Intalek

Trackademicks and Intalek are from two different coasts and have two different musical styles.
Before now they have never heard of each other. But some things they have in common are their Filipino and black mixture and the care they take in making hip hop music that is relevant and
representative of their cities and cultures.
To non-fans, hip hop all sounds the same. And then there the stereotypes about the culture as derogatory, violent, misogynistic or pro alcohol and drug use. Which it isn’t.
Granted, some mainstream artists prefer to make easy money by degrading women and bragging about bling and cars, but for the lesser-known artist, hip hop still maintains its original purpose: a platform by which otherwise silent and less fortunate people can speak. And what they speak about doesn’t always have to be poverty. Rappers can talk about anything under the sun; love, money problems, pride for their city or family. The topics are endless and don’t necessarily have to do with life on the streets or prison.
Artists who have cultivated a career for the right reasons, artists such as Intalek and Trackademicks, continue to make their way into Hip Hop’s underground and garner respect and considerably large followings.

BAY AREA, VIRGINIA

From the page to the stage, Trackademicks, born Jason Valerio in the San Francisco Bay Area, was raised in a middle class home in a safe neighborhood in Alameda. He is college educated, very well-spoken and energetic.

Not the world’s stereotypical version of what a rapper “should” be, but successful and popular in the region nonetheless. He has produced for E-40 and has worked with Kid Sister,Teedra Moses and Phonte (Little Brother). He started doing music in his teenage years and eventually graduated high school and went on to attend and graduate from the University of San Francisco.

Like any typical college graduate, he sought fulltime employment and joined the rat race. While working for Youth Radio, he decided to pursue music full time.

Intalek, known among friends as Theo Jamison, hails from the Seven Cities area of Southern Virginia. Being a hip hop artist from a state not known for producing a lot of successful artist as compared to New York, Pennsylvania or California, Intalek keeps in mind that Virginia is home to artists who have made their way in alternative, pop and jazz music and allows this to expand his breadth of musical creativity and understanding. He has been climbing up the ladder of the indie music scene and recently opened for legendary hip hop group, Wu Tang Clan which only affirmed that his music is positively affecting his fans.

Virginiahip hop undoubtedly has its own style that is a dramatic juxtaposition to the Bay Area style, from where hyphe and the distinctive West Coast style are derived. Most hip hop fans equate West Coast music with the late Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Jazzy Pha whose buttoned down plaid shirts, Chuck Taylor Allstars and woven beanie hats have defined our assumption of what the typical West Coast rappers should emulate.

Trackademicks strives to preserve the bay’s “Breezy soundscapes” as he calls them. He readily admits that the Bay is what has defined him as a rapper, “The Bay is like my sun sign,” he says, “It’s the pair of sunglasses that I see everything through.” In deep contrast to the trained eye, Virginia Hip Hop fans are familiar with Missy Elliot, Pharrell Williams (Neptunes) and the Clipse. Virginia’s essence can’t be so easily pinpointed; it’s more in the colloquialisms, twang and cadence with which they speak. Intalek would agree that it’s not so easy to fit the Seven Cities neatly into a box, “I honestly don’t know what the Virginia sound is,” he explains, “We’re such a diverse state with so m many blends.”

Any genuinely talented and well-rounded Hip Hop artist is a pragmatic voice of their community and both Trackademicks and Intalek, as different as their music is, harness this power. Whether the music is upbeat or somber, you find yourself mulling over their lyrics, picking them apart, putting them back together, breathing them and intellectualizing what they’re talking about.

Trackademicks uses his well-trained vocabulary to his advantage. For him, wordsmith is an understatement and it’s important to bridge all gaps with his words, “I see myself as bringing together musical tastes and crowds,” he says. He produced all of his own tracks on his latest album, State of the Arts which dropped in February. Music lovers gravitate towards Trackademick’s music. Whether they are into indie rock, electro or R&B, he appeals to all. He being the producer that he is, is able to manipulate instrumentals and beats in a way that conveys that knows exactly what he’s doing in the studio, “Inherently, my music is Hip Hop, but I feel it appeals to listeners who can appreciate many different types of music.”

