Archive for Dead Ringer

Rjd2 Will Be Doing BIG Things in 2009

Posted in Music News with tags , , , , , , , on Friday, August 21, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Rjd2

Talk about great fucking news. Rjd2 is easily one of me top 5 producers, and I love everything that the guy has ever done. When it comes to production, damn near all of his work is pristine. Needless to say, I’ve been waiting on new Rjd2 material since The Third Hand, because like most people I was a tad disappointed in Third Hand and knew that Hip-Hop is where he truly shines.

2DopeBoyz had a really dope article on Rj and the things that he has coming up before the end of the year. It sounds like Rj started his own label (RJ’s Electrical Connections), and he will be re-releasing his first 3 releases (Dead Ringer, The Horror EP & Since We Last Spoke) in a box set that will come out on October 2oth. ALSO included in the box set will be a new EP called The Tin Foil Hat EP which will contain 7 unreleased Rj cuts. You can go cop Your Face or Your Kneecaps, In Rare Form &  Things Go Better (Instrumentals) on iTunes now. To top it all off, we can expect Rj’s new album The Colossus to drop in early winter.

I’m pretty much ecstatic to hear this news. I can assure you that there is no doubt in my mind that I will be at the record store on October 20th to get my box set. Will you? If you’ve slept on Rj this long, I really don’t know if there is any hope left for you in the world.

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Copywrite Talks About Camu Tao, MHz & Table Scraps Re-Issue

Posted in Music News with tags , , , , , on Thursday, July 30, 2009 by Tim Althaus

copywrite@westernfront9.12.08 092 Copywrite recently talked to HipHopDX about a few things that pertained to his dearly missed friend, Camu Tao. As many of you out there in the Hip-Hop community may know, the original MHz album Table Scraps has been re-released in both digital & retail. If you haven’t heard Table Scraps before, you are truly missing out on a piece of history. We are talking about an album that put Ohio’s Hip-Hop scene on the map for the first time, not to mention launched the careers of Rjd2, Copywrite & Camu Tao. The thing that is special about the re-release of Table Scraps is that portions of the proceeds will go directly to Camu’s family.

According to the HipHopDX article, Copy claims that many people didn’t even know that he and Camu were in a group. Copywrite feels as though Table Scraps is great music, and re-releasing it is a way to give back to Camu’s family. He also mentions that Table Scraps is exactly what it sounds like, a bunch of recordings laying around that they wanted to throw together for one cohesive effort to give people some insight. Copy also talks about not wanting to be a solo artist coming into the game, but things at Eastern Conference didn’t work out with MHz. In a baffling breath, Copy drops the bomb that DJ Mighty Mi didn’t even want to release Rjd2’s Dead Ringer (which is a catastrophic decision).

Copy met Camu in ninth grade and they soon found out that they had a lot of things in common as far as lifestyle. He notes that when Camu learned to make beats he elevated his game right away, “He was crazy with his style. He always wanted to do something different”. He remembers Camu as a good friend, and a cool, energetic dude. This is really a great article that has many eye opening facts. I highly suggest you read this, it’s an example of some great Hip-Hop journalism.

In addition to the information about MHz, Table Scraps & Camu Tao, Copywrite also talks about his upcoming album The Life & Times of Peter Nelson.

You can read the original article here.

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Wild Style Wednesday Review: Rjd2, The Horror EP

Posted in Wildstyle Wednesdays with tags , , , , , , on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 by Tim Althaus

RJ horror Rjd2 is one badass dude, he released Deadringer in 2002 (one of my favorite albums of all time), and roughly one year later he released this ten track gem otherwise known as The Horror EP. Don’t get me wrong, Deadringer is a multi-level musical masterpiece but I think The Horror EP is a little better. This EP has ten top tier tracks, revisits some of the best moments of Deadringer and further more, it features some of Rj’s best beats. I feel as though if this was the only material that you owned by Rjd2, you would still be listening to his best music. Continue reading →

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3 New Rjd2 Tracks For Your Dead Ringer Loving Soul

Posted in Downloads, News with tags , , on Sunday, February 22, 2009 by Tim Althaus

ramble-john-krohn I can tell you that nothing in the enitre world made me happier than reading this news article last night. Ramble John Krohn (Rjd2 for short) is almost done with his fourth studio album, and he has three tracks that have been leaked. RJ released Third Hand a couple years back and a lot of fans were wondering why RJ took a sudden direction turn away from Hip-Hop. Even though RJ strayed away from Hip-Hop I can say that I never lost faith in this man. I will never forget Dead Ringer and hearing the track “Ghostwriter” for the first time in my best friend’s car (thanks Abe). Dead Ringer changed the way that I felt about production in Hip-Hop music, and for that I will always show RJ love. There is a good chance that he will forever be in my top 5 for production skills.

I remember that Pitchfork wrote an article about RJ “ditching” Hip-Hop, and I personally couldn’t believe it. How could a man with so much talent in one area (MHz, Soul Position) depart from the one genre that gave him his name? I later heard an Rjd2 produced Little Brother track called “Best Kept Secret” and my heart was filled with joy. It was then I knew that Pitchfork had been totally wrong and I could continue on with my life.

Flash forward to yesterday. I hear that Rjd2 has three new tracks out and I have no idea what to think. Is he going to go back to his roots? Is he going to stay indie rock? Let me tell you that this was one of the best surprises I have had yet this year (granted we are only two months in). These tracks sound like some absolute gems from the Dead Ringer days with RJ back at the top of his game. If you personally were a fan of Dead Ringer or Since We Last Spoke, you couldn’t be happier with these tracks. Make sure you give these tracks a good listen because there is plenty more great material to come. Be sure that you also know I am waiting for this record like Christmas, and you should be to if you are an Rjd2 fan.

Download:

“Song For You”

“Time Has The Final Word”

“Morning Break”

Just because I am so content I’m throwing in a video to (watch Rjd2 get down):

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RJD2, The Simpsons?

Posted in Music News with tags , , , , , , on Thursday, November 20, 2008 by Tim Althaus

rjd2

I was very relieved to hear that one of my favorite producers, Ramble John Krohn (aka Rjd2), was back in the studio making more music. He had mentioned that his new album should be ready sometime around mid-2009 (although he doesn’t like to say things like that pre-emptively). I am really hoping that Rj goes back towards his Hip-Hop roots (Dead Ringer which was released to high critical acclaim) and stays away from the indie pop music. This guy is one of the most talented producers I’ve ever heard, and his music is simply beautiful.

I also found out that the Simpsons recently did a parody of the AMC show Mad Men (which is a Golden Globe winner) and they chose to use Rj’s track “A Beautiful Mine” off of the Magnificent City (which teamed RJ up with veteran Freestyle Fellowship emcee Aceyalone). When RJ was asked how he felt about the situation: “It’s really something when music you made in your basement for your own enjoyment ends up in places you never imagined it would.  You can tell they recreated the music for the show using orchestration and all live instruments, so that made it even cooler.”

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