II

Now your body’s shaking
I can see the demons over in the corner waiting
Salivating, waiting for you to cross over
The threshold of mortality and death’s border
Close my eyes and hold your hand now it’s getting colder
Knew you were upset, depressed and some what bi-polar
I tried to warn you but as usual you wouldn’t listen
Your face is pale your bodies numb and now your tears glisten
On a mission to self destruct but now you’re wishing
For the regret and blind hope and false intuition
You try and try to hold on, but there’s nothin’ left
Knowin’ each and everyone could be ya last breath
That takes you to your final rest

“Tell A Tale Of Two Hearts” – Paranormal

Shades of Ghost mixed with the urgency of cinema’s finest chase scenes make “Tale of Two Hearts” a devastating story of love between the material and spiritual realms. The song’s narrators, separated by life and death, give their mutual perspectives on their longing for each other, which we soon find out knows no bounds. By the song’s shocking conclusion, true love takes on a whole different meaning.

Scene I

Everything you do, I’m right there
Please wake me from this nightmare
You can’t seem to see me but I’m right here
Transparent, in the night air
Afraid to walk in the light
And so I stay here and watch you at night
Try to hold dear everything in our life
If I thought I had more time I would’ve made you my wife
But I never seen it coming it was so fast
Tried to hold on, but I couldn’t last
As I laid dying, everything flashed
All our hopes and dreams are now passed
I’m still beside you, but you can’t see
I know you want it back, but it can’t be
I’m afraid the darkness now has me
Just try to move on and be happy

“Nowhere To Run” – We All Fall Down

A western feel mixes with pre-apocalyptic imagery in this harrowing warning from the criminally underrated We All Fall Down. Seven’s sweeping production sets the stage perfectly for Prozak’s serial indictment of the world’s ills.

Scene II

Sea levels rising
Peace sells, who’s buyin’
Prison cells full volume
Chemtrails, who’s flyin’
Infidel stealthbombers NSA Al Qaeda
NRA ricochet bombs away wild fires
Terrorism airliners TSA soul bias
Phone taps drone attacks
Politicians all liars
Look on the bright side
But wait which side is brighter
They been looking awful dark to me I don’t know which is lighter
Closed eyes, closed minds no one seems to mind that
We’re running out of time
Last call we’re checking out and
From where I’m sitting hard to say
We don’t deserve it and
I’m not preaching, I’m just as guilty as you man
Nobody is perfect

“It Was You” – Tales From The Sick

Prozak encounters the Angel of Death in this harrowing narrative. Once again, Seven provides the score, laying down an instrumental replete with orchestral sounds, most prominently being the harp, which sets the ominous tone of Prozak’s steady descriptions.

Scene I

A hot summer night
I was in my bed
I couldn’t sleep a wink
Just laid awake instead
I slipped out the sheets careful not to wake her up
Insomniac restless got me shaken up
I walked down the hall way and out the front door
Took a seat on the steps of my front porch
The rain was cooling bouncing heavy off that concrete
Lightning lit the sky and thunder crashed around me
I saw a man on the corner in the pouring rain
I’m thinking homeless, hopeless or just insane
I called out to him sir can I help you
No reply he was motionless, statue
I started walking down the sidewalk to approach him
Dressed in black and he stood taller than most men
His trench coat stood still though the wind blows
Déjà vu premonitions innuendos
The car passing by
The headlights lit his face
Knew you from somewhere, somebody, some place
I seen you before at the hospital
My family was crying you were smiling when you passed us all
My uncle died that night
And now I’m looking back
There was a thunder storm yeah and you were dressed in black
With the thoughts and memories come to light, come to think about it

“Time” – We All Fall Down

Like any great emotional finale, “Time” plays out like a realization of change and the grim acceptance of things that have passed. Prozak reflects over another Seven masterpiece of emotional pianos, strings and amazing drum grooves from Kansas City legend Go-Go Ray.

Scene II

The sorrows of my life help to ease the pain in others
They can sense it in my voice, all the rain and thunder
All the strain, all the shame, all the stress I’m under
It makes for better songs, real emotions when you suffer
All these lyrics, each and every word is therapy
Spilling my soul on the paper, then use speakers to set it free
But honestly I’m just a self tortured oddity
Intolerably downing myself and second guessing all of me
Awfully complicated and jaded, so plain to see
Orchestrated chaos it’s I’ll ever be
A melodic harmony lost from the darkest odyssey
Tossed in deepest oceans, civilization so outta reach

• What did you think of the list?
• What songs would you have included?

Let us know in the comments section below.

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER BLACK INK

The post ‘AUDIO CAMERAS’ – Prozak’s Five Most Cinematic Songs [SM Exclusive] appeared first on Strange Music, Inc.

CES Cru’s Recession Proof EP is now available for pre-order on iTunes!