Intalek’s laidback nature translates seamlessly into his songs. The beats he - PhilippineNews.com/ Andrea Macpherson

Trackademicks and Intalek are from two different coasts and have two different musical styles.
Before now they have never heard of each other. But some things they have in common are their Filipino and black mixture and the care they take in making hip hop music that is relevant and
representative of their cities and cultures.
To non-fans, hip hop all sounds the same. And then there the stereotypes about the culture as derogatory, violent, misogynistic or pro alcohol and drug use. Which it isn’t.
Granted, some mainstream artists prefer to make easy money by degrading women and bragging about bling and cars, but for the lesser-known artist, hip hop still maintains its original purpose: a platform by which otherwise silent and less fortunate people can speak. And what they speak about doesn’t always have to be poverty. Rappers can talk about anything under the sun; love, money problems, pride for their city or family. The topics are endless and don’t necessarily have to do with life on the streets or prison.
Artists who have cultivated a career for the right reasons, artists such as Intalek and Trackademicks, continue to make their way into Hip Hop’s underground and garner respect and considerably large followings.

BAY AREA, VIRGINIA

From the page to the stage, Trackademicks, born Jason Valerio in the San Francisco Bay Area, was raised in a middle class home in a safe neighborhood in Alameda. He is college educated, very well-spoken and energetic.

Not the world’s stereotypical version of what a rapper “should” be, but successful and popular in the region nonetheless. He has produced for E-40 and has worked with Kid Sister,Teedra Moses and Phonte (Little Brother). He started doing music in his teenage years and eventually graduated high school and went on to attend and graduate from the University of San Francisco.

Like any typical college graduate, he sought fulltime employment and joined the rat race. While working for Youth Radio, he decided to pursue music full time.

Intalek, known among friends as Theo Jamison, hails from the Seven Cities area of Southern Virginia. Being a hip hop artist from a state not known for producing a lot of successful artist as compared to New York, Pennsylvania or California, Intalek keeps in mind that Virginia is home to artists who have made their way in alternative, pop and jazz music and allows this to expand his breadth of musical creativity and understanding. He has been climbing up the ladder of the indie music scene and recently opened for legendary hip hop group, Wu Tang Clan which only affirmed that his music is positively affecting his fans.

Virginiahip hop undoubtedly has its own style that is a dramatic juxtaposition to the Bay Area style, from where hyphe and the distinctive West Coast style are derived. Most hip hop fans equate West Coast music with the late Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Jazzy Pha whose buttoned down plaid shirts, Chuck Taylor Allstars and woven beanie hats have defined our assumption of what the typical West Coast rappers should emulate.

Trackademicks strives to preserve the bay’s “Breezy soundscapes” as he calls them. He readily admits that the Bay is what has defined him as a rapper, “The Bay is like my sun sign,” he says, “It’s the pair of sunglasses that I see everything through.” In deep contrast to the trained eye, Virginia Hip Hop fans are familiar with Missy Elliot, Pharrell Williams (Neptunes) and the Clipse. Virginia’s essence can’t be so easily pinpointed; it’s more in the colloquialisms, twang and cadence with which they speak. Intalek would agree that it’s not so easy to fit the Seven Cities neatly into a box, “I honestly don’t know what the Virginia sound is,” he explains, “We’re such a diverse state with so m many blends.”

Any genuinely talented and well-rounded Hip Hop artist is a pragmatic voice of their community and both Trackademicks and Intalek, as different as their music is, harness this power. Whether the music is upbeat or somber, you find yourself mulling over their lyrics, picking them apart, putting them back together, breathing them and intellectualizing what they’re talking about.

Trackademicks uses his well-trained vocabulary to his advantage. For him, wordsmith is an understatement and it’s important to bridge all gaps with his words, “I see myself as bringing together musical tastes and crowds,” he says. He produced all of his own tracks on his latest album, State of the Arts which dropped in February. Music lovers gravitate towards Trackademick’s music. Whether they are into indie rock, electro or R&B, he appeals to all. He being the producer that he is, is able to manipulate instrumentals and beats in a way that conveys that knows exactly what he’s doing in the studio, “Inherently, my music is Hip Hop, but I feel it appeals to listeners who can appreciate many different types of music.”

