Fab Deuce

Pudge Brewer said he knew of two regional hip-hop acts to call when the Fry Street Public House asked the young hip-hop artist to help round out a night that would end in a performance by Coolio.
"They called us wanting us to help them book the rest of the show," said Brewer, a founding member of Denton's Fab Deuce. "I knew that I wanted to get some guys out here who could draw a crowd."
Fab Deuce, which is anchored by Brewer and his brother, Blaine, Matt Ress-Giant and local DJ Yeahdef, a.k.a. Joey Liechty, packs shows in Denton.
Pudge Brewer invited the Denton hip-hop duo XeGeSiS - Scott McBride and Ritchy Flo - and a Dallas MC, Playdough.
For all the posturing inherent to hip-hop, Denton's emcees are approachable, ambitious young performers who know how to hustle an audience into a gig. Within moments of sending a flier for the show to Facebook friends, Brewer saw 60 people RSVP to a gig that begins officially as a festival at the Public House tonight and ends with the Grammy-winning hip-hop maestro on Saturday.
"When people hear Coolio, man, they think 'Gangsta's Paradise,'" McBride said during a midday interview at Fry Street's Riprocks.
"Yeah," Brewer said. "On any Thursday night at the Public House, if you put 'Gangsta's Paradise' on, by the end of it, everyone is singing it. They know all the words."
Brewer said Denton's hardworking hip-hop scene will hitch its wagon to any star. Fab Deuce is working on a follow-up to its last record, Deuce Knuckle, a full-length that packs incisive lyrical heat propelled by tricky, trippy beats that can make the stiffest neck bob.
When it comes to taking things live, Brewer said artists have to run with crews that can bring their best game and all their fans. Community is an artist's best hope to book shows, move merchandise and afford recording.
"I've known them for years now," Brewer said of McBride and Flo. "I know they can bring a lot of people to a gig and I know what they can do."
Brewer said Playdough sharpened his chops in Dallas and knows how to get an audience in party mode.
McBride said his musical partnership with Flo started when they were in grade school.
"Ritchy Flo beat me in the geography bee in fifth grade," he said. "The first song we did on a four-track tape deck. Then in high school, we did a mix tape with an exchange student from the Czech Republic."
XeGeSiS played talent shows and house shows as high school students. They've made a few trips to the Czech Republic to perform. They released Future Shock, followed last September by Aftershock. In 19 tracks, XeGeSiS messes around with R&B on a track about girl-stealing after a gig, peddles tight beats and throwdown vocals on "pandemic @ the disco."
At just age 23, McBride (a.k.a. Unrill) and Flo stack their album with smart literary references, infectious bass lines and tight, relay-race flow. They make wise use of vocalist Ben Cina, who brings some singing into the verses. On "Moby Dick," the duo drawls "hey guuuuuuuuurl" with utmost confidence.
If you like your rhymes tight and delivered with boyish machismo, Aftershock needs to be in your digital library.But it's not just macho posing. On "Cradle to the Grave" the performers are keenly aware that they live in a culture that is monitored from every angle, and evaluated by arbitrary and overly judgmental critics.
McBride supplies most of the lyrics.
"I do the beats," Flo said. "I jam on the keys. It's trial and error for me. Everything I used was something I just came up with. You know you've got something you can use because of the beat. There's just something there that you know it's got go in a song."
As for Fab Deuce, the crew has gotten a little bigger. Yeahdef has also brought a new edge to the group's live game.
"I used to make beats. I used to rap," said Liechty, one of the region's busiest DJs. "About four years ago, the group of people I used to run with broke up because some people went out of town. I used to gig for any idiot who set a keg down. When I realized this is something I could maybe get paid for, that changed things."
Yeahdef runs "'80s Dance Night" at Hailey's Club in Denton every Thursday, and frequently DJs in Dallas. He started spinning for Fab Deuce about a year ago.
"Matt took me to see Vortexas when Matt was part of Vortexas. Joey was doing a set, and I invited him to do a set at Hailey's for a show I was booking. From there, I just liked what he did. We slowly adopted him, I guess," Brewer said. "We've always needed a DJ."
Liechty said hip-hop is always better live when a DJ is organizing the beats and moving the set list from song to song.
"It's always better to have a DJ on stage instead of some guy up there by himself asking the guy in the sound booth to cue up the next track," he said. "And they're just the coolest guys. With them [Fab Deuce], everybody's down to have a good time. Some people are just about ego. For some people, it's all about posturing. Not these guys."
A few years back, Fab Deuce and XeGeSiS wouldn't have played the same show.
"They had a beef," Liechty said.
"I guess we were like arch-nemeses," Flo said.
"We went to one of their shows, and I walked up to them and tried to give them our album. That was obviously not the smartest thing to do," McBride said.
The crews buried the hatchet after a rager of a show, over drinks, and started a mutual admiration.
"Now we dig doing shows with them and letting people know they're for real," Brewer said. "They're one of the groups I call when I need to book a good show."
LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached at 940-566-6877. Her e-mail address is cbreeding@dentonrc.com . ART, BEATS & EATS FESTIVAL - Denton Record Chronicle

Sure, Denton kind of empties out after the universities turn the lights off after commencement. But a small contingent of local musicians mean to make merry one more time before sending 2011 packing.
On the eve of Christmas Eve, a lineup of Denton's most reliable rappers bring it one more time.
Fab Deuce, XeGeSiS and Yeahdef celebrate the Fab Deuce sixth annual Hip-Hop Christmas Party, with Band Nerds and and Digo joining the show.
Fab Deuce is known for spinning out a party vibe with fast-flowing rhymes and rump-shaking beats.
XeGeSiS specializes in clever, literate quips and infectious bass lines. XeGeSiS runs its raps like a game of tag between Scott McBride and Ritchy Flow. Fab Deuce goes from chilled-out beats with brothers Pudge and Blaine Brewer and Matt Ress-Giant to staccato-fast verses. Yeahdef - a.k.a. Joey Liechty, the busiest DJ in Denton - backs up the Deuce crew with beats and tunes. - Denton Record Chonicle

Hailing from one of the fastest-growing cities in America (Denton Texas) comes Fab Deuce. The energetic group consists of only three members who handle almost all their own production and even mixing. Their latest outing Mumbojumbogumbogrooves is a testament to their enthusiasm and fun-loving atmosphere.


Upon first listen, it’s apparent that Fab Deuce is all about having a good time. Lone, Pudge and Cheese all share the mic, even harmonizing pretty well from time to time. Their voices (albeit somewhat thin) are very similar, sometimes making it hard to differentiate between them. This is somewhat understandable considering how fast they rhyme. Any shortcomings in their voices are made up by their sheer speed and delivery. These dudes can rap. Lyrically they stick to simple subjects with simple choruses, but their introspection and sharp-witted similies are presented with complete confidence.

Production on this album is handled by Lone and Pudge. In order to match their quick delivery, the tempo of these beats is generally pretty high. The overall feel of the beats is funky and simple, often sampling 70’s music.

For anyone looking for a fun independant hip hop album that’s danceable, look no further. (I’m not sure where else you’d look honestly.)

-Nick McClure - okayplayer.com