REV RUN PRESENTS TEAM BLACKOUT – DEBUT LP, LIGHTS OUT, TO BE RELEASED ON 8-19-08

REV RUN PRESENTS TEAM BLACKOUT – DEBUT LP, LIGHTS OUT, TO BE RELEASED ON 8-19-08

INTRODUCING THE NEXT GENERATION OF HIP-HOP: TEAM BLACKOUT – STARS OF THE HIT MTV SERIES RUN’S HOUSE

If you’ve been following the hit MTV reality series Run’s House starring Reverend Run (of Run-DMC), then you already know about the hip-hop trio Team Blackout. Team Blackout consists of Rev Run’s teenage son JoJo Simmons and his childhood friends Zach, and Reggie. The Queens / Long Island natives have been rhyming together since the 7^th grade, but it wasn’t until the 2003 New York City Blackout that JoJo, Zach and Reggie decided to officially unite and form Team Blackout – hence the name.

Since then, they’ve been honing their craft, in the studio, on stage and even on TV. For the past four-years, millions of Run’s House fans have watched Team Blackout develop, on-air, into a full-fledged group to look out for. In 2007, they landed their first record deal with NY / LA based indie label Latchkey Recordings (distributed via Koch Entertainment). Team Blackout immediately hit the studio to record their debut album, Lights Out, in stores 8/19/2008. Lights Out was produced entirely by upcoming production duo Chris n Teeb (Danity Kane, Salt N Pepa), Grammy award winning producer Rockwilder and Ron Browz. Rev Run serves as the LP’s executive producer.

Lyrically, Lights Out is fun and carefree, bringing back a feel good vibe that’s been missing in today’s hip-hop music. Sonically, Chris n Teeb, Rockwilder and Ron Browz deliver a heavy dose of slick, futuristic sounds – perfect for the radio and clubs. JoJo Simmons states “we’ve got hot music, so it’s gonna be hard for people to say we only got a break just because I’m Reverend Run’s son. People are gonna be surprised.”

Season 5 of MTV’s Run’s House kicks off this summer, with more of Team Blackout’s steady rise in the music biz. Keep an eye open for Team Blackout’s upcoming video for “Billion Dollar Boyfriend” and be sure to check out their internet buzz video “J5 On ‘Em”, produced by Ron Browz (Nas, G-Unit), featuring DJ Webstar and Boogie Black. Fans of Run’s House loved the J5 dance from season four and continually sent messages asking for more, so Team Blackout hit them with a summer dance anthem for the kids.

With Team Blackout’s drive and Rev Run as mentors, JoJo, Zach & Reggie have a bright future ahead. But in the meantime, get ready for them to put your lights out this summer.

Tracklisting and credits for Team Blackout’s Lights Out (all songs produced by Rockwilder & Chris n Teeb except where noted):

1.) Whip So Clean

2.) Billion Dollar Boyfriend

3.) Its Yours

4.) Lights Down Low

5.) Gotta Have Her

6.) Paper Chase

7). It’s Automatic

8.) Why Wouldn’t I

9.) Anywhere You Wanna Go

10.). About U

11.) Outro

12). J5 On ‘Em f/DJ Webstar & Boogie Black (Bonus track produced by Ron Browz)

Tanya Morgan Added to The Hieroglyphic’s “Freshly Dipped Tour” Lineup / “Be You”

Tanya Morgan joins the ranks of legendary hip-hop collective The Hieroglyphics this summer as part of their Freshly Dipped Tour. Tanya Morgan members Donwill, Ilyas, and Von Pea, who put out the critically acclaimed Moonlighting in 2006 and who are promoting their EP The Bridge, are preparing to hit the road again to perform not only some of their past hits but also new tracks for the first time.

The Freshly Dipped Tour is a 45 date, three month-long expo of cutting edge music and fashion from the Hiero crew. Featuring fresh music from up and comers and classics from Hiero’s stable of artists, the tour will provide a welcoming environment for Tanya Morgan to once again bring their live show to the masses. The tour will also feature members of The Hieroglyphics, Souls of Mischief, Casual, Pep Love, and Domino, along with extended members Prince Ali, Musab, Knobody, and Blue Scholars.

Tanya Morgan’s debut full-length album, Moonlighting, built an underground buzz after receiving kudos from both critics and their peers. Moonlighting made ?uestlove’s list of Top 10 albums of 2006, received praise in XXL’s Chairman’s Choice and got a 3.5 mic rating from The Source. Tanya Morgan will be touring in support of The Bridge EP, as well as finishing their second full-length album, Brooklynati, which will be released in the fall.

