Soooo this is my first blog in a little while. Trying to stay on track but I honestly haven't been up to it. I haven't been really doing much of anything lately, honestly. It's been...an interesting week, to say the least, but I'm back!
I start off this morning with a spotlight! Representing Detroit, a city filled with plenty of musical history, we have Street Justice! SJ, as they as also known, is made up of three members: Ketchphraze (Chrishaun Stanton), Redd (Clifford Johnson), and Jypsy (Julian Hearn). Read more about the group after the jump!
Known for their "Soulful, yet gangsta" sound, Street Justice formed in 2003. At that time, all three members were off doing their own thing. "We happened to be recording at the same studio and did a song titled "Catch The Contact," Ketchphraze said. "We went and performed the song at an local Open Mic Night in Inkster and our chemistry just clicked!!! It's been popping ever since then!"
They really have. Taking inspiration from artists like Slum Village, Little Brother, Redman, and also Detroit's own Funk Brothers, SJ has been making serious moves. They have released three hard-hitting "Street Albums." The Coffee House (2006) and History In The Making (2007), both received Detroit Hip Hop Award nominations for Mixtape of the Year. Out 4 JustUs (2008) got over 10,000 + downloads and was called one of Detroit's top 15 albums of the year by the Real Detroit Weekly. And their debut album Go H.A.A.M!, released in 2010, was given 4 Stars by Real Detroit Weekly . And this album goes hard as a motha for real!
In addition, SJ has opened up for Nas, Method Man & Redman, E-40, Talib Kweli, Dilated Peoples, Little Brother, Royce da 5'9, Proof from D12 (Awww RIP Proof), and Slum Village. Seriously working hard. They also are working on their own solo projects. "Ketchphraze has 2 solo mixtapes out What Happened? and the Detroit classic Motown Is Back," Jypsy said. Ketchphraze also has a duo project with Bango from the Fat Killahz entitled Hip Hop, Poverty, and Porn hosted by Rude Jude. He and Jypsy are now working on their own solo albums, while Redd has produced and starred in the play Breaking A Leg. Red will also be starring in another play that is set to hit the stage in March. An obviously busy group, the trio is also working on their new album! Can you say SERIOUS GRIND?!
When asked what is the best and worst part of working in the music industry, Redd answered honestly. "The best part has been being able to make music with my brothers," he said. "When we put our creative minds together, we make some powerful, life-changing music. The worst part is the wait. I feel like it's taking forever to get to where we want to be. I love the grind and I love putting in the hard work. I'm just impatient as hell. I know it'll happen when the time is right."
Ketchphraze gave a real answer about the current state of hip hop and why SJ is different. "What makes us different is original/honest lyrics. Hip-Hop is so fabricated now," he stated. "75% of hip hop sells drugs and pops pistols now, the other 10% has money to blow and makes it rain on hoes at the Shake Club. 3% is trying to make a new dance that the world can latch on to, and we're in the 2% range who's rapping about what WE as people are going through on a day-to-day basis." I kinda chuckled at that, but it's real talk. Hip hop ain't at its best, and I'm hoping real artists and groups like Street Justice will take over, and change the game.
SJ is not signed as of this moment. "SJ are free agents right now," Redd stated. "Our name is exactly what it means. Justice. Just. Us. We rock independent right now. Until a label falls out of the sky and signs us to multi-million dollar deals!" With the way they're going, I see it happening. Jypsy has high anticipations for the group as well. "We're all ambitious and goal-oriented so we got the plan, just gotta execute it more effective and we'll be headed to the top soon," he said. "But at the end of the day we just want to be respected for making great, quality, classic/critically acclaimed music and be able to live off of it and that's about it."
After listening to Go H.A.A.M!, I have a high respect for this group, which is not something I have said of all of the artists I have done spotlights on. Their message is real, and I really encourage yall to check them out. You won't be disappointed, trust. Go H.A.A.M! can now be purchased on iTunes, Amazon, all of the major music sites! You can email the group at streetjusticehiphop@gmail.com and check out their official website, as well as their Bandcamp site for mixtape downloads. And of course, Twitter! Follow the group's official account as well as their individual accounts. Jypsy, Redd, and Ketchphraze. Check out some of their music below!
PEACE.
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