Intalek’s laidback nature translates seamlessly into his songs. The beats he - PhilippineNews.com/ Andrea Macpherson

The power of the Internet is crazy, right? In just a click and an assortment of characters, you can meet all sorts of people, for good or bad, and in our case, it’s great because this is how Intalek and Ritchcraft linked up. Had there been no Internet (in fact, thanks to the government for passing this along to us), there’d be no way for these two to get together to make music, unless they just so happened to meet each other in any other way. But yeah, props to Twitter for that. In any event, I finally got a chance to start streaming this project, well, today, and I’m definitely jammin’ out to it. - JB Kang/ Ill-Vibes.com

The power of the Internet is crazy, right? In just a click and an assortment of characters, you can meet all sorts of people, for good or bad, and in our case, it’s great because this is how Intalek and Ritchcraft linked up. Had there been no Internet (in fact, thanks to the government for passing this along to us), there’d be no way for these two to get together to make music, unless they just so happened to meet each other in any other way. But yeah, props to Twitter for that. In any event, I finally got a chance to start streaming this project, well, today, and I’m definitely jammin’ out to it. - JB Kang/ Ill-Vibes.com

Intalek, a rapper from Virginia, collaborated with Ritchcraft, a producer from Halifax, N.S. Canada and created what is now known as Lives and Vibes. The two met on twitter and immediately began making tracks. In under 2 months the album was completed.

I’m listening to this joint now and it’s definitely worth a download. Check it after the cut… - KevinNottingham.com

Intalek, a rapper from Virginia, collaborated with Ritchcraft, a producer from Halifax, N.S. Canada and created what is now known as Lives and Vibes. The two met on twitter and immediately began making tracks. In under 2 months the album was completed.

I’m listening to this joint now and it’s definitely worth a download. Check it after the cut… - KevinNottingham.com

SoulFlows is proud to bring that brand new flavor for your ears, courtesy of Virginia Beach emcee, Intalek. With jazz filled instrumentation and poetic flows, Intalek continues to show the benefits of making music with inspirations that shy away from the love of money and focus on the art that is raw lyricism birthed from everyday situations Rather than present to you a situation in music, Intalek guides your imagination through the scenario at hand. I will never forget the song that made me the Intalek fan that I am today, “Band in My Mind” [and if you ask him, he will let you know that's my favorite joint]. With words lessened, I bring you Sir I.N.T., better known as Intalek. Bless the stage…

In your own words, introduce Intalek to the stage.

The one and only…Intalek! Period.

If you had to describe yourself with one song lyric/verse, what would it be?

Good question. I would have to say “Dear Music” off of my ‘Square One’ mixtape. I can’t necessarily pin-point a direct verse from the song because the ENTIRE track encompasses me and describes me and my journey into what made me jump into music. I’d be lying to myself if I had to choose one of the three verses from the song.

You would describe your style as…

…lyrical and visionary. I’m for the listeners. I place more emphasis in what I say and what’s being broadcasted rather than hard beats and easily remembered hooks. So it’s more lyrical, more thoughtful, more defined.

I know we’ve talked about the different sides to Intalek, what are these different sides and how do they come together to make you the artist you are?

Well, this is something new to me as well! After making more and more music, I realized my approach to tracks varied. So I have three approaches: Intalek, I.N.T., and Theo-nious Monk. “ Intalek” is the thought-provoking emcee, who places more emphasis on lyrics and painting literary pictures. “Intalek” is the foundation for my music. “I.N.T.” or “Intelligence Named Theo” is the wittier, wordplay-ridden, punchline driven, grittier style of mines. It more represents my battle and hustler era and my rapper approach, like freestyles are coming from “I.N.T.” And lastly, “Theo-nious Monk” is the smooth, jazz lyricist. Tracks like “The Band In My Mind” and “Shining” are more of this approach. It’s kind of like an in-my-pocket flow.

Most musicians get compared to other musicians, whether it is lyrically, in presentation, or even how you speak. What musicians do you get compared to the most? And what sets Intalek apart from those musicians?

