THOSE CHOSEN

URB Showcase Announced
8 July 2009

With the new expanded multi-venue-format of this year’s event, we’ve decided to start bringing you the news hot off the presses as we get events locked down. We are incredibly excited to be working with URB Magazine again this year and to bring 2008 vet B.o.B. aka Bobby Ray back home to Atlanta to headline a show featuring 2009 URB 100 artists Spree Wilson and Buff 1 , as well as introducing Atlanta to one of Cali’s finest new crews and URB 1000 feature Those Chosen.

The show will be Friday Night October 2nd at the 529 in East Atlanta. Times will be announced as we get closer to the event. Keep an eye on the website for more details.
- A3C Hip-Hop Festival www.a3cfestival.com

http://scribeculture.com/2009/09/11/indie-spotlight-those-chosen/#more-2172 (site link)
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Artist: Those Chosen
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

In a musical genre that was popularized by group performances, Hip-Hop seemingly has become devoid of duos and trios; every artist is riding solo nowadays but “Those Chosen” are the exception to the rule. Recognized as an avant-garde group, their “street influenced, politically fueled” narratives push the boundaries of Hip-Hop’s status quo.

Reminiscent of 90s’ groups like A Tribe Called Quest and Black Sheep, the Los Angeles-based trio consists of Foreshadow, Kornbread and Japetto. Together, their music resembles the sounds of the genre’s Golden Era with new millennium swag.

Those Chosen have garnered the attention of industry suits and fans alike with live performances on MTV2 and national music festivals. Their recent collaborations with Hip-Hop legend Slick Rick and Grammy Award-winning producer IZ Avila of the Avila Brothers has solidified their status on the independent level.

Scribe Culture recently had the opportunity to sit down with the L.A. trio where we discussed their mixtape with DJ Mick Boogie, early influences and performing at the One World Hip Hop Championships.

SC: Tell the readers who are you and where you are from.
Those Chosen: Yo what it is? This is Kornbread hailing from the city of Angels – Los Angeles, by way of the mighty Inland Empire. What’s good this is Forshadow also Rocksteady from L.A. by way of the Inland Empire. And I’m your boy Japetto, the voice of the ghetto all the way live in L.A.

SC: How does your music distinguish your sound from other artists?
Those Chosen: Our music’s foundation has the “Golden Era of Hip Hop” feel to it with a modern-day twist which makes it relevant to these days and times we live in. We do not allow our sound to be boxed in by any trend or medium. Our ultimate aim for originality and left-field creativity separates our sound from the typical every day rapper and/or rap song.

SC: Who has influenced your style?
Those Chosen: TC’s style is influenced by everyone such as the people we see casually on the streets to long-lasting relationships we have with people, personal or business-wise. The sound is a direct reflection of our lifestyles, which includes everything good and bad like anyone else living in the world. We make “Life Music.” Artistically, we have been influenced by A Tribe Called Quest, N.W.A., The Roots, Nas, Prince, James Brown, Goodie Mob, Outkast, etcetera.

SC: What are the major highlights of you career up to this point?
Those Chosen: Our major highlights up to this point would definitely be traveling/touring and working with Grammy Award winning producers. Our debut MTV2 performance on a show called One World Hip Hop Championship was dope. Recently, we structured a deal with Brooklyn Bodega President/Founder, Wes Jackson’s Savannah Boogie Music and Song.

SC: Are there any projects currently in the works music fans should look forward to?
Those Chosen: Our mixtape with Mick Boogie and Terry Urban: Steamulus the Watts Riot Effect is available for free download. We are working on an EP due at the end of 2009 or early 2010. This EP will feature production from IZ Avila, of the Avila Brothers/Soundgeek.

