Press Coverage
How DFW Cypher will save Underground Hip Hop
Written by Dick Sullivan Wednesday, 18 January 2012 10:05
When I composed my 2012 wish list, I made eleven pretty lofty requests and one that was pure snark. Among the sincere wishes, perhaps none was more of a stretch than to see underground hip hop gain a foothold in North Texas. At least that’s why I thought it was a stretch. It turns out five Dallas emcees struggled with the same goal about a year ago and decided to direct energies toward that end. The fruit of that struggle is now known as DFW Cypher, a grassroots collective with one goal: to lend a bullhorn to underground hip hop in DFW.
A cypher is nothing more than a huddle of emcees trading freestyle rhymes. Unlike a battle, there is no face-to-face exchange of ad-hoc insults, but there is the same rawness of being put on the spot. A good cypher gets at the root of what makes hip hop so engrossing: individuals out on a verbal tightrope. DFW Cypher’s aim is to use that tool as a way to promote the area’s hip hop.
DFW Cypher formed in the late winter of 2011 when Frank “ASAP” Torres, Justin “GOAT” Griffith, Julio “Kilo Art-of-Fact” Corderro, Kyle “Molek Ular” Elrod, and James “Jack Rabbit” Clark decided to film a cypher and upload it. That first video, filmed in a Kitchen and produced by Molek Ular, went so well that the same group decided to do it again, with a new roster of emcees. This time, they had the help of veteran videographer Teddy Cool, the only non-performer of DFW Cypher, who came on board after finding the first video. “I saw this cypher concept and [thought], ‘That’s dope. That’s exactly the kind of music I want to push forward in this community. It’s simple. It’s hip hop.’” To date, the group has produced five cypher videos and don’t plan on resting any time soon.
Jump over to D Magazine to read the rest of the article by Dick Sullivan
Read More below to watch all the DFW Cypher Videos
Tanya Morgan Over The Weekend
Written by Jake Crates Wednesday, 15 September 2010 15:56
Better than: Any hip-hop concert you would see at an American Airlines Center bill filled with marquee acts that get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to destroy your ear drums.
Tanya Morgan has been touring the country sporadically for the past few years as they get their buzz up among devoted members of the hip-hop community. But while many people think they take after the Native Tongues movement of the 1990s (De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep and others), Tanya Morgan has developed their own unparalleled sound.
After meeting on an okayplayer.com message board years ago, Donwill from Cincinnatti and Von Pea from Brooklyn developed an earthy sound with upbeat rhythms that have garnered the attention of XXL Magazine, The Source and Spin to name a few.
Myka 9 in Review
Written by N. Hernandez Monday, 01 March 2010 00:00
The Upper Echelon Tour with Myka 9
Better Than: The poetry that your English Lit teacher thought would inspire your love of words.
Return of the Legendary Mics
Written by Poor Vida Monday, 14 December 2009 18:00
Poor Vida Productions is wrapping up the year with a bang - the final Sunday Sessions of the year was one of the biggest draws all year long, and now, just 2 weeks later, Poor Vida is about to do it again... with the "Return of the Legendary Mics" Tour. Old school hip hop heads already know the deal, but for those just coming to the game, pull up a desk and start taking notes. Saturday, December 19th will be a date for Dallas hip hop to remember, with the best of the best all coming together to rock the Green Elephant. To find out more, follow the link.