Hello

New visuals to a track titled "Hello" from Richy Marciano. This is a cute little love song, if you'd call it that. Reflections II dropping soon...

Ambidextrous Feelings

This is a single off of Cascade's (@JDCascade) upcoming mixtape called LOUD & AMBIDEXTROUS" which is dropping August 11th, 2012. I like his flow, and am looking forward to hearing what else he will be dropping later this week!

Unstoppable

So, there's this crew called "Blonde Gang" composed of 6 members and I must say they're pretty ill. The two members in this video are @ShySMF and @Sikatheart. Here is a video that they released last month titled "Unstoppable". Where have they been my entire life? I think they can be the xCaliber Lifestyle artists for the month of June? They perfectly exemplify what it means to live the "xCaliber Lifestyle". As you can tell from the video, and how they carry themselves, they could care less what people think of them and are letting their individuality shine. This song goes right into my motivational playlist, which is put in rotation morning and night. We need more of this in the world. That pink mohawk is brilliant.

22

 The last time I posted something about Nova was a while ago, but thanks to him I got my hands on his latest project titled "22". His beat selection always makes me feel like I'm in space, or in a fast moving place that never sleeps, such as Tokyo. I'd have to say my favorite tracks are PinkSky, 1999, 22, and Angel!

"22 is A follow up from my first tape '21Love'. The theme and title are set in stone. This tape represents my experiences I obtained from being 22. Not all is shared. But whats there. Is there. With this tape you will hear me go though my nostalgia stage, my passion stage, an my 'I shouldn't do this stage' I hope you enjoy. An thank you. I appreciate you." - SupaNovaLove

My Type of Party

Dom Kennedy just released the video to "My Type of Party" from the Yellow Album!

Swag Worth A Mill

New visuals to "Swag worth a mill" from Casey Veggies' Customized Greatly 3 Mixtape! Love it..

Awaurd Tour

Released Friday from the Ninja, Nolan lol.. here is "Awaurd Tour" feat. Reason. With every track he continues to release, I get more eager to hear an entire album from him. With that being said, Ninja Town will be here 8/7/12, and I can't wait to do a review on it.

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?jjb7a8darz7j141

Lifestyle Sighting

Jared and his lady friend, rocking the bands as "his and her" bands.

#HMS98: Home Made Summer 98’

Summer has officially begun, because the highly anticipated HMS98 from J.G. is finally here! This tape is hosted by Dj Mr Rogers and is presented by @RespecThisFresh and @CSNoWheaties. I really like the entire concept of HMS98 (Home Made Summer 98). If you lived through the 90's, then you know it's nothing like it! I love reminiscing on the 90's because it brings back so many good memories. Music was the s#it and life was good! J.G came tough with this mixtape and had the great production as well as the perfect features to accompany his flow. Through this mixtape, J.G. has brought the entire 90's era back to the 21st century.

Productions from people such as Ace Boogie, TDeezy, DJ O1, Nolan The Ninja, and more...

Songs that stick out to me are are Smile, Summer98, Cocaine/Somer, Summer Babes, Just Chill, We / Rockin', and Somer. Before I even listened to "Smile" I knew the production was coming from the GAWD Ace Boogie. He said one of the most important things in this song which was "To reach your goals, bull s#it you must go through". That sparked a light bulb for me, reminding me that there will always be ups and downs when chasing a dream, but to keep my eyes on the prize and everything will fall in place. Additionally, the sounds of pool splashes and radio man is perfect! The feature from Crack Killz (@CrackKillz) on "Summer98" is EVERYTHING! I already feel that Crack's flow takes me back to the 90's, so that feature was most definitely ill! I am also able to tell when TDeezy (@TDeezyBeatz) mad a track, he is branding himself beautifully I must say. The whole chorus to "Just Chill" is hilarious, just listen. Shoutout to the homie J.Fin (@FINISKING) for his feature on that joint as well as Nolan The Ninja (@NolanTheNinja) for his production.

ENJOY YOUR SUMMER
DOWNLOAD :  #HMS98: Home Made Summer 98'

“I just listened to 90’s music and thought about everything of my childhood that I missed; one of the 

first hip-hop songs I remember from the 90’s was Tupac’s “ I Get Around,” said J.G..   The '90s was a time when socially conscious hip-hip stood toe to toe with gangsta rap and actually competed. “The 90s was a time where good music was created and I wanted to bring that vibe back to this album,” said J. G. the 20 year old rapper.

http://girlthatsjg.net/
Production: @RAWMCLEX , @TDeeZyBeatz , @BrandUnxDeshay , @NolanTheNinja , @ThisisDj_o1 , @LordScum , @AceBoogie4starz

A$AP Mob Tour

 This is actually what I've been waiting for! The A$AP crew will be going on a tour throughout major cities in the U.S as well as other countries. Toronto, I'll see you in August!

