7evenThirty & Gensu Dean

When 7evenThirty raps, you listen. When he sings, you listen. And when the Mello Music Group artist does both on-camera? You watch. The Jackson, Mississippi, native is far removed from his nascent period, navigating through political, cultural and racial turmoils in his video for “The Problem.” The standout track, taken from 7even’s July-released album of the same name, finds the artist extracting energy from 60s Funk and 50s Soul to transcend modern expectations for a hip-hop creative.

Tiptoeing on the edge, 7evenThirty is damn near untouchable in his purest form. He strings together sentences like an English major, hits high notes with palpable emotion, and drops diamond-tough bars that flow effortlessly.

The times are a changin’. Everywhere we look, lifeless bodies and oppressive systems serve as painful reminders of our world’s increasingly bleak state. 7even puts it best, noting that things are, to say it simply, getting real. Indeed they are.

In a concluding moment of irony, the visual rides out to the tune of an ice cream truck as 7 walks, straight-faced, down the block. You can watch “The Problem” below. Be sure to support 7evenThirty’s excellent album, The Problem, on iTunes here and follow him on Twitter. - Potholes In My Blog

It isn’t easy to make political statements with meaning. Often much is lost in the 24 hour media cycle of hype. But when the incidents in Ferguson began to unravel this previous month, we were already in the middle of creating this video that sadly addresses the same problem. 7evenThirty’s new video is more than just art, more than just music, it’s his sincere expression of pain and confusion. - Kevin Nottingham

On top of rocking over some DJ Premier production earlier today, Sean Price also lends his talents to 7evenThirty's new track "Hook Heavy." Produced by Gensu Dean, P! and 7even hit the streets in the Jay Brown-worked visual. Take a look up top and be on the lookout for his new album, The Problem, due out July 8th via Mello Music Group. Peace to NahRight on the premiere. - 2 Dope Boyz

Wow. Just...
WOW! Okay, one second...

I have been LOVING the dynamic duo of space age rhymer 7evenThirty and super-producer Gensu Dean for a while, but I was not prepared for the impact this new video The Problem (off 7even and Gensu's brand new album of the same name) would have on me. The Problem is a moving snapshot of two grown ass men making finely crafted hip hop music in the tradition of the true masters. As if 7even's choppy delivery and Gensu's flawless production weren't enough, director Jay Brown and visual effects artist Paul Mihailoff came through and created a subtle-yet-stunning visual statement. Their video for The Problem doesn't just illustrate the song, it completes the song's thought. From the opening frame, The Problem shows us the nature of 7even and Dean's collaboration. 7even struggles with demons throughout, while Dean acts as an anchor, just as his beats keep the song's lyrics from floating into space. Jay's choice of shots keep bringing me back to this dynamic. Gensu Dean radiates strength and self-control, while 7even is a one-man riot waiting to break out.
The choice of black and white and the inclusion of iconic photos and footage enables 7 Thirty and Gensu Dean to channel the prophetic power of their Civil Rights Era ancestors. And these prophets are here to chant down Babylon. Brown and Mihailoff put on a clinic of visual sampling and blending that would do the Bomb Squad proud. Again, not just to look like bad asses, but to help deliver the message impregnated in the music.

And that message is serious business. Voter's rights. Stand your ground. Police department militarization. Gentrification. No matter how much people want to look away from it, black people in America too often feel their most basic rights are being eroded. Even if you are not a part of that community, you don't want us to feel like we have nothing left to lose. That's when it becomes Your Problem...

Peace,
-samax - ghettoManga

7evenThirty’s “The Problem” was written prior to Ferguson and edited during the peak of protests in Missouri and speaks to the continuing problem facing so many American communities even in 2014

“F*ck is these police on/theme song must be who shot ya/playing victim what you want a Oscar/grant me a pass Mr. Officer/I’m face down in the mainstream why you pull the trigger to my back/the problem is that the problem ain’t rap/can you help me articulate that.”

“The Problem” is SP1200 Jedi Gensu Dean’s first foray into live instrumentation and he sets a perfect canvas for 7evenThirty to espouse on police brutality, stand your ground, gentrification and mainstream media’s coverage of Hip-Hop; turning “The Problem” into a news crawl of current events

“And they claiming stand your ground/when you ain’t never had no ground/to stand on/ cause the place you call home they can come and tear that down/and quick to put some nice shit and raise the prices and make it where you can’t afford/they wanna make it like they discovered your shit/ain’t that some hoe shit boy.” - AllHipHop.com

I’m happy to present the world premiere of the new video for “Hook Heavy” from 7evenThirty. The Sean P assisted cut was produced by Gensu Dean and will appear on ‘Thirty’s new LP, The Problem, due out July 8th. Pre-order here. - Nah Right