It’s crazy…I get compared to Lupe Fiasco, mostly because my lyricism can go a bit deep like Lupe’s. I see no comparison because Lupe’s mindframe is deeper and crazier. I mean…I see it sometimes…it takes many listeners some time to decipher what I’m exactly trying to convey which is normally done with a Lupe track. I’ve heard other comparisons like Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, and Common. But I more see myself in my own lane and doing my own thing. Sure there’s an influence, but I take what’s around me and create this Intalek monster. The comparisons to others are cool, but I want my listeners to be like “Yeah, that’s Intalek. He does his own type thing.”

In the song “Close” off the Square One mixtape, there’s a line where you say “spoken word what is dear to me”. What part has spoken word and poetry played in Intalek?

Man I had been writing poems as far back as grade school! I never jumped into hip hop at that time. It was more poetry and stories I was into. Robert Frost, Henry Thoreau, E.E. Cummings,Shakespeare, Langston Hughes. I really wanted to be an author or journalist when I was young, but that was just a phase. But spoken word and poetry always kept my interest. Music is poetry over instrumentation. Same science…different medium. Poetry and spoken word plays a huge part in me and my music. That’s why I place more effort in lyricism and the art of words.

Now you got a few mixtapes, Square One, HelloSpaceWorld, and of course the one you have dropping now, Believe the Hype: The Best of Intalek. If you had to pick one joint from each mixtape to show your growth, what would they be and why?

Sweet question. From “Square One” I’d have to say ‘Rhythm of Rhythm’ because it showcased what kind of artist I was. From “HelloSpaceWorld” I’d say ‘Internal Growth’ because if you really listen the three verses in it are all constructed differently, which showcased I.N.T. on the first verse, Theo-nious Monk on the second, and Intalek on the third, all the while telling the story of how I won’t quit making music. It’s deep! And from “Believe The Hype” I’d say the bonus track ‘Dead.’ It’s just a crazysong! You got to hear it…basically about hip hop can’t leave me until I’m respected enough to be a great.

Describe to us what your dream song would be. [Who would make the beat? What would it be about? Who would it feature? What would it sound like?]

I don’t think I actually have a dream son - http://SoulFlows.Wordpress.com

SoulFlows is proud to bring that brand new flavor for your ears, courtesy of Virginia Beach emcee, Intalek. With jazz filled instrumentation and poetic flows, Intalek continues to show the benefits of making music with inspirations that shy away from the love of money and focus on the art that is raw lyricism birthed from everyday situations Rather than present to you a situation in music, Intalek guides your imagination through the scenario at hand. I will never forget the song that made me the Intalek fan that I am today, “Band in My Mind” [and if you ask him, he will let you know that's my favorite joint]. With words lessened, I bring you Sir I.N.T., better known as Intalek. Bless the stage…

In your own words, introduce Intalek to the stage.

The one and only…Intalek! Period.

If you had to describe yourself with one song lyric/verse, what would it be?

Good question. I would have to say “Dear Music” off of my ‘Square One’ mixtape. I can’t necessarily pin-point a direct verse from the song because the ENTIRE track encompasses me and describes me and my journey into what made me jump into music. I’d be lying to myself if I had to choose one of the three verses from the song.

You would describe your style as…

…lyrical and visionary. I’m for the listeners. I place more emphasis in what I say and what’s being broadcasted rather than hard beats and easily remembered hooks. So it’s more lyrical, more thoughtful, more defined.

I know we’ve talked about the different sides to Intalek, what are these different sides and how do they come together to make you the artist you are?

Well, this is something new to me as well! After making more and more music, I realized my approach to tracks varied. So I have three approaches: Intalek, I.N.T., and Theo-nious Monk. “ Intalek” is the thought-provoking emcee, who places more emphasis on lyrics and painting literary pictures. “Intalek” is the foundation for my music. “I.N.T.” or “Intelligence Named Theo” is the wittier, wordplay-ridden, punchline driven, grittier style of mines. It more represents my battle and hustler era and my rapper approach, like freestyles are coming from “I.N.T.” And lastly, “Theo-nious Monk” is the smooth, jazz lyricist. Tracks like “The Band In My Mind” and “Shining” are more of this approach. It’s kind of like an in-my-pocket flow.

Most musicians get compared to other musicians, whether it is lyrically, in presentation, or even how you speak. What musicians do you get compared to the most? And what sets Intalek apart from those musicians?

