12 Days Of RazMas: Day 12 - It's RasMaz Day! Farewell

It's RazMas. It's been twelve straight late nights getting a better understanding of an outstanding album from a young man that has a brilliant future ahead him. "Spilled Milk" is just the beginning. We're sure that Top $ Raz will continue to excel with his musical endeavors for he is a driven individual that creates with purpose. It's fitting that final track on this LP is entitled, "Farewell". He began with a powerful emotional impulse, and closes with a just as powerful moment of reflection. The end is bitter sweet and poignant. Peace and infinite blessing on this RazMas...


1. Farewell is a fitting song for the end of this album. When did you actually complete this song in relation to the rest of the album?

I had the hook and first verse for this track for a while, it was like the third song I had completed. My first intention was to record it over a Prezzure beat, but one night while in the car with my girl she put me on to the Donny Hathaway version of "Someday We'll All Be Free" (a song I always loved but only heard the Aretha Franklin version) and I was like BOOM! That's it, I need that beat. The stuff that Donny is talking about that song, about holding on and his real life story of suicide was the kind of irony I was going for with the entire Spilled Milk project. Like, yea we got to keep moving, you cant cry over Spilled Milk, but then again you will cry over it, cause you're only human. So I sent it to Imagine That for them to flip for me. Shout out to Prezzure though cause the original beat he made really pulled that emotion out of me.

2. What was the inspiration for the chorus and the delivery of it? How do you personally feel about this song? Will you ever perform it live?

I honestly don't know where any of this stuff comes from, its just flows through. Some hooks I have to really think about, like the intro took me a while to come up with, but this one came natural. Aside from "No Tears" this is my favorite track, I'm really proud of how this joint came out.

3. What does the future hold for you Top $ Raz? What will you do different in 2010? What will you do the same?

2010 means demanding respect and getting it. Making better music, smart decisions, and precise power moves. Thinking everything through and having a plan.

4. Are there any last things you'd like to say on this RazMas day? Anyone you'd like to mention?

I'd like to thank everyone involved and all those who have showed love for Spilled Milk. I'd like to thank every artist, fan,supporter, and blogger that helped with this (Iheartdilla, Freehiphopnow, Above Ground Mag, Adam B, Kalil Kash, OISD, Imagine That, Thinker, and everyone else out there) The response to this album has been overwhelming. All I want to say is I hope we keep moving forward, and although it seems like we are moving fast we have a long way to go. I want everyone who is pursuing this rap thing to be rooted to reality. Chasing the dream is important, but so is having food on your plate. Take care of yourselves.

Freehiphopnow.com would to thank Top $ Raz for allowing us to follow him on this journey, while answering all of our questions in an engaging and thoughtful manner. We also would like to thank all of the supports of this project and ask that you continue to spread the word about Spilled Milk.

If you haven't yet subscribed to Freehiphopnow.com, what are you waiting for. Stay up to date on new music, articles and events... Follow us on Twitter! And check out 'A Monthly Bondfire' at The Bowery Poetry in NYC every last Tuesday of the month a great show that we produce!

>Download "Spilled Milk" <

Follow Top $ Raz on Twitter www.twitter.com/topdollaraz
Follow Thinker on Twitter www.twitter.com/thinx19
Follow Kalil Kash on Twitter www.twitter.com/kalilkash
Follow OISD on Twitter www.twitter.com/oisd5mecees
Follow iHeartdilla on Twitter www.twitter.com/iHeartdilla
Follow Adam B on Twitter www.twitter.com/adamsworldblog
Follow A Monthly Bondfire on Twitter www.twitter.com/morebondfire
Follow FreehiphopNow.com on Twitter www.twitter.com/freehiphopnow
Follow Twiturm http://twitter.com/twiturm <-Upload your own tunes and embed them!

12 Days Of RazMas: Day 7 - Cold Blooded feat. Imagine That

Truman Capote didn't write this tale featuring, Imagine That on Spilled Milk for this 7th Day of RazMas. Top$ Raz did. Tonight we find out that there was a second track that didn't make the official Spilled Milk release and you get to hear it too. We'll call it a bonus. Raz did.


1. Cold Blooded may be the most 'left' track on the album in terms of theme throughout the entire LP. It definitely veers slightly off of the path you charted at the beginning of "Spilled Milk". You only have one verse? It's like this track is off of Imagine That's LP and you're the guest appearance. Break down the song for us. What is it about? How do you know Imagine That?