SC: Any last words?
Those Chosen: Definitely join our mailing list for updates and exclusives songs and events at ThoseChosenMusic@yahoo.com. Follow us at Twitter.com/thosechosen and be our friend at Myspace.com/thosechosen. Shout out to Arie Goode and Leira Public Relations. - subculture.com

URB MAG. NEXT 1000 REVIEW
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Those Chosen :: The Feeling
Unsigned
Reviewed by Jason Parham
"Hip-hop groups are a rarity these days. Wu-Tang, A Tribe Called Quest, and NWA revolutionized the meaning of what it meant to be a hip-hop group. OutKast, The Roots, and Gnarls Barkley redefined it. And now, LA-based group, Those Chosen—consisting of Japetto, Kornbread, and Foreshadow—dare to inject new meaning into the storied narrative. Out of their common love of music, the trio formed a musical brotherhood that led them on a journey to solidify their unique West Coast sound—merging old and new, hipster and hardcore. Already having shared the stage with hip-hop vets like Slick Rick, Little Brother and Black Milk, the trio’s recipe for success and longevity just might work this time around". - URB MAGAZINE'S NEXT 1000

TPPS just caught up with the homie [K]ornbread and talked with him about his new mixtape…

Mick Boogie presents Those Chosen: Steamulus The Watts Riot Effect. Listen to mixtape here.

Where ya from?
Los Angeles by way of the Inland Empire.

Explain this project you guys just did with Mick?
“Steamulus” is the newer and bolder version of our previous mixtapes that we started making ( as an out the trunk block movement) in late 2007 called “Steam Series”. There are four previous volumes (i.e. 1.0 thru 2.5). Originally, the concept behind the series was “create your own lane / build your own steam”. It was a brand we wanted to expand, thus when we linked up with Mick Boogie to create “The Watts Riot Effect” we knew our steam would grow into something UNIVERSAL. Thus, the play on words with “Steamulus” (pronounced steam-u-lis) replacing the word “stimulus” which literally means ”something that influences activity”. A watt is a unit of power, as well as the Watts Riots was a pivotal time in American history; specifically on the West Coast. Hence, the “Watts Riot Effect” because we are a group from CA that strives to make timeless, electric music with substance and crazy swagger to it.

Why should listeners download this mixtape?
There are so many listeners out there that want to hear new leadership in hip-hop. Period. NO DISRESPECT to the pioneers, legends or current hip-hop stars, but truthfully it’s the same “voices” over and over again that the current audience listens to year after year. This mixtape is a fresh perspective on hip-hop and life in general. If folks enjoy lyrics, concepts, fire beats and an honest perspective on what’s going on, then “Steamulus: The Watts Riot Effect” will definately apease their appetite for some authentic Hip Hop.

Whats next for yall?
Full lenghth album exclusively produced by IZ Avila (of Avila Brothers). A few mix-tapes and countless live shows like the AC3 Hip-Hop Festival in Fall 2009 .

Any last thanks or shouts?
Mick Boogie and Terry Urban for hosting this project for us. Shout out to M-Streetz, we holding it down homie! Special thanks to all the producers and artist who collaborated on this project. and the STEAMSTER UNION, for letting folks know what time it is with us - let’s get the world unionized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Peace - THOSE CHOSEN - thepressplayshow.com

THOSE CHOSEN was selected by URB Magazine as the next 25 Artists to watch on the music scene via their FIRST ever digital edition "25 NOW!"

To view the full article go to PAGE 30 @

www.urb.com/2009/11/08/25now/



- www.urb.com

Whether they overtly admitted it or not, Those Chosen has always seemed to have an agenda to set themselves apart from the hype-saturated multitudes. And rather than meekly uttering proclamations of what’s “real” and what isn’t, they march it with humble poise and dead-on presentation—an impression that the three way makers transparently made with the release of Reign Food. Then, amidst a myriad of exclusive interviews and live performances on big name stations like MTV2 (and let’s not forget the video they just debuted for “Soundclash”), you had Steamulus: The Watts Riot Effect, the mix tape that extended that metaphor and had their self-proclaimed steamsters nodding their heads and fervently yearning for more. So it’s about time that Kornbread, Foreshadow and Japetto took it up a notch with the release of 5IVE, no? It’s their first project to be released on iTunes and digital retailers everywhere, and from the look of this lane they’ve been paving over the past year or so, it appears as if their time to shine has finally come.

The long-awaited five-track EP is not only their most fluid work, but it is easily their most tangible work. Take “Soundclash” and “Spare Tires” for instance. The two singles mash solid lyrical puns with an uncultivated bass-boom hip-hop pow to create two blockbuster smashes (try not to blow out your speakers with these two). “The Feeling Again,” a remaster of Reign Food’s “The Feeling,” is that feel-good track you put on in the morning while you’re getting your day started (it’s something like Ice Cube’s “Today Was a Good Day”). “The 1ne” reminds us what it’s like to fall in love. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the positive vibes oozing from “Rise and Shine” prove that, with this EP, it definitely can.