It’s crazy…I get compared to Lupe Fiasco, mostly because my lyricism can go a bit deep like Lupe’s. I see no comparison because Lupe’s mindframe is deeper and crazier. I mean…I see it sometimes…it takes many listeners some time to decipher what I’m exactly trying to convey which is normally done with a Lupe track. I’ve heard other comparisons like Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, and Common. But I more see myself in my own lane and doing my own thing. Sure there’s an influence, but I take what’s around me and create this Intalek monster. The comparisons to others are cool, but I want my listeners to be like “Yeah, that’s Intalek. He does his own type thing.”

In the song “Close” off the Square One mixtape, there’s a line where you say “spoken word what is dear to me”. What part has spoken word and poetry played in Intalek?

Man I had been writing poems as far back as grade school! I never jumped into hip hop at that time. It was more poetry and stories I was into. Robert Frost, Henry Thoreau, E.E. Cummings,Shakespeare, Langston Hughes. I really wanted to be an author or journalist when I was young, but that was just a phase. But spoken word and poetry always kept my interest. Music is poetry over instrumentation. Same science…different medium. Poetry and spoken word plays a huge part in me and my music. That’s why I place more effort in lyricism and the art of words.

Now you got a few mixtapes, Square One, HelloSpaceWorld, and of course the one you have dropping now, Believe the Hype: The Best of Intalek. If you had to pick one joint from each mixtape to show your growth, what would they be and why?

Sweet question. From “Square One” I’d have to say ‘Rhythm of Rhythm’ because it showcased what kind of artist I was. From “HelloSpaceWorld” I’d say ‘Internal Growth’ because if you really listen the three verses in it are all constructed differently, which showcased I.N.T. on the first verse, Theo-nious Monk on the second, and Intalek on the third, all the while telling the story of how I won’t quit making music. It’s deep! And from “Believe The Hype” I’d say the bonus track ‘Dead.’ It’s just a crazysong! You got to hear it…basically about hip hop can’t leave me until I’m respected enough to be a great.

Describe to us what your dream song would be. [Who would make the beat? What would it be about? Who would it feature? What would it sound like?]

I don’t think I actually have a dream son - http://SoulFlows.Wordpress.com

Clever wordplay, the ability to paint a picture in your mind with his words, and his deep-thought lyrical skill… I bring you Intalek (also calls himself I.N.T. and Theo-nious Monk). Intalek is a 22-year-old emcee from Virginia Beach. He’s often compared to Lupe Fiasco by his listeners, in terms of his lyrical thought process. However, he doesn’t claim to be like anyone other than himself. He has 3 mixtapes out, for free download (after the jump!), that have been creating a buzz around the internet. I’ve never heard of the guy, until he recently emailed us. It’s never too late, right? He passed over the links for his mixtapes, and I sat down and listened to them all… quite thoroughly. I think he’s developed another fan (me), because I’m diggin’ what he’s puttin’ out there for the world to hear.

Anyway, I have a certain way of how I do things in regards to listening to albums I’m going to review. I listen to each song. If I like the track, I’ll write down the title, along with some notes (what I liked about it and such). If I don’t like the track, nothing gets written down… unless it’s so unpleasant to the ears, that something needs to be said. Haha.


SQUARE ONE (6/10 stars)
>> Going Down Freestyle — “They listen to you and wonder how many bars left // They listen to me and wonder why I ain’t even start yet.”
>> Close — It’s a song about a girl, love and secret admirers. What’s not to like?
>> Tour Guide — “Where military brats get raised to blue collars // where highways are built from government tax dollars // where drunk driving happens every night, not a bother // where somebody’s kidnapped or raped by a father.” It’s a journey through Virginia type of track – the people, the scenery, the history, the highs, the lows, and so on. I flew to Virginia in October of last year to visit my grandpa who had just moved out there. He was showing me the huge houses that were built because of tobacco. That their economy and agricultural production was dominated by the tobacco growing there. Interesting…
>> Dear Music — This is an open letter to music, talking about when he first encountered music as a whole. From a young kid, while growing up, and where he’s at now. Name drops like: Anita Baker, LL Cool J, MC Lyte, Kriss Kross, Lil Kim, Nas, Jay-Z, DMX, Wu-Tang, and so on. He even touches on the days when he’d go through chatrooms and forums battling against other cats. You know exactly what that’s like…
>> Don’t You Baby — Dope track… lyrically and the hard-hitting beat.
>> Other tracks I liked: “Code Magic”, “Take Notice”, “Wild”, “Rhythm of Rhythm”, “Mental Lapse”