Yea the original intent was for me to be featured on this track, but I like this song so much I threw it on the LP. We already had a song we did for my album called "Gimme Mine", which I'm sending as a bonus cut, but I liked this song more. "Gimme Mine" was made at a time when I was still trying to find my voice. If you listen to the two you can see on "Cold Blooded" that I'm more comfortable with the flow changes. I met Imagine That at the Training Camp open mic at pyramid when I first started hitting the underground circuit. It was a mutual respect from jump so we decided we should do some collaborations. Back in Oct. 2008 Imagine That gave me my first showcase. I'm really grateful for knowing them cats because they definitely played a major role in getting this album done. They recorded, mixed and mastered 90 % of the album as well as produced 3 joints on it and are featured on 2 songs (Mike Love on Far Rock '95, and as a group on Imagine That). As far as theme of the song, I was tryna talk about what I felt was cold blooded in this world life, the streets, my style, work, all that stuff.

2. Okay. Obviously this album is full of adult language, but you're adamant about the fact that there was no use of the 'N' word. Why is that? Can you explain why you chose to do that? Do you think in the future you will ever do an entire album sans cuss words?

It was actually when I went out to record "Gimme Mine" that I decided to stop using the N word on my songs. Imagine That, for those who don't know, are white (with mad soul might I add). When Imagine That picked me up from the train station they were playing Pharoahe Monch's "What it Is" where he's like 'when they see me they say that's that nigga my last name should be that's that nigga, sounds kinda nice Pharoahe that's that nigga...' and I was kinda uncomfortable. Like not because they was listening to it, but because we couldn't sing along to this dope record without it feeling awkward. It was at that point that I decided I shouldn't use that word at least in my music because all it does is separate us. If you go to any hip hop show you'll see that Hip Hop is uniting cultures together. It's a beautiful thing, I'm just trying to further that unity with the words I use.

As for not cursing on a record, Top $ Raz concludes, 'Nah that'd be corny as hell. lmao. The word "motherfucker" can be pronounced so many diff ways, it's too fun...'

As promised, bonus track: Gimmie Mine


>Download "Spilled Milk" <
Follow Top $ Raz on Twitter www.twitter.com/topdollaraz
Follow FreehiphopNow.com on Twitter www.twitter.com/freehiphopnow
Follow Twiturm http://twitter.com/twiturm <-Upload your own tunes and embed them! Tomorrow, "12 Days Of RazMas" continues with Day 8. Perfect Stranger

12 Days Of RazMas: Day 1. El Presidente - Top $ Raz

If you don't already know who Queens emcee Top $ Raz is then you can't really claim to know about current NYC Hiphop. Top $ Raz defines the New, New York. Young, confident and proactive. The "Empire State" of the underground circuit that in a lil over a year, seemingly from no where has gained the ears and respect of his peers and then some in this rotten apple. He's proven, you do not need the yes man co-signage of an in-genuine blogosphere in order to garner real support. What you do need is exceptional music, a strong work ethic, great stage presence and true determination. Never take no for an answer.

With all that said, tonight FreeHiphopNow.com begins celebrating the, "12 Days Of RazMas". Each day leading up to December 25th, we'll be focusing on one track from Top $ Raz's current release "Spilled Milk" in an effort to continue creating awareness for this solid production. Also, gaining more insight on this young artist and those who contributed to the creation of this work.

Before The Milk Spills - El Presidente [[Explicit Content]]

1. "Before The Milk Spills - El Presidente" is a pretty healthy pre-introduction to listeners preparing for the release of the album "Spilled Milk". Did you record this before or after your trip to the west coast? What was the trip like out there and what were you doing while you visited L.A.?

"El Presidente" came before the trip to LA. It was supposed to be on the album, but I scrapped it due to a falling out with a producer. So yea, "Spilled Milk" would've been 12 tracks. I suppose god works in mysterious ways cause the album has a nice synergy to it at 11 tracks. Flows nicely. The trip was nice, the people at Trash Can Music took care of me out there. I got free breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday. I recorded the album out there for the 2nd time. After thinking about my future, I decided I didn't want to release the album with them so I did it independently. So I rerecorded the album in three hours at the Imagine That studios in Port Chester.

2. When'd you get the idea to record "Spilled Milk"? How did you map out the creation of the album?

I knew I wanted to do a new record after "The Narrative" to show fans and spectators where I am right now. "The Narrative", even though it didn't get an official release until November 21st 2008, was mostly created when I was between the ages 17-19. Half of the record was recorded in my senior year of high school. At 20, I felt I needed something more focused, that shows my skills today. I got in the lab to make this new record. It took many different turns. At first it was called "Captivity", but after a while it morphed into "Spilled Milk". I felt the title was more fitting.

Tomorrow, "12 Days Of RazMas" continues with Day 2: The Album Introduction - Spilled Milk produced by Thinker. We'll speak with both Top $ Raz and Thinker.