TOUR DATES

7/05: Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival 2012
7/06: Gräfenhainichen, Germany – Splash! Festival
7/07: Frauenfeld, Switzerland – Open Air Frauenfeld
7/08: London, UK – Wireless Festival 2012
7/10: Ottawa, ON – RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest
7/13: Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Music Festival
7/29: New York, NY – Catalpa Festival
8/04: Montreal, QC – Osheaga Music & Arts Festival
8/05: Toronto, ON – OVO Fest
8/09: Oslo, Norway – Oya Festival
8/10: Helsinki, Finland – Flow Festival
8/11: Gothenburg, Sweden – Way Out West Festival
8/25: Mountain View, CA – Rock The Bells 2012

 Buy Tickets Here:  http://www.songkick.com/artists/4610868-asap-rocky

Lifestyle Sighting

Zarrick on a chill day with his purple and gold band!

IVYLC at the LID

The IVYLC performed a few songs down at the LID in Detroit last week. Zamar and Crack performed "I'm King" together, and Crack also performed his latest single "Pay It Forward". Can't wait to hear Crack's new project because I've been cruising on I.C.E for a while now.

XoXaine

Visuals to "Xoxaine", which is a single off of J.G's mixtape HMS98! HMS98 will be here in a few days, but this is just a teaser!

Hip Hop Summit

Nicole over at RadicalBEings is throwing a rad Hip-Hop showcase in ATL. I'm unable to attend, but I hope everyone else will!

Burn Rubber spotted in Bei Maejor feat. Waka Flocka "Lights Down Low"

While I was cooling, I got a text from Ray telling me someone has a Burn Rubber hoody on in the new Bei Maejor and Waka Flocka video. Indeed, Burn Rubber is spotted multiple times throughout the video as well as Revive. See if you can spot the the two in the video. I wish I knew exactly who it was so that I could give them a shoutout.

 

Mega Millions Flow

Ze is back at you with his new song "Mega Millions Flow"! You already know he clowned on this song just like he does on his others. Ze is making his own lane!

I'm Back!

Finally what you've all been waiting for! xCaliber exclusively brings to you the "I'm Back Remix" video from 4 StarZ! With this track being one of my favorites off of Dice's "SOLDIER" tape, I'd have to say this is my favorite video from 4 StarZ thus far as well. With every move these dudes make, they are also improving in the process. I'd like to say that these group of men are definitely on the come up and you should be on the lookout for them. Shooting the majority of the video in Pontiac at the Wisner Stadium was a pretty cool idea, and I must say that the graffiti wall in this video is everything! What's next from this dynamic crew? Check them out...

STEELO

 Many beat tapes have been released this year and we can add the young producer Sawyer Gannage's "Steelo" mixtape to the list. Even though Sawyer has only been making beats for about 2 years, this tape makes me feel otherwise. He was very talented and is very versatile! On Steelo he includes many different types of beats from trap to classic sampled beats such as Sade "Is It A Crime" which was brilliant. 

I am very impressed with his first beat tape and can't wait to hear more from Sawyer!

My favorites would have to be Crime, Faded, Goin In, and Cocaine!
Enjoy http://o1creations.bandcamp.com/album/steelo
Below is an exclusive interview I was able to do with DJ O1! It was initially video taped, but because of technical difficulties I was unable to get it posted

xCaliber x DJ O1

 
Q: Who are you?
A: I am DJ O1 and I make beats.. DOPE BEATS

Q: When and why did you start making dope beats?
A: I started making beats my sophmore year in high school just because my friends were making it. I was listening to their tracks, and they asked me for my opinion. I had to keep it real with them and let them know they were wack. You have to keep it real with your boys!

Q: Who inspired you and who is your role model?
A: Kanye West

Q: Did you make all of your beats from scratch?
A: It's 50/50 sometimes I sample and sometimes I do it from scratch. Whenever I go into the lab it's really just whatever I feel. Sometimes I dig in the crate and sometimes I keep it original.