Featuring production by Seven, Kato and Leonard Dstroy and an amazing appearance by Joey Cool, this is sure to be another classic to follow up their amazing first EP: 13.

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER

RECESSION PROOF ON iTUNES!

The post CES Cru – ‘Recession Proof’ EP – PRE-ORDER NOW ON iTUNES! appeared first on Strange Music, Inc.

Even for the hardcore ¡MAYDAY! fan, there is apparently still plenty to be learned about the Future Vintage masterminds.

Recently while on the road in support of their new album Future Vintage, ¡MAYDAY! agreed to hop on Reddit for a good ol’ fashioned “Ask Me Anything”.

The AMA turned out to be just as fascinating as we thought it would be, and even we learned a few things about the Miami crew in the process that we didn’t know before.

Check out some of the coolest things we learned below, and make sure to hit up Best Buy to snag your copy of Future Vintage!

1. ¡MAYDAY! is down for a joint album with CES Cru

Q: You guys rule!!!! My question is do you think it would be possible to make a Ces Cru/Mayday joint album?? That would be so dope!!!

A: We would love to do that at some point. Ces Cru are great guys and undeniable talents. I don’t know if the world is ready for that yet though.

2. Wrekonize named “Galil” after his favorite gun on Call Of Duty

Q: This one is for Wrek, I loved your album “The War Within,” and there was a ton of great stuff in there. I loved the song “Galil,” but I can’t for the life of me figure out how the title relates to the song seeing as an Israeli Rifle. What was your inspiration for the title?

PS: I was at Spokane last night and got the USB bracelet and love what was on it!

A: Thanks!!! This is going to sound funny but i got the idea from Call of Duty. At the time my go to weapon in the game was the Galil and i loved the sound of the word. I consider myself to be a passive person. Never been a confrontational person. I wanted to write a song about what happened when you push the nice guy too far. Everyone has their breaking point and when you reach that, that’s when you feel the need to strike or lash out. So i used the name of the rifle to liken to the feeling of letting some shots off and retaliating to being treated badly. Glad you got the bracelet my brother. I hand picked a selection of goodies from the vault for those! Thanks for coming out and supporting!

3. Shortcuts & Dead Ends is ¡MAYDAY!’s most meaningful ¡MAYDAY! song.

Q: What song means most to you and why? Love the music guys!

A: Currently I think we’d all agree that “Shortcuts & Dead Ends” means the most to us. It was a very personal record and it was a real challenge to complete but when it was finished it quickly became one of our favorite records and it’s a great song to perform live. Singing that with the crowd every night is one of the current highlights of touring for us!

4. ¡MAYDAY! is headed across the pond this winter.

Q: When are you coming to England?

A: February and i can’t even front, I’m so excited i might pee myself right now. Been wanting to play my home country since i sung my first note! – Wrek

5. A Bernz solo record is in fact happening.

Q: Bernz! Where is your solo album?

A: It’s coming. It started as an EP but the last few tracks weren’t finished in time before we started cutting Future Vintage so i held it off and now i think it’s developing into a full length album due sometime next year!

6. They believe aliens haven’t found us yet because of Candy Crush.

Q: What do you guys think aliens out in the universe do for fun? Do you think if they’ve had millions of years longer than us to evolve that they would have the technology to map the universe and be aware of our presence?

A: They probably haven’t seen us for the same reason we haven’t seen them yet, We’re all too busy looking down at our phones.

7. ¡MAYDAY! fucks with grape jelly heavy.

Q: If you had to pick only one…what kind of Jelly would you put on your peanut butter and jelly? Grape or Strawberry?

A: Ha ha. good question. all in unison “GRAPE!”

8. ¡MAYDAY! might be headed to India?

Q: What do you have to say to the fans from India?! Have you ever thought of doing a show there?

A: Funnily enough, that was just proposed to us a month ago. We’d love to do it and are looking at logistics as we speak! Much love from ¡MAYDAY! to INDIA!!

9. To Pimp A Butterfly had some influence on Future Vintage.

Q: I saw someone say “you can tell To Pimp A Butterfly had a huge influence on Future Vintage” would you agree?

A: I would probably agree. We definitely spun it a bunch in the beginning of our album process. We really admired Kendrick’s approach to the album in the face of his commercial success.

10. Wrek’s favorite Cam’Ron album is Confessions Of Fire.

Q: I guess to all of you, what is your favorite Cam’Ron album?

A:  Whichever one he says “Lemonhead end up dead Ice like Winnipeg Gemstone, Flinstones You could say I’m friends with Fred”
hahahaha. Nah but in all honesty, mine is still Confessions of Fire. SO much Nostalgia when i listen to that album. – Wrek

11. ¡MAYDAY! thinks very highly of Tech N9ne

Q: What is it like to work with Tech? That guy seems like a blast to be around.