It isn’t even so much the fact that these guys are producing real hip-hop that’s the most grabbing; it’s their undeniable passion for their craft and the verity that they know precisely how to utilize it while sounding neither forced nor fabricated–something that is made clear with this particular release and certainly won’t go unrecognized by the veterans of the hip-hop community. This isn’t senseless “1, 2, 1, 2,” as Foreshadow once put it in an interview with Brooklyn Bodega’s Raven the Blazin’ Eurasian. What 5IVE is instead is honest and timeless to-the-point music. In a time where solid hip-hop acts are few and far between, Those Chosen triumphantly swoops in with a jolly bag full of hope for all the hip-hop whos that have wanted their hip-hop back for a while.

- http://www.urb.com/2010/04/23/those-chosen-5ive/

APRIL 24TH, 2009

"In an industry where commercial catch-phrases and cheesy dances seem to be the best new thing, it would seem as if hip-hop has been losing touch with its original message lately. Does anybody remember how hip-hop first started? Does the young generation even know what the four elements of hip-hop are? What happened to the A Tribe Called Quests, The Pharcydes, the Eric B & Rakims, the Wu-Tangs and the NWAs? More so, what happened to when hip-hop actually delivered a message?

Those Chosen is here to deliver us a revival and a reminder.

Who are they? Those Chosen is a hip-hop group hailing from Los Angeles, CA, but they're not giving us your typical West Coast sound; Those Chosen is about hip-hop originating from the soul. Composed of Foreshadow, Kornbread and Japetto, Those Chosen exudes ardor, determination and drive as they strive to make a major change and bring back the hip-hop true heads know and love.

"We want to be the embodiment of the 'feeling' folks have when they first heard that new sh*t on the late night mix tape radio show. That 'feeling' of walking down the street and you heard something beating out a house...and you yell 'Who's that?' and someone responds, 'Oh, that's that new Those Chosen, them ni**as is hard.' LOL. You know what we mean? Just straight organic no bullsh*t hype...Just that 'Down to Earth for the people because we love people' music."

On their latest project, Reign Food, the guys stay true to their roots, delivering witty, passion-driven lyrics and keeping true hip-hop alive. Think of another Strange Fruit Project album, except this isn't The Strange Fruit Project. On the opening track, "Waymaker," Those Chosen paves the way while taking a stand and making a statement: "Pass me the torch; I won't drop it. That industry is toxic, foul, no style." On "Own Lane," they make sure that listeners know they're "on a mission and fully equipped." But the message doesn't end there; if you head over to their MySpace, you can listen to some music outside of the Reign Food. On their bass-heavy clash of the titans, "Soundclash," listeners have the privilege of witnessing the three gentlemen rip that beat apart as effortlessly as one blinks their eyes. Simply put, these dudes mean business.

So what gives them the motivation and drive to create such a movement? "Our drive comes from God, alone," they said. "Our motivation comes from friends, family, fans - who we've dubbed the "Steamster Union" - and doubters."

Musically, the guys are influenced by everyone under the sun. "Our musical influences range from: James Brown to The Stylistics to Prince to Red Hot Chili Peppers to Public Enemy to Ice Cube to NaS to De La Soul to A Tribe Called Quest to Pharcyde to The Roots to GooDIE MoB. List goes on an on. We've been influenced by numerous genres and styles of music, but honestly at this point in time we are focused on creating our own lane within hip-hop....At the end of the day we want the history books 20 years from now to say that Those Chosen's influence to the culture was monumental, influential and legendary."

