KYBA

Hip-Hop like every genre of music is constantly changing, and recently it seems there have been more and more hungry young rap artists starting movements all on their own. It's encouraging to see new talent hit the music scene that has real potential to be something special. After spending some time listening to “Popadock," I would put Toony Tunes in that category.
Toony Tunes, along with the help of his FreeVibe group mate Captn Dan, create a song unlike anything in recent memory. There's no build up to a cliché hook like most mainstream club bangers, merely fluent, effortless-sounding rhymes over a gritty, mysterious hip hop beat, which reminds me a bit of the 90’s hip hop icons Gang Starr. The deep bass and ambient noises encourage the listener to zone out or engage in some inadvertent head bopping. (You might want to keep this in mind if listening on the subway.)
The feel of the track is so chilled out that you may not catch all of the aggressive lyrics Toony Tunes and Capn Dan spit throughout the nearly three-minute long track. “Popadock” sounds like the love child of Madvillian and Odd Future with a hint of Wu Tang Clan. With a combination like that, I expect Toony Tunes to make some noise in Hip-Hop for years to come.

Read more at http://earmilk.com/2013/08/09/toony-tunes-captn-dan-popadock/#jvdUjv9c3si0AwIz.99 -

Toony TuneS (TheManWithThreeNames) is back with a new release. This time he has decided to hang up his producer hat and let someone else on the knobs. He has teamed up with Mr. Mockwell to create the ultra classic MC/DJ duo that has held true since the beginning of hip-hop. Now, with the success of Odd Future, it's great to see other young musicians coming through with the experimental beats laced with very raw lyrical incisions. The OF crew might be "young" but Mr. Mockwell is only 13 years old and is able to create such dynamic and engrossing beats. I probably shouldn't be mentioning OF but it's a fair comparison and I honestly think Toony is on that level or greater. And, we don't need to mention Toony TuneS because we've been with him from the beginning and his skills are evident. The title of this project/album is Conducted Sounds Of Drama which s a 10-track LP which is available for free. Shouts to good music. Enjoy. (13 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Read more at http://earmilk.com/2011/06/15/toony-tunes-mr-mockwell-conducted-sounds-of-drama-twokneetunes-mrmockwell/#7vseSZWHsWmwacY2.99 -

As Quietus new music editor Rory Gibb pointed out on Twitter last month: "There is too much music". During my time writing this column, that statement has felt increasingly valid. Not only is there a vast ocean of established artists releasing material at an ever-increasing and frustratingly uncatchable rate; but there are also thousands upon thousands of artists below the surface, hopelessly scratching away at the layer above.

One way of emerging from beneath this seemingly impenetrable tide is to self-release. The role of Bandcamp in particular has become pivotal in encouraging the DIY ethic; unknown, (and indeed known) artists are able to market their music to a worldwide audience through a simple streaming interface, allowing listeners to then download or buy physical copies of their music at a price chosen either by themselves or by the listener, all without the need of label backing. As Adam Harper points out in his excellent essay on the outer reaches of the site, one of the most integral aspects of the Bandcamp ethos, which seems to have been neglected by other streaming services, is that "Bandcamp currently has an enticingly independent and underground feel – you won't find bland major artists topping the site's popularity charts or depressing you in banners on the homepage."

Aside from the deluge of demos that land in my inbox each month, Bandcamp has been an essential tool in collating material for this column, an interface in which the hordes of music let loose into the world each day (hour, even) are presented as little squares of artwork to momentarily dip in to, to order by date or genre or popularity (the latter of which, in the case of this project in hand, is well avoided.) Here are four recently released albums that have caught my attention this month. -

Toony Tunes first caught my attention two years ago in Pomona. It was at the Aladdin Jr. and he was performing with local rap outfit One Step Ahead. When he stepped on stage I didn’t know what to expect until I was hit with a dark beat that grumbled like a beast would stuck in tar pits. I froze. My ears tweaked as they made contact with a half-gargle voice that seemed untamed yet agile and hungry. As soon as I got home to punch in his name on bandcamp and soundcloud , I fell in love with his catalog and found the song to be “Son in the Dungeon”.

With a little more time and what appears like more practice, we jump to October of 2013 to discover, KingTunesby KingTunes. Sporting seven tracks produced by Levi King, we get our first collaborative project with Toony Tunes sinceCSOD with Mr. Mockwell.

We start with LowMindedTypeS. A happy go-lucky sample coupled with a hypnotic hook had me tapping my foot to “I ain’t got the time to deal with you low minded types” as I reminisced over my professors. There’s something very sophisticated about Toony’s form of braggadocio that tends to do backflips and summersaults around your eardrums only to remain oblivious of all the dope shit that went over your head. I’m already a few listens in and I’m still catching new things amongst the salvo of wordplay. This is a reoccurring theme in how Toony Tunes constructs song lyrics, often not giving the audience time to think and more so going for the blitzkrieg tactic.

However, in this new project I can hear him getting more musically accessible without watering down his talents. This is evident throughout as Toony dons the vocals in a new way as a singer. I especially like his brand of singing in one of my favorite tracks, ByTheGods, on the second half he plays with a melody that wraps around his voice like a bow. Even his delivery seems more chiseled and original as he uses his new found skills in melody to augment the raspy aspects of his voice. ForTheQueenS is a perfect example of this as he floats in and out of zones describing the essence of feminine energy.

Overall the production is just the right amount of abstract and fundamental that gets your head loose. I found myself tooning in and out at times which either says something about how memorable Toony Tunes lyrics are; or points to Levi Kings strong suits. I noticed I paid closer attention to the more experimental tracks like KingDumb, Natura, and FortheQueenS for their fantastical auras and jarring rap-robatics. The synergy going on in KingTunes is obvious, despite not being able to appreciate both individually. At times I was either struggling to hear Toony’s low grimey voice or stimulated into a trance by Levi King’s chops. The only track that really blew my mind in their flawless alliance wasNatura. I could almost feel both their frequencies spiraling in and out of each other, as I lost gravity in my feet. The float you get from Levi’s bizarre realm of sounds is dreamy leaving you to mingle in a higher plane of free vibe. I really feel like I’m tripping with Toony on this one and I love it.

Save for a few production quirks that could have been alleviated with more post-production, KingTunes is a great way to introduce anyone to Levi King or Toony Tunes. It’s certainly not my favorite of his work but definitely a testament to his ability to grow and learn constantly. Listen below! -