A: Tech is an amazing guy. He’s like a big kid who loves his craft more than anything. He is the definition of dedicated. Just being around the guy makes you want to be a better artist. He’s shown us an incredible amount of love and we’re happy to return it. We continue to learn from him and we’re happy to call him a friend.

12. Wrek cleared up his MTV/Roc-A-Fella fiasco

Q: Wrek, if I may, what was your genuine thought process after MTV pulled that bullshit on you years ago?

A: MTV actually held up all of their parts of the deal. They were a joy to deal with. It was Roc-A-Fella who never contacted me about doing the single deal that was promised. I looked at their roster of signed but unreleased artists and it honestly seemed to me like a better move to just go do my own thing. So began my long journey to get to where i currently reside. In a twist of fate, Dame Dash is a Strange Music fan. I’d love to shake his hand all these years later and have a laugh about it. – Wrek

13. Wrek really wants to work with Run The Jewels or Little Dragon

Q: Which is your dream collab?

A: Dream collab for me personally is Run The Jewels or Little Dragon. If we could go beyond the grave, then James Brown.

14. ¡MAYDAY! had a tour bus driver bail on them.

Q: What is the craziest thing that has happened to you while on tour?

A: So many tour dates it’s all gets a bit fuzzy but i was recently on a bus that crashed into a building and the driver panicked and bailed on us.

15. ¡MAYDAY! has a few ideas for the revolution

Q: How can we have a revolution without words?

A: Communication and unified goals is a good place to start. Tough world out there but it’s so easy to connect now. Easier than ever before. That’s if we haven’t overstimulated ourselves to death first.

16. They know their name can be a pain in the ass to type

Q: Does it get annoying always having to search for the upside down exclamation mark on your keyboard?

A: I got used to it because it’s easy on macs. We’ve definitely cursed using it though as it hinders some people from finding us. Damn artists and their wacky ideas.

17. They want to play with some other styles

Q: What styles of music would you be interested in making other than your own?

A: Would definitely like to try some more rock ballad stuff like “Against My better Judgement” or some straight up Funk James Brown type stuff.

18. ¡MAYDAY! fucks with Del The Funky Homosapien

Q: Favorite Strange/Non-Strange artist to collaborate with?

A: Sounds political but on Strange everyone is a true joy to work with. Non Strange we had a blast working with Del.

19. They really know how to sell themselves

Q: As someone that doesn’t listen to hip-hop, how would you convince me to try out your music?

A: People often tell us they listen to our music but don’t really like hip hop. We’re a hybrid that takes the best out of the genre and puts it in a incubator with a half dozen other ingredients for a tasty mix.

20. ‘The Noose’ was a very personally-inspired song

Q: What was the back story behind ‘The Noose’? What happened that made it a song and was it resolved?

A: I had a friend who lost a family member to suicide and it really shook me up. Got the music for The Noose that day and wanted to make a song from the perspective of someone going through that to attempt to help give them a voice and let them know we all feel that way sometimes and they aren’t the only ones.

21. We’ll be hearing plenty of ¡MAYDAY! on Strangeulation 2

Q: Are you guys on Strangeulation 2?

A: We’re currently on 2 tracks and hoping for a 3rd.

22. There’s a reason the skits on Future Vintage aren’t separate tracks

Q: Why do you choose to attach the spoken word pieces/skits of the albums to the end of songs instead of making them separate tracks like you do on mixtapes?

A: We didn’t want to cloud up the CD with skits on tracks. Some people prefer it that way and some people prefer it on it’s own track. We just tried it this way for this album.

23. ¡MAYDAY! has plans to work with Jarren Benton again in the future

Q: Do you guys plan on collaborating with Jarren Benton again, or anyone else from Funk Volume?

A: We would love to. Love that crew. All amazing talents. Hopefully we can have Jarren on an upcoming project of ours!

24. ¡MAYDAY! wouldn’t mind if you brought them a nice meal on the road

Q: Would you ever let a stranger (fan) cook you a meal while on tour?

A: home cooked meals on the road are always welcomed! It’s hard to eat good on the road so we never turn down a home cooked meal!!

25. Keep an eye out for ¡MAYDAY! on TV & in movies

Q: You’ve had some success with having music in television and movies in the past. Is that something you seek out, or is it more the TV/movie crew reaching out and asking for permission to use the tracks?

A: We try to seek it out for sure, but sometimes we luck out and someone reaches out to us. It’s a tough racket though. Lot of competition!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

¡MAYDAY! – FUTURE VINTAGE!

• Did your question make our breakdown?
• What was your favorite answer?
• What’s your favorite track on Future Vintage so far?

Drop a comment below and let us know! 

The post Space Cadets: 25 Things We Learned From ¡MAYDAY!’s Reddit AMA appeared first on Strange Music, Inc.