Music
Press
By Ben Wineka, Staff Writer
2/7/08
Hip-hop groups are a lost art. Besides the occasional duo, hip-hop is a genre boasting enlarged egos that can't shine together on the same track, let alone an entire album.
Producer and N.C. Central University professor 9th Wonder, who himself is a by-product of local legends Little Brother, is doing his best to revive the rhyming collective with Durham's M1 Platoon.
M1's five lyricists - Arafat Yates, Big Chopps, Scoopay, C4 Black and Sean D - easily win early praise simply by falling under 9th Wonder's wing but continue to garner more respect throughout their mixtape, M1 Invasion.
Almost every track does a commendable job of showcasing each rapper's abilities without sounding too busy or forced by trying to give everybody a piece of the pie.
Big Chopps does seem to stand out more often with spiked punchlines and a "flow like a neck jab," but the remaining four are no slouches, and all have their moments.
Still, in records like "Welcome," "How U Gon' Front" and "Be Like" - which features Hall of Justus collaborator Carlitta Durand - the beauty comes from five lyricists' flawless exchange among one another.
Crate-digging 9th Wonder production also aides these three songs in reaching perfection.
The Dream Merchant graces the tape with four more bangers, most notably "How 2 Make A Hit," an excellent commentary on the disintegrating quality of hip-hop music, but the bulk of the 24 tracks are done by M1 members Arafat Yates, Beat Justice and Napalm. Although the latter beats all hold their own, 9th's are more polished and cater most to the listener.
For being a mixtape, M1 Invasion is a step above the majority of its counterparts by comprising all original material, not stand-by rhymes over the beats of popular songs.
The Platoon's feel-good offering is the perfect backdrop for a summertime cookout or windows-down car ride and is even more noteworthy because it is available for free via Internet download.
4/5 Stars
Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu. - The Daily Tar Heel
Raleigh
Joe Scudda, Chaundon, Jozeemo, M-1 Platoon
The Pour House—Surprisingly, this isn't Joe Scudda's celebration party for winning the Longest Rap Career Without Ever Releasing An Album Award. Oddly enough, Scudda has way more than an album's worth of rap grub to satisfy an underfed crowd, and—tonight—he won't hide behind release dates or production schedules. Scudda's Hall of Justus chum and Justus League lieutenant, Chaundon—energized off of the recent release of his long-awaited LP, Carnage—will be lambasting-off as usual, alongside Bull City's "b-boy bully," Jozeemo. As official NC hip-hop aldermen, they'll be teaching 9th Wonder's newest broods, M-1 Platoon, how to tear down a live show. Or maybe it'll be the other way around? Drop $7 at 10 p.m. —Eric Tullis - Independent Weekly, Eric Tullis
A new week, and new music to go along with it. What a wonderful concept. Got word of this late this weekend thanks to my boys over at DC to BC, who stay holdin’ down the Middle East from their spot up in Boston. Go ahead with that. Hometown love is a beautiful thing.
Anyway, meet the M1 Platoon. A group that has some claims to the DMV area and is doing it big with their latest mixtape, Invasion. Peep the tracklisting and how many tracks 9th Wonder blessed with the skills!
01. Jay Fattz Intro
02. Lets Make A Mixtape ft. Phocuz (Prod. by Arafat)
03. How 2 Make A Hit ft. Rapsody of Kooley High (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
04. My Sneaks Is All That (Prod. by Beat Justice)
05. BOOYYEE!!! ft. Lord Fuego (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
06. Its Cool ft. Phocuz and Young Swift (Prod. by Arafat)
07. Get It On ft. Lord Fuego (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
08. Horton's Clergymen Interlude
09. Paper Boys ft Erroll (Prod. by Arafat)
10. Check Me Out (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
11. Welcome (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
12. Just Another Day ft. Phocuz (Prod. by Arafat)
13. Rep 4 Tha Gorrillas ft. Nathaniel Grey and Lord Fuego (Prod. by Napalm)
14. How U Gon Front? (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
15. Ridin Music (Prod. by Arafat)
16. Give It A Wave (Prod. by Arafat)
17. Firehouse Confessions (Prod. by Ka$h)
18. Harvey Aire's Herion Interlude
19. Herion (Prod. by Arafat)
20. Dont Stop (Prod. by Beat Justice)
21. Mobbed Out ft. Jozeemo (Prod. by Arafat)
22. Be Like ft. Carlitta Durand (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
23. Phocuz's My Boy Interlude
24. We Came 2 Let Yall Know (Prod. by Arafat)
All Tracks Written By Tha M1_Platoon
All Scratches by DJ Gonzo
All interludes and intros produced by Arafat
Recorded in "Yates Room" and "De Stu" at NCCU
2008 Its A Wonderful World Music
http://www.zshare.net/download/6860897bf1cd01/
Click the link or the image to download.This is the kind of tape that’s good for bangin in the whip. Some nice, hard hitting beats, and some good flows that don’t require a dictionary and an encyclopedia to decipher. For more info on the group check out their myspace. Enjoy if it’s your kind of thing, and feel free to tell a friend or two (or twenty). D.C., Maryland, Virginia: stand up, and stand united. It’s going down in 2008!