Dates (first 29 dates are listed here, last 15 will be announced shortly):

Fri-Jul-11 Pomona, CA Glasshous

Sat-Jul-12 Los Angeles, CA El Rey

Sun-Jul-13 San Diego, CA Belly Up

Tue-Jul-15 Tempe, AZ Clubhouse

Wed-Jul-16 Flagstaff, AZ Orpheum

Thu-Jul-17 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine

Fri-Jul-18 Dallas, TX Granada

Sat-Jul-19 Austin, TX Emo’s

Sun-Jul-20 New Orleans, LA Parrish

Tue-Jul-22 Orlando, FL Social-Late Show

Wed-Jul-23 Atlanta, GA Masq

Thu-Jul-24 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle

Fri-Jul-25 Charleston, SC The Music Farm

Sat-Jul-26 Wilmington, NC Soapbox

Sun-Jul-27 Virginia Beach, VA Steppin Out

Tue-Jul-29 Baltimore, MD Bedrock

Wed-Jul-30 West Chester, PA The Note

Thu-Jul-31 New York City, NY Highline

Sun-Aug-03 Burlington, VT Higher Ground

Tue-Aug-05 Ottawa, ON Babylon

Wed-Aug-06 Toronto, ON Mod Club

Thu-Aug-07 London, ON The Salt Lounge

Fri-Aug-08 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig

Sat-Aug-09 Columbus, OH Skullys

Sun-Aug-10 Chicago, IL Abbey Pub

Tue-Aug-12 Madison, WI High Noon

Wed-Aug-13 Minneapolis First Ave-Early Show

Thu-Aug-14 Omaha Waiting Room

Fri-Aug-15 Boulder Fox

Sat-Aug-16 Salt Lake City Urban Lounge

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Tanya Morgan – “Be You” featuring Czelena

The Song:

A bona fide summer jam, Tanya Morgan’s “Be You” glazes a feel good, 70s- TV-theme-esque beat with a thick layer of sweet and tangy lyricism. With lengthy, rapid-fire rhymes like “Now you can be a disser / but I see the bigger picture / and you aren’t in the frame / like my dark skinned sisters,” Tanya Morgan satisfies the local revolutionary and even the pretentious poet.

The Backgournd:

In 2003, Brooklyn resident Von Pea teamed up with Cincinnati’s Donwill and Ilyas to form Tanya Morgan. Three years later, the group’s Moonlighting LP took the rap world by storm, receiving a 3.5 mic rating from The Source and high praise in XXL’s Chairman’s Choice column. Donwill describes the group’s uniqueness and appeal: “Instead of jam-packing our releases with different producers and guest emcees for attention, we carefully choose who we work with because we make it a priority to cultivate our own sound and identity. We look to groups like Eric B and Rakim, who honed their own sound and rarely collaborated with other artists.” After a brief hiatus from center stage, the crew is back in 2008 seeking the hip-hop triple crown: the release of a mixtape, EP, and LP, all in the same year. Tonya Morgan has performed with Ghostface Killah and has had videos featured on multiple MTV channels. The Bridge EP is available now on via Bay Area label Interdependent Media.

Eminem – “Slaughtahouse” Remix

The Song:

Eminem emerges from the shadows to rework Masta Ace’s classic “Slaughtahouse” for Delicious Vinyl’s RMXXOLOGY. Originally released on 1993’s Slaughtahouse, the track called for a “death to the wack MC’s” and the gangsta rap era. The original video featured Masta Ace and crew rhyming in an actual slaughterhouse. Dressed in white butcher suits, drenched in blood, and with axes in their hands, they explicitly made fun of the corny rappers of the day. Eminem tones down the heavy West Coast bass of the original and morphs it into a thumping groove that feels like a purposeful, pissed march. The seriousness of the beat is balanced by the playful metaphors of Masta Ace and his early 90’s flow.

The Background:

“Slaughtahouse” is taken from RMXXOLOGY, out now. RMXXOLOGY features Delicious Vinyl classics by the likes of Tone-Loc, The Pharcyde, Masta Ace, The Brand New Heavies, and Born Jamericans re-imagined by artists including Peaches, Eminem, Diplo, Hot Chip, Spank Rock & Amanda Blank, Phillipians, Ed Banger’s Mr. Flash, and Bobby Evans. The singles for the album have been burning up the charts in the UK and here in the US. Please post buy links if you can!