Q: What is your favorite beat off STEELO?
A: I'd have to sale "Calm" because I put the most work in it.

Q: What inspired you to go back and sample Sade "Crime?"
A: I had the record from Sade and I knew that MF Doom sampled it and I wanted to remake it. The part that he sampled I wasn't feeling so I took another part of the song and re-created it.. because I am O1 creations!

Q: Who is on your top 3 list of producers of all time.. dead or alive?
A: 1. Chuck English 2. Lex Luger 3. Kanye West

Q: Tupac or Biggie?
A: Tupac. I feel and can relate to his lyrics more than Biggie's lyrics.

Q: If you could produce for any big name who would it be? Besides Kanye West?
A: Meek Mill, Rick Ross, Curren$y, Doughboyz Cashout.. anybody who wants to utilize a good beat

Where can people find more of your material?
Twitter: ThisIsDj_O1
www.soundcloud.com/sawyergannage
http://o1creations.bandcamp.com/album/steelo

Q: Shoutouts?
A: @thefadedpenguin @xcaliberlifestyle, TDeezy, Mar Mar, J Dud, Duke, V-Black

David Famous

Some of you may know, some of you may not. TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) is having a feature contest in which you must record a verse and hook, then submit it to their SoundCloud! The winner gets a feature from a TDE artist which is super dope. Some TDE artists you may know are Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, and Ab Soul. Well, I wanted to single out an artist by the name of David Famous out of Baltimore who entered the competition and rapped over a nice beat. This guy has a nice flow and good lyrical content to accompany it. Check out his submission..

Cool Kid

New music video from Nolan feat. VBlack called "Cool Kid Pt. 2". This joint is produced by DJ O1 and is off of his greatly anticipated Shed Life mixtape.

Just Chill

 J.G decided to release a single from HMS98 early! This track features J.Fin ( @FINISKING )  and is produced by @nolantheninja . Enjoy until #HMS98 drops on the first day of summer. You are in for a great awakening!

VOMIT

This is a debut post from Skye Townsend on xCaliber Lifestyle.. cheers to that because she deserves it. Getting her voice exposed in Detroit is vital.

Skye Townsend is out of LA and is a very talented upcoming artist, actor, and poet. In the past she posted many videos on YouTube doing covers to songs such as Frank Ocean's "Thinking About You" and Usher's "Climax". She was also featured on the song "Time Flies" from Casey Veggies' Sleeping In Class album. Skye released her first EP titled "VOMIT" not too long ago. I just got the chance to listen to it and I must say she blew me away with her vocals. Skye is very ambitious and I can't wait to see her grow throughout her career! Every girl in the world can relate to at least one over her songs on VOMIT. Cheating, lies, deceit, love, lust, and hope sum up this beautifully put together EP.

Onto my favorites... AK-47, Show Me You Care, It's Normal, Go Fish, Eagle, Hazel, and Free... what do you know, that's the whole tape ahah. 

AK-47- A young lady caught her man cheating and the thought of the girl is haunting her! So, she's got the AK-47 sitting in her droor with evil thoughts, and ready for whatever is about to pop off.

Show Me You Care - self explanatory, every girl wants a bit of attention from her man. What do we have to do to get you to show us you care about us? Little things go a long way so do something small and be proactive just to show us you care.

It's Normal - People fall in and out of love, it's normal! Don't be afraid to love someone just because of something that happened in your past. It's normal to care about someone, don't fight the feeling! lol

Go Fish - Sometimes you want a relationship to work so bad, you don't realize that you're putting in 90% and your partner is only putting in 10%. But, you must remember there are a ton of other fish and the sea and it's ok to step out and try something new. Obviously what you have at the moment isn't working for you.

Eagle - "Every bruise is a lesson learned, you are just a bridge that I had to burn to grow". There are people in your life that are seasonal and there are some that are going to be there for a lifetime. You have to distinguish who is who and remove the excess to grow. Be free, do your own thing.

Hazel - Jesus Christ................. just listen to it!

Free - poetry at it's finest...

  VOMIT by SkyeTownsend

Official Music Video to "Normal"
www.skyetownsend.com 

Label Me

 HELLOOOOOOOOOO! 

The homie Drew 32 released his "Label Me" a while ago, but I'm just now reviewing it.. don't ask why. 