Follow Top $ Raz on Twitter www.twitter.com/topdollaraz
Follow FreehiphopNow.com on Twitter www.twitter.com/freehiphopnow
Follow Twiturm http://twitter.com/twiturm <-Upload your own tunes and embed them!

>Download "Spilled Milk" <

If you haven't subscribed to our blog please do. You can customize how you receive our updates...

Please leave comments and interact with the featured artist...

Eric Sosa - 'The Heart'

We have our eye on this kid and we like this tune, 'The Heart' from the Queens bred, young emcee (not be mistaken for Marvin Young) Eric Sosa. He and Sosa Management are everywhere in NYC right now, so there's a good chance you'll catch him live on stage or out and about, patronizing the city's many performance venues and clubs. Definitely keep your eyes and ears open.


Please rate this post and drop a comment. Let us know what you think about Eric Sosa's , 'The Heart'. Artists need thoughtful feedback, especially those on the come up!

Go Green Hiphop Tour Hits The Bronx June 24th!

Performances by:

Red Clay
Ravage
Ihsan
Sosoon
Bronx Über Villain
Sister Mia
Senator Eric Carthage from MINDSpray
Tzo - ReadNex Poetry Squad
Street Rockers

Workshops & Demonstrations on Healthy Cooking, Gardening, Worm Composting & Biking.

Grassroots Artists MovEment (G.A.ME) & Partners:

Community Board #4 (Bronx)
Green Thumb
The Baum Forum
Just Food
Montifiore Health School Program
Slow Food USA
Hip Hop Association
West Bronx Local Development Corp.
Brooklyn Queens Landtrust & La Familia Verde

Wednesday
JUNE 24, 2009 12-4pm
College ave. Green Thumb garden
(BTWN 170 & 171 sTREET)

Saturday
JUNE 27, 2009 12-4pm
e. 167TH st. BTWN Gerard & Cromwell

Artist Of The Week - Top $ Raz

Growing up in Far Rockaway, Queens, Top $ Raz knew how to rap before he even attended his first day of school. “My brother used to blast Hip-Hop music all day long,” he remembers, “and if I didn’t learn the words to Biggie I would be exiled out the room.” A pretty rough sentence for a kid who was only six at the time, but it was that influence that not only led him to Hip-Hop, but to some very specific types of Hip-Hop. Top $ Raz explains, “my brother made sure I valued and understood the essence of the music and never let me get into the cookie cutter stuff.” While in second grade, when he was just learning how to write, Top $ Raz penned his first rhyme and he hasn’t looked back since. This week I caught up with him to find out more about the depth and diversity of his work, where he gets his incredible stage presence, and the inspiration behind his video for “King.” Click Here...

Free Mixtape: Dub MD & Spectacula Presents "Unexclusively Exclusive"

Here's some exclusive new heat from Queens emcee, Spectacula as he joins forces with Dub MD for this brand new project entitled "Unexclusively Exclusive" a 16 track digi-zip jam packed full of classic hip hop music. The new mixtape features beats from a whole host of producers from the likes of DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Alchemist, Black Milk and many more, and in the immortal words of the homie Fresh Daily, it's supaspectacular!

This new project is in preparation for Spectacula's up and coming new studio album "Every Second Counts" which due for release sometime this year. The Queens emcee will be releasing a mixtape every month until the summer in the lead up to his album, this mixtape being the first in his "Quality In Quantity" series. Also check for some new releases from Dub MD this year as he tags-up for a second time with Nametag for Volume 2 of the "Classic Cadence" collection, along with projects with an army of other artists in 2009, keep it locked!

Download Link

01.) Intro (Produced By Kon and Amir)
02.) Shine (Produced By The Alchemist)
03.) Pressure (Produced By Pete Rock)
04.) Your Welcome (Produced By 9th Wonder)
05.) Let Go (Produced By Madlib)
06.) Full Time Job (Produced By Pete Rock)
07.) Just Venting (Produced By Khyrsis)
08.) For The Websites (Produced By Black Milk)
09.) Whats Next? (Interlude)
10.) Going Out Of Style (Produced By Pete Rock)
11.) The Forefront (Produced By Bronze Nazareth)
12.) Wasted Potential (Produced By DJ Premier)
13.) Snakes In The Grass (Produced By Khyrsis)
14.) For The Hell Of It (Produced By Easy Mo Bee)
15.) Gravity (feat. Gorillaz) (Produced By Gorillaz)
16.) Unexclusively Exclusive (Outro)

www.myspace.com/spectacula1
www.myspace.com/dubmd84

Shine - Capone & Noreaga

[Click here] to download Shine - Capone & Noreaga