Take it from me - This is the real deal, the precursor. This is Those Chosen to lead the resurrection of hip-hop that all of us hip-hop heads have been waiting for. URB Magazine says that what they're doing works, but what do you think? Check out their video for "Unseen World": "

Article Link:
http://the--light.blogspot.com/search/label/Those%20Chosen
- http://the--light.blogspot.com/

Those Chosen certainly made the longest commute to Public Assembly. Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Japetto, Kornbread, and Foreshadow trekked cross-country to compete in this night's Show and Prove. Watch out for these cats. Those Chosen has a sizeable following out West and continues to work with major industry players. Not only have they rocked stages along with Slick Rick and Little Brother, but their upcoming mixtape - Steamulis (The Watts Riot Effect) - is hosted by Mick Boogie (available June 15th).
Those Chosen probably had the night's most balanced performance. No interludes. No choreographed dance moves. A solid show nonetheless. Set openers, "Own Lane" and "All In All" felt like classic boom-bap-type-tracks, and "The Feelin'" fulfilled the night's nostalgia quota. Dope. All three. TC wrapped with the thumping "Soundclash," rounding out a well assembled performance.
To be honest, The Company Man was a bit surprised at the crowd response, or lack thereof, during TC's set. I mean, their energy was consistent. They went hard all the way through. Songs were dope. The beats were dope. Rhymes were dope. Something just didn't resonate. Don't get me wrong, no one in the audience threw tomatoes - Sandman didn't sweep them off stage Apollo-style or anything. The crowd was certainly receptive. Heads nodded throughout.
No doubt.
It’s just that given the overall quality of their performance, a greater crowd reaction would've been expected. Maybe it was because their performance didn't yield more opportunity for participation. Maybe regional bias. Maybe their set was too balanced in comparison to the two previous acts. Who knows the reason? Nevertheless, Those Chosen did their thing. Anyone not checking for them in the future is starving themselves.

FACT.

- www.the-quotable.blogspot.com

"Check this banging joint from May ‘Show and Prove’ semifinalist THOSE CHOSEN.
These cats were one of my favorites contestants. I wish we could have had them last Saturday but they are out in Cali and our lineup was too packed.

We are looking to work with them more in the future."

- brooklynbodega.com

CMJ Recap
October 26, 2009
By Jessica iHEARTDilla

CMJ week is like a scavenger hunt. Your given a sheet with all the dope spots your suppose to hit, and you try your best to hit as many as possible collecting photographs and videos of who’s who of the underground scene. Armed with nothing but a camera and an everlasting love for hip hop, I ventured out to four CMJ events within four days running on nothing but 3 hours of sleep and an occasional glass of jack and coke. First up was Brooklyn Bodega’s Show and Prove: Something for the Ladies.

I arrived at the venue around 7:30 p.m. to help with the set up. I was playing three roles that night: Hip Hop fan, editor in Chief of iHEARTDilla, which meant making connections and getting pictures with people, and Brooklyn Bodega staff member, which meant keeping track of the artist who were performing that night. The cool thing about Public Assembly that night was that there was another event going on in the next room, featuring Torae and Marco Polo, and Fresh Daily. The venue allowed people to switch from room to room for the price of one show.



Judging by the amount of sleep I got the night before, and how early I started my day, I can only attribute my ability to make it to Brooklyn Bodega’s CMJ event at DROM to my enthusiasm to finally meet hip hop group Pac Div. Along with the L.A “knuckleheadz” were performers Tanya Morgan, Those Chosen (also from California), Diamond District and Oddisee, Jesse Boykins III, and Kimberly Nichole. Yet again I was switching roles, this time playing the door. Luckily, I was able to make it to the crowd in time and try to see the performances.

Savannah Boogie act Those Chosen then took the stage. They ran through a strong set of songs “Spare Tire”, “Soundclash” and “The Feeling” from their upcoming EP “5ive” due on the Bodega’s new digital label. Next up was Diamond District and Oddisee. They are currently the talk of the Hip Hop town right now after releasing their album “In The Ruff” back in August. Judging by their performance and the response from the crowd, I’d say their buzz is rightly earned. Don Will and Von Pea of Tanya Morgan had a short but definitely sweet set. When they asked who had copped the Brooklynati album, the whole crowd screamed! It’s quite obvious New Yorkers love Tanya Morgan. Coming right off of the cusp of Tanya Morgan’s set was Pac Div. There was no sign of the momentum dropping during Pac Div’s performance, as they proceeded to shut shit down!

With musicians merging from D.C. to California it’s great to see these underground artists, strive and reach the heart of New York City. Brooklyn Bodega shined once again!

So, there you have it. Hope all that attended showcases enjoyed CMJ Week and those that didn’t hopefully can make it out next year!

Peace,

Jessica iheartdilla - www.brooklynbodega.com