HELLO SPACE WORLD… (7 of 10 stars)
(Note: This mixtape is full of collaborations with DJs and artists from Myspace.)
>> Don’t Cry — I smiled the second this track started. That upbeat, big-girls-don’t-cry beat. The track is really funny, you’ve got to listen to it. You know when you meet somebody, and there’s a few things you like about them… cool conversations, they look good, they have a dope personality, are beautiful inside and out, and all of that. But you come across one or two things that turn you off, and sometimes it’s enough to make you say peace. Yeah, that’s this track. Hahah.
>> This Land — Ahhhh, yes. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings sampling. I love her voice throughout this track. This is a patriotic track, that goes through the colors of the USA flag… breaking down what they each represent. “Blue be the color of truth // And handicapped parking spaces made for the troops // who fought for the youth // who sought for the truth // to understand that shit President Bush has moved to // if it doesn’t move you, look into the true you // billion dollar debt, money’s unusual// everybody’s paid, tv shows, and coo-coo personalities making thousands, boo-hoo.” One of my favorites on the mixtape.
>> With You — “I usually don’t fall so fast. For you, I fall from God’s hand just so I can land with you.” Beautiful track. It’s about that special somebody that you want to be with and love.
>> Express Yaself — It has that old school hip hop feel, which I’m liking a lot. Both emcees (Intalek & Basic) have quality verses over that beat, which is ace in my book.
>> Breathe Me — When this track came on, my initial reaction was… “Aw shit, a Sia sample!” Two minutes into the track, I was thinking that he accidently slipped in a Sia track in this mixtape. Three minutes in… hmm. Ohhh, there he goes. Hahah. Yeah, so the first 3 minutes and 10 seconds is the beautiful songstress Sia, and after that, Intalek drops in with a verse.
>> Band In My Mind — I like this song, because of the cool, jazzy beat, along with the relaxed words laced on top by Intalek. Soothing…
>> Other tracks I liked: “Paper Plane”, “Set Me Free”, “Feel Good Music”, “I Will Not Lose”, “Band In My Mind”, “Internal Growth”



BELIEVE THE HYPE MIXTAPE (8.5 of 10 stars)
>> Juice 2009 — I don’t know why, but this made me want to do the Kid-N-Play dance (even though it sound - http://CrayonBeats.Wordpress.com

Clever wordplay, the ability to paint a picture in your mind with his words, and his deep-thought lyrical skill… I bring you Intalek (also calls himself I.N.T. and Theo-nious Monk). Intalek is a 22-year-old emcee from Virginia Beach. He’s often compared to Lupe Fiasco by his listeners, in terms of his lyrical thought process. However, he doesn’t claim to be like anyone other than himself. He has 3 mixtapes out, for free download (after the jump!), that have been creating a buzz around the internet. I’ve never heard of the guy, until he recently emailed us. It’s never too late, right? He passed over the links for his mixtapes, and I sat down and listened to them all… quite thoroughly. I think he’s developed another fan (me), because I’m diggin’ what he’s puttin’ out there for the world to hear.

Anyway, I have a certain way of how I do things in regards to listening to albums I’m going to review. I listen to each song. If I like the track, I’ll write down the title, along with some notes (what I liked about it and such). If I don’t like the track, nothing gets written down… unless it’s so unpleasant to the ears, that something needs to be said. Haha.


