Some of my best friends are geniuses

I've got two artists everyone needs to support, or check out at least. From my days at my local college's radio station, I became pretty tight with one of the most talented producers/dj's I've encountered. And that man is DJ Ceez. He's been on the move with music videos and putting out singles left and right. Here's his website and his latest single, One Time For Ya Mind (it's so old school smooth). His group, 21st Century Hip Hop is a force to be reckoned with. You can catch him on his new show Jack and Jill show.

My other friend, H.U.E. (Hope Uplifts Everything), is holding it down on the mic with Jar-E on their track, Home. The sound reminds me a lot of Shabazz Palaces, and that's definitely not a bad thing. Check out his other work along with Jar-E's other work. Jar-E has a gig now on Asheville FM, djing a weekly comedy show called "Race to the Bottom." As you listen to their respective music, here's a little something something from H.U.E.:

As an interdisciplinary artist uniquely rooted in hip hop culture, h.u.e utilizes music, performance, visual, and written disciplines to create compositions with a unified aesthetic.

MUSICAL ART

With 1940’s blues, 80’s reggae, and late 90’s spoken-word influences, h.u.e broadens the definition of hip-hop music. His self-described genre is titled “RURAL HIP-HOP BLUES” in part because many songs are recorded outdoors and tend to be sparse and reflective, while still fusing modern electronic drum machine programming. h.u.e began cultivating his musical style in 1997 at various open mic performances with friends and started recording solo songs in the summer of 2001. Full-length musical releases include: ‘Starfish Time’ (2005), ‘Sum Rays from the Sea Sun’ (2003), ‘The Hyper-Mellow Me’ (2002), and ‘Transitions and Transformations’ (2001). In collaboration with Asheville-based musician jar-e, the two artists record as Processions. The duo released a self-titled double-CD in 2001 and a 3-song EP ‘Coming Back’ in 2006. In 2007 they recorded a mix-tape ‘Charred Beef and Bittersweet Tea’ using samples from local producers. In 2008 and 2009 h.u.e contributed singles to jar-e’s solo albums. From 2001 – 2003, h.u.e also contributed poetry and music to the collective Spoken Resistance (Washington, DC) which was featured on NPR’s Tavis Smiley Show in 2002. In addition to working on a solo children's music project, h.u.e is currently collaborating with some incredible soundcloud producers: Andrea Fuga, North American, A Clean Shaven Me, Mr. Cleese, and SystemCodeSeven.

Get it? This post is a gift for your ears. Yeah, you got it.