Uncharted Battlefest Highlight: D-Lock

      Pop stars and gangster rappers move aside, Darian 'D-Lock' Lockhart is a force to be reckoned with. The young rapper's lyrics are not only about life experiences, but they also touch base on topics that everyone can relate to. D-Lock's passion for making music started back in 2005. Soon after, he put the mic down. After a long hiatus to focus on his personal life he returned to his first love, music, in 2009 and hasn't let up since.

      D-Lock is currently working on a few projects including his own mixtape, Thank God I'm The Sh*t, and a full-length with his group, The Smoovefellaz, entitled, Under The Influence. The Smoovefellaz, according to D-Lock, is a group of rappers that share the same goal, helping Rockford gain proper respect. The group has an impressive local following in Rockford and they hope to expand throughout the Midwest and beyond.

     D-Lock recently started battle rapping in the Midwest Battlefest league. His first battle was against Infancy and although he didn't win the battle, D-Lock considered it a success. "It gave me the confidence I needed, to know I can go up against anybody and hold my own." Says the rapper.

      With the Thank God I'm The Sh*t mixtape, set to be released towards the end of the summer, and the upcoming Smoovefellaz album, Under the Influence, set to be released later this month, D-Lock hopes to put both himself and The Smoovefellaz on the map and gain the recognition he feels they deserve.

~joeEFFINGmayo

Uncharted Battlefest Highlight: Derek 'Blaze' Nguyen

Blaze

      Derek Nguyen, known as Blaze to everyone in the 'Forest City' Rockford-based battle leage, Midwest Battlefest, has been making music since the age of fourteen. Now, at age 19, he is CEO of the rapidly growing company. Of course, Blaze hasn't forgotten where he's come from.

      Blaze started his music ventures in a group, Outlaw Recordz, for a short while before internal conflicts caused them to disband. Blaze went solo and soon met up with fellow music artists, Ronald "T.R.I.M. Forte" Watson and Akeem Kizart in '09. Blaze was introduced to Hustle and Culture, one he considers his first REAL music group. To tis day, he reps the music company alongside other artists, including Zachary "Ayngel Halow" Coble. Blaze helped them produce their first mixtape, Jedi Mic Tricks, within a few short weeks.

      Through Facebook, Blaze met Keith "Da Rambla" Cotto from West Christiansburg , VA. After kind words, Keith invited Blaze to work with his personal affiliates, EMB/Most Hayyyted, alongside Zac "Da-Vine" Garcia. The two were the only artists in the affiliated with the group from outside the VA area and supported Da Rambla's newest album, You Can Hate Me Now.

      Febuary 2010, Blaze took a long hiatus from music. He felt that he had burned himself out after pushing out his tapes, The Initial Spark and Flashfire. He began focusing more on Battlefest and helping fellow artists improve their crafts. Whenever he wasn't doing what he could to support the local hip-hop scene, he was dealing with the everyday life of a teenager. School and work took priorety over his musical ventures.

Blaze

      Any work he COULD get in was spent writing, rather than recording music. "I have many songs that are written on my computer that have yet to be recorded, some spanning all the way back til 2008." Says Blaze.

      In the last several months, Blaze has been working on several projects, including "Back To Basics (B2B)" and "God Mode". Blaze has several music artist connections, including ties to Darian (Elgin, IL), Cassandra "Freshkidd" Ramirez (Oceanside, CA), Rohan Raj (Canada), Santhi Long (Iowa), the group BXC, Casmira Baclawski (Kenosha, WI), and most recently Axe and Xen of the Wisemen, which he is now a part of.

      Blaze showcases a versatile lyrical style and great vocal control which works in his favor, as he explores a vast variety of genres from Club, R&B, Old Skool and even Pop!

      "I Love music. This is my escape from the hardships of life. This is where I can express myself and to give my thoughts and ideas a medium to be projected. Music literally saved my life. my passion for this won't ever die and come summer 2011, Blaze will be back and will heat up the game for sure." - Blaze

~joeEFFINGmayo

Joemayo91@gmail.com

The definition of 'Souless'

"My brother once told me I'm emotionless sometimes" - Souless
Photo: Rigo Aviles

      Unfeeling, unmerciful, unsparing and unsympathetic. These words are synonymous with another word, Soulless. "My brother once told me I’m kind of emotionless at times," says local rapper, Rigo 'Souless' Aviles, "I learned not to have emotions or feelings."

      Souless describes his music as "unorthodox with jazzy beats." Often times, taking a different approach when dealing with familiar topics. "I'm not trying to outdo the other guy." says the young rapper, "I'm about making music that I like, music that sticks in your head."

      So what kind of music does Souless enjoy? Growing up, he listened to a lot of artists he considered 'hardcore'. Artists such as South Park Mexican, Biggie Smalls and Dr. Dre. Also listening to a lot of freestyle because it's what his father enjoyed listening to. Although hip hop is still his primary choice, Souless listens to everything, from Daniel Johnston to Jimi Hendrix, Mac Lethal and Brother Ali. "Right now on my iPod, I have nothing but Atmosphere playing non-stop."

      For nearly 7 years, he's been trying to perfect his trade. Fairly recently, he decided to start battle rapping at local events. "I’ve been battling for no less than just a couple of months, but I’m getting into it and I’m going to make my way to the top. Slowly, but surely." says a confident Souless who took the win in his battle at March Massacre 2 against Kay-Gee, another local battle rapper.

      "That battle went great for me," recalls Souless,"I was really nervous just because I had lost against Raco the Dragon just a month before." When asked how he prepared for the match, he replied," I practiced everyday for about 2 weeks and wrote as many bars as possible."

      So, recording or battling? When asked, Souless replied,"I prefer recording tracks better because I love making the music I write, but battle rapping is really fun and gets so intense. I love going toe to toe with another M.C."

      You can find several Souless tracks on his YouTube Channel. You can also see  Souless battle at Battlefest Presents Mayday Mayhem hosted by Blaze against Akeem Kizart on May 7th. 

“Keep an ear on the hip hop scene in Rockford. It’s getting bigger every minute.” - Souless

~joeEFFINGmayo

Joemayo91@gmail.com

(Originally posted on Examiner)