The Funky Precedent Vol. 2 July 31, 2001

Matador Records and No Mayo Records are proud to announce the release of The Funky Precedent Volume 2, featuring emerging hip-hop, DJ’s, soul artists and producers from the Bay Area. Like its predecessor The Funky Precedent Volume 1 (released in 1999 on No Mayo/ Loosegroove), FPV2 offers groups that are on the cusp of commercial viability. While FPV1 showcased groups from Los Angeles’s underground community such as Jurassic 5, Black Eyed Peas, Ozomatli and Dilated Peoples, FPV2 is focused on the massive creative energy erupting from San Francisco, Oakland, and the greater Bay Area. Some of the artists are independent of label affiliations while others are signed to major recording contracts. FPV2 is 15 tracks of urban, hip-hop, soul and turntablism, highlighting over fifty MCs, DJs and producers including Planet Asia, Rasco, Zion I, Foreign Legion, Live Human, Encore, Protest, Fanatik, DJ Vinroc, DJ Quest and Pep Love.

Consistent with The Funky Precedent series and No Mayo’s purpose, proceeds from this release will support music education at Mission High School in San Francisco and Freemont High School and Manchester Elementary School in Los Angeles.

FPV2’s double A-side single, featuring Zion I "We Got It" and Skhool Yard "Here We Come," will drop June 26, with the full length out on July 10.

We hope you rock this record loud and proud, and please check out www.nomayorecords.com to find out how you can help music education in your community.

THE ARTISTS

Azeem has provided its most lyrically deep song for FPV2, a provocative documentation of our society’s hypocrises ("We are a culture of contradictions, suntans and rascism"). That’s no surprise, as Azeem is a nationally published poet who won the SF Slam at Lollapalooza. Also known as a former member of Telefunken and Spearhead, Azeem has dropped his first full-length, Craft Classic, on Stray Records.

A member of The Hieroglyphics Crew, Pep Love is known for his fearless cameos and uplifting lyrics. His first full-length album, Ascension, debuts late summer 2001 on his crew’s own Hiero Imperium Records.

Rashinel & Eyecue are down with the Hobo Junction crew, and have mastered the art of "dirt hustling" Dropped an EP as Hobo Juction called "The Black Label" on Southpaw records, and album called The Cleaners independently.

Graduates of the Handsome Boy Modeling School, Encore have released numerous 12", toured the US with Blackalicious & Del tha Funkee Homosapien & have recorded with Evidence of Dilated Peoples. Self Preservation (their most recent album) brought together the team of Encore & The Architect with guest MC’s Grand da Visitor, Turbin & Persevere (Executive Lounge) and Hieroglyphics’ Pep Love. Architect laid down the beats and melodies & Encore turned your head around with his commanding voice.

SDM (Sanuhtayshun Duhpartment Muzik) is a production team consisting of five core members: YAPOS, AMETHYST, MR. SPECS, K. U. (Khaos-Unique) and Moses Million. These Oakland-based producers/composers began collaborating around 1992-1993 and have had a profound and irrefutable influence on the Bay Area underground.

Foreign Legion is the most unlikely boy band in the world. Kleptomaniacs DJ Design, Prozack and Marc Stretch first won over heads and hearts with their single "Full Time B-Boy". The momentum continues on the their wickedly clever debut album, Kidnapper Van: Beats to Rock While Bike Stealin’ (Insiduous Urban).

Kemetic Suns have been making conscious music together since 1995, helping to spearhead the burgeoning Bay Area underground hip-hop scene. "We A Warrior" features emcees Kirby Dominant, King Koncepts, Hypnotic and KiloJoule.

Live Human is Carlos Aguilar (DJ Quest), Andrew Kushin and Albert Mathias. Their critically acclaimed "pocket orchestra" of turntables, double bass, trap drums and samplers was born in 1996 in San Francisco. The music of Live Human occupies a unique niche in the genres of both free-improvised sound/music and instrumental hip-hop. They are known for their spectacular live performances and several releases, including Elefish Jellyphant (Matador). Carlos Aguilar (DJ Quest) is a founding member of DJ crew Space Travelers (formerly Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters) and co-author of Hamster Breaks (the original breakbeat record made specifically for scratch DJ’s).

Once a member of Various Blends, Sacramento’s Rasco released a solo 12", "The Unassisted" (produced by Fanatik), the success of which made projects like this possible. After his acclaimed debut album Time Waits For No Man on Peanut Butter Wolf’s Stones Throw label, Rasco (aka Kieda Brewer) started his own label Pockets Linted, on which he released albums by Cali Agents (himself with Planet Asia), and other solo projects.

Skhool Yard is a collective of MCs and producers from Fresno. Its best-known member is Planet Asia, who will release his Interscope debut this year. Asia is one of the most respected MCs on the West Coast, with two EPs, a Cali Agents (with Rasco) album, and many Wake-Up show freestyles under his belt. Protest is quickly becoming one the most sought-after producers in the Bay. Kubiq released his debut full-length Kubonics, on Fanatik’s Heratik label. Shake is working on his debut as well.

Vinroc is the 2X World Champion gone back to rocking the parties. Recently nominated "best trick artist" alongside the Invisible Skratch Piklz by the Global DJ Mix Award, ITF World Champion Vinroc is considered one of the premiere hip-hop DJs in the World. The only non ISP on Q-Bert’s long awaited LP Wave Twister, Vinroc has done cuts and performed with the likes of Biz Markie, Grand Master Flash, X-ecutioners, Jungle Brothers, Pete Rock, Rasco and has been featured in Rolling Stones, N.Y. Times, URB, SF Weekly, BAM, and The SOURCE. His Mixtape Recon-struction has been voted #1 hip-hop mixtape throughout the world.

Zion I’s blend of mike skills, live instrumentation and drum n bass helped their debut album, Mind Over Matter (Ground Control), wind up on many a top ten list. Their follow-up will be released on their own label, Ism Records.

MCs/producers Friz-B and EBF are Various Blends, an alternative rap outfit formed in 1991 and finally issuing their first full-length, Levitude, in 1999 (minus founding member MC Rasco). It’s an impressive record, highlighting the duo’s ample lyrical skills and skewed perspective, while featuring a number of mostly West Coast guests -- Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Saafir, the Mystik Journeymen, Pizmo of Burnt Batch, Rashinel of Hobo Junction, and members of the Coup and Invisibl Skratch Piklz.