PS – Shouts to my dude Belize. Always so helpful. Good lookin out.
One more thing! Check out BET tomorrow (Tuesday, January 29th) at 6pm to see what Mr. Paniccioli is up to. Come on, you didn't think I forgot about that now, did you? - HipHopDX.com "The Undisputed Truth"
For those of you that were hoping to hear some new 9th Wonder yesterday with that American Wonder mix, I’m hoping to make up for it here. This is the new mixtape from M1 Platoon (not to be confused with M1 of Dead Prez). M1 Platoon consists of Chopps, Scoop, Arafat Yates, Sean D, C4 Black, Napalm, Beat Justice, and DJ Gonzo. They are the new group put together by 9th Wonder; all students NCCU and most were his students.
Everybody from the group is 18-19 years old and is from the D.C. area, except for C4 who reps Chappel Hill, NC. This mixtape is proof that 9th Wonder has big things planned this year. This is the first stuff we’ve heard from 9th’s new label, A Wonderful World Music.
This mixtape should start your week off right. - kevinnottingham.com
Discography
"M1 Invasion" Mixtape. 2008,
"Rhyming Heroes" Mixtape. 2008
We Not Them pt I" Mixtape. 2008
We Not Them pt. II" Mixtape. 2009
Single: "Boooyyyeee!" produced by 9th Wonder
Single: "Swagidout" produced by 9th Wonder
Single: "Wife tha Rolla" produced by Vaughn Garcia
Single: Put it on you hard" produced by Vaughn Garcia
radio play: WKNC 88.1fm Raleigh, NC
WXDU 88.7fm Durham, NC
WXYC 89.3fm Chapel Hill, NC
Photos
Bio
It began with a friendship between Vaughn Garcia and Big Chopps. Both lovers of music, they brought their passion for lyricism and beats together to form Flo Fiends with affiliate Nate Grey.
After growing as a clique through high school, each member began to assess their path. Chopps and Garcia began to look into colleges and seen where Grammy Award winning producer Patrick "9th Wonder" Douthit (Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Ludacris, Little Brother, etc.) was involved in the hip-hop initiative at N.C. Central University. Once the decision was made, the move from DC to NC was made to pursue music.
In NC, members Sean D. and Scoopay became more familiar with the idea of the family that was already on board. With the massive amount of lyricist and additional producers, the "platoon" was established and M1 Platoon was born. Shortly after, DJ Gonzo of Raleigh, NC was added once the crew was put on to his soul style of turntablism.
There have been members who have come and go however the family is still tight. Former member C4 Black of Chapel Hill, NC helped set the foundation for M1 Platoon in its initial days at NCCU. Vaughn Garcia, Big Chopps, Scoopay and Sean D. make up the group M1 Platoon while members from the original camp (Nate Grey, Lord Fuego, Prince Markee) fully support the movement and can be heard on a surplus of tracks. The mentorship provided by 9th Wonder has given the guys an opportunity to hone their productions skills as well as present their lyrical prowess to various players in the game.
When it comes to the name M1 Platoon, the crew stays digging in the crates. The love for soul and reggae music is reflected in the production while grasping the concepts of classic hip-hop. Members of M1 Platoon are largely influenced by Pete Rock, DJ Premier and J Dilla as well as the style of dancehall reggae DJ's and the regional sound of Go-Go. Live performances that include these various sounds create high-energy shows. Top that off with lyrics that are intelligent without preachiness and fun without being watered down,audience members are left with a true memory.
The group has released their first mixtape (all original production) through their webpage: myspace.com/m1platoon
M1 Platoon has (to date) opened shows for and shared stages with Little Brother, 9th Wonder, Murs, Evidence (Dilated Peoples), Sean Price (Heltah Skeltah) Jean Grae, Chaundon, Skyzoo, Torae, Jozeemo, Median, L.E.G.A.C.Y. and Kooley High.
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