SQUARE ONE (6/10 stars)
>> Going Down Freestyle — “They listen to you and wonder how many bars left // They listen to me and wonder why I ain’t even start yet.”
>> Close — It’s a song about a girl, love and secret admirers. What’s not to like?
>> Tour Guide — “Where military brats get raised to blue collars // where highways are built from government tax dollars // where drunk driving happens every night, not a bother // where somebody’s kidnapped or raped by a father.” It’s a journey through Virginia type of track – the people, the scenery, the history, the highs, the lows, and so on. I flew to Virginia in October of last year to visit my grandpa who had just moved out there. He was showing me the huge houses that were built because of tobacco. That their economy and agricultural production was dominated by the tobacco growing there. Interesting…
>> Dear Music — This is an open letter to music, talking about when he first encountered music as a whole. From a young kid, while growing up, and where he’s at now. Name drops like: Anita Baker, LL Cool J, MC Lyte, Kriss Kross, Lil Kim, Nas, Jay-Z, DMX, Wu-Tang, and so on. He even touches on the days when he’d go through chatrooms and forums battling against other cats. You know exactly what that’s like…
>> Don’t You Baby — Dope track… lyrically and the hard-hitting beat.
>> Other tracks I liked: “Code Magic”, “Take Notice”, “Wild”, “Rhythm of Rhythm”, “Mental Lapse”


HELLO SPACE WORLD… (7 of 10 stars)
(Note: This mixtape is full of collaborations with DJs and artists from Myspace.)
>> Don’t Cry — I smiled the second this track started. That upbeat, big-girls-don’t-cry beat. The track is really funny, you’ve got to listen to it. You know when you meet somebody, and there’s a few things you like about them… cool conversations, they look good, they have a dope personality, are beautiful inside and out, and all of that. But you come across one or two things that turn you off, and sometimes it’s enough to make you say peace. Yeah, that’s this track. Hahah.
>> This Land — Ahhhh, yes. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings sampling. I love her voice throughout this track. This is a patriotic track, that goes through the colors of the USA flag… breaking down what they each represent. “Blue be the color of truth // And handicapped parking spaces made for the troops // who fought for the youth // who sought for the truth // to understand that shit President Bush has moved to // if it doesn’t move you, look into the true you // billion dollar debt, money’s unusual// everybody’s paid, tv shows, and coo-coo personalities making thousands, boo-hoo.” One of my favorites on the mixtape.
>> With You — “I usually don’t fall so fast. For you, I fall from God’s hand just so I can land with you.” Beautiful track. It’s about that special somebody that you want to be with and love.
>> Express Yaself — It has that old school hip hop feel, which I’m liking a lot. Both emcees (Intalek & Basic) have quality verses over that beat, which is ace in my book.
>> Breathe Me — When this track came on, my initial reaction was… “Aw shit, a Sia sample!” Two minutes into the track, I was thinking that he accidently slipped in a Sia track in this mixtape. Three minutes in… hmm. Ohhh, there he goes. Hahah. Yeah, so the first 3 minutes and 10 seconds is the beautiful songstress Sia, and after that, Intalek drops in with a verse.
>> Band In My Mind — I like this song, because of the cool, jazzy beat, along with the relaxed words laced on top by Intalek. Soothing…
>> Other tracks I liked: “Paper Plane”, “Set Me Free”, “Feel Good Music”, “I Will Not Lose”, “Band In My Mind”, “Internal Growth”



BELIEVE THE HYPE MIXTAPE (8.5 of 10 stars)
>> Juice 2009 — I don’t know why, but this made me want to do the Kid-N-Play dance (even though it sound - http://CrayonBeats.Wordpress.com

With the heavy increase on lyricism budding in the hip hop world today, artists find themselves standing out more and more by the hour. Music seems to be reaching a new renaissance with underground, independent, and rising artists placing more emphasis in what they say and how it is being conveyed. Intalek, a 22-year-old rising hip hop star from Virginia Beach, VA, seems right at home with the new wave of music. With the success of his two online underground mixtapes, Square One: The Mixtape in 2008 and HelloSpaceWorld earlier in 2009, Intalek links up with super producer Grussle of the DC-based production group The VilliaNz to create a compilation of his new and previous works to give his fans something to enjoy. The Believe The Hype: Best of Intalek mixtape hosted by me, Ray of Rbj-mag.com gives his fans more than they bargained for, with commentary from Intalek, himself, along with songs and freestyles that showcase his knack for lyricism, flow, and his uncanny yet witty foundation within hip hop. Fans and new listeners, alike, will definitely appreciate this breath of fresh air Intalek is giving the hip hop world. - www.TheCluh.com