This mixtape was hosted by DJ Skee, which is a good look. His lyrics actually makes sense, and have a story line to them which is something we never want to lose in Hip-Hop. I know if Drew keeps on grinding and pursuing his dream he will be successful. I like the title he chose for the tape, simply because he's saying go ahead and label me and I could care less. In the album artwork he has different labels from producer, rapper, FADED, creative, local, and many others. The majority of the tracks are produced by Drew himself. After listening to this tape I feel bad for posting it so late.

My favorite tracks would have to be New Level, Love Me, Rain (shoutout to Asante), Long Gone, I Am King, Fear of Heights, Label Me, and Like Yeah.

A song that sticks out to me is "I Am King" feat. Jon Connor. Both Drew and Jon Conner ripped that track. I found myself bobbing my head tough to that joint, just listen to everything the duo says in that song and you will understand.

http://www.datpiff.com/Drew32-Label-Me-mixtape.354990.html

Leaves

Once again J.Fin and TDeezy have combined to make a track titled "Leaves". It released at 4:20 today which makes perfect sense. I'm a little late with the post because I was taking my nap :-/. But, what matters is that I made the post today! Anywho, I'm liking the chorus "Ain't sh*t shakin' but the leaves in the trees, man I'm just tryna make a mill homie". Everyone should be trying to think of ways to make money, get your entrepreneur on! Wonder if a full tape will be released by the two? I guess we will wait and see

Mercy

This "Mercy" video is so simple yet so sick! The whole G.O.O.D. crew is in there which makes it even more powerful. Though it's strictly black and white, it still is very artistic and quiet visually stimulating.  Can't wait to enjoy the G.O.O.D. album, Lord have MERCY!

Minor Setback

New music from Richy Marciano! This track is titled "Minor Setback" and is a very dope! He talks about things such as past love, his father passing away, and a few other deep topics. Richy has a nice flow, and meaningful lyrics which is what we need more of in the industry. Looking forward to listening and doing review on Reflections II when it drops.

Minimum Wage

ACMPLCE X xCaliber would like to present to you a snippet of his new single "Minimum Wage". The the full version will be available on June 12th! Be ready for CCCXIII coming this summer!

I'm Back

On June 10th, 2012.. the official video to the "I'm Back" remix from the 4StarZ will be available exclusively here on xCaliber Lifestyle! You guys are in for a nice awakening! Don't sleep on this crew.. you'll regret your decision.

Brand New Guy

Visuals to "Brand New Guy" by A$AP Rocky feat. Schoolboy Q were just dropped. In this video, the A$AP crew is mobbing in streets and other areas of a new town. 

Always Strive And Prosper.  

HMS 98

You know what it is... HMS 98 artwork

“The meaning of HMS98, is to just bring back that good feeling I had as a child in the 90′s and spread it to the world, in hopes of others to feel the same way I did. I also know this will be my biggest project to date, & I have been getting heard out of Michigan so I wanted a lot of Michigan producers to be heard also. I feel that, producers create a lot of artist these days & just don’t get enough recognition, so me working hard to get this project heard is too get them heard. I just seen it as a chance to help me, others, & my city Pontiac to be heard.” -J.G

Bad Boy

Yes Teyana, YES! Earlier Teyana released 1/3 of her video to "Bad Boy" featuring Honey Cocaine. I wonder when she will decide to drop the other 2/3 of the video.. because I needed it like yesterday! Maybe we will see Honey in the next cut, but Teyana did her thug thizzle haha. This wash both shot and directed by Teyana Taylor and Rage.

Check it out..

Flei Yung: Spring/Summer Collection

Peopleeeeeeee, get hip to the Flei Yung if you have yet to! The striking Spring/Summer collection is finally here and includes items for women such as flowy tanks, v-necks, and crop tops and items for men like polos, pocket tees, hats, and regular tees. Aztec print and leopard print Flei pins can be a cherry on top of your order. 

Go ahead and splurge http://fleiyungcollection.bigcartel.com/

Tange Lomax's Debut

I would like to introduce to the rest of Michigan, as well as the xCaliber community, Tange Lomax (Tange_SeliciaXO)! She is from High Point, North Carolina and this is her debut post on the xCaliber Lifestyle blog, awesome right? Well, with this song titled "Deep Quiet Storm" Tange decided to take the classic beat from Mobb Deep's "Quiet Storm" and add her own dope punch lines. Featured on this lead single is @JKtherapper, and he has a dope flow as well. Be looking out for her project "The Coldest EP" which drops June 29th!

TangeSelicia "DEEP QUIET STORM" Feat J.K. The Rapper by Tangeslomax Classic..