With the heavy increase on lyricism budding in the hip hop world today, artists find themselves standing out more and more by the hour. Music seems to be reaching a new renaissance with underground, independent, and rising artists placing more emphasis in what they say and how it is being conveyed. Intalek, a 22-year-old rising hip hop star from Virginia Beach, VA, seems right at home with the new wave of music. With the success of his two online underground mixtapes, Square One: The Mixtape in 2008 and HelloSpaceWorld earlier in 2009, Intalek links up with super producer Grussle of the DC-based production group The VilliaNz to create a compilation of his new and previous works to give his fans something to enjoy. The Believe The Hype: Best of Intalek mixtape hosted by me, Ray of Rbj-mag.com gives his fans more than they bargained for, with commentary from Intalek, himself, along with songs and freestyles that showcase his knack for lyricism, flow, and his uncanny yet witty foundation within hip hop. Fans and new listeners, alike, will definitely appreciate this breath of fresh air Intalek is giving the hip hop world. - www.TheCluh.com

For rapper Theo “Intalek” Jamison, hip hop had long been a matter of secrecy when relating to his parents.



Acceptance



For rapper Theo “Intalek” Jamison, hip hop had long been a matter of secrecy when relating to his parents. As a young child, he would listen to his father’s collection of rap albums on cassette tapes only after his father left for work. “He’d keep it from us,” Jamison explains, “’cause it was one of those, like—this is like late 80s, early 90s . . . It was strong, so the language was a little bit more heav[y] than it is now, maybe in a sense. It was politically driven acts. You had your straight hip hop acts—stuff like that. So he’d keep it kind of from me because of the language use.” But Jamison always found a way to his father’s collection when he was away, so Jamison enjoyed listening to hip hop tracks every day. But the fun didn’t last long, as he was one day caught with a broken tape of MC Lyte’s Lyte as a Rock record. His father was not pleased.


Later as a college student, Jamison began recording his own lyrics with his friends, but the secrecy resumed in a different way, as he hid all production activities from his parents. “I always hid it from them. Like I would record songs on the computer at the house with my friends, or go to my friend’s house and do it. I never really let them listen to the music ‘cause it was rough. There was language I didn’t want my parents to hear at the time. So it was tough for me to do. But then on that end, it was like, I would be in the house and be somebody else but then go outside and get so much praise for the type of music I was making.”

It was not until he made preparations to move to L.A. and expand his music career that he decided to break the news to his parents, as his parents wanted to know why he planned to move there. He presented his album Lives and Vibes to them and revealed his work as a rapper. To his relief, they accepted his career choice. “It took some time. It took years. It was like years of just hiding it and trying to keep them from looking at me in a different way. But, you know, once I stood up and kind of said, ‘Hey, this is really what I do. This is who I am. I get paid gigs. I’m actually out here doing something with it.’ And when I can present it to them that way, then it makes sense for them. ‘Cause all parents don’t want their children wasting their time, you know. So, they’re looking at it like, ‘All right, well, he’s doing something with it.’ So I think that’s what it took—it took time for me to kind of build that resume and bring it to them.”

With the acceptance of his parents earned, Jamison now hopes to gain the acceptance of critics who, according to Jamison, view rap and hip hop as distasteful music because of a misunderstanding of the culture. “You have just regular hip hop style—where . . . they kind of keep the actual art form alive—that get thrown into that box that you think is negative because of the language use, you know. So there’s a certain fear that I feel like that’s still in our area.” Jamison goes on to explain that even though hip hop has a large presence in media and young listeners embrace its music, the older generations have trouble acknowledging it. “It’s just a fear. And I want to break that barrier and take that fear down because we’re here, like I’m willing to talk to anybody.” Jamison hopes that spreading awareness of hip hop’s broader identity will bring more people to accept the genre.

In this episode of Stories in the Sky, Jamison talks with Victor Russo about his work on his recent albums, his life in Bahrain, and how he broke his father’s Lyte as a Rock cassette tape. Theo Jamison is a rapper who goes by the stage name Intalek. You can listen to his music and find more information about him at intalek.bandcamp.com.

Note: The songs played in this episode—listed in chronological order—are Good Morning, Los Angeles, VA; Ecstasy; Purpose (ft. Pastor Steve Kelly); and Celebrationby Intalek. - Victor Russo