By Josh Gloer

Theory Hazit moved to Portland, Oregon, two years ago because he needed a change. Having never been on a real vacation, he wanted to drive his kids across the United States, and show them a cross section of our country. He wanted to hook up with fellow rappers, Omega Watts and Wildchild to name a few. He wanted something new.

Two years later, the emcee has something new to share. Coming together with producer Toni Shift, the pair has created a super duo – Modern Marvels.

“Modern Marvels is basically what we’re all trying to do,” Theory Hazit, the vocals of the duo, said. “We’re trying to be our own super heroes and save hip hop. At the same time, I feel like everything I do is marvelous. Everything we do for God is marvelous, because God is marvelous.”

Serving God through the gifts they’ve been given is a priority for the pair, and the two gelled after working on the very first track.

“We just basically wanted to make some really good music, classic sounding music, without trying to make classic music,” Theory said. “A lot of the stuff Toni composes bring creativity out of me, forces me to be creative. Sometimes he’ll just make bangers and the stuff just comes out naturally.”

But that’s not to say that the construction of Modern Marvels was easy. It’s been three years in the making. Theory thought it was completed in September of 2008, but decided not to release it.

“The more I held on to this record, the better it got.” Tracks were removed, and others added. Another year of work went into the album. Finally, late in 2009, Theory and Shift is ready to release what they call the “genesis” of Modern Marvels. “I’m in love with the album again,” Theory said. “It’s a banging album now. I’m proud of it.”

Some of his pride might come from the unusual depths he admits to going to.

“Its really personal, for me,” Theory said. “I always write personal stuff, but I’m really transparent on this album.”

Modern Marvels covers topics Theory says have been overlooked. The joys of marriage and raising kids, solving personal problems with love and being a grown man providing for a family to name a few.

“There’s not much talk about love. People are just out to get theirs,” Theory said. “Life has its ups and downs and there’s nothing perfect around it. Focusing on God, and relying on God… that helps you to endure the struggles and obstacles that come your way.”

Theory wants to teach people through his sucuesses and failures and he’s had no problem airing his shortcomings on the album. He said he hopes it will be a guide, a light to show others how situations can be handled.

“When people hear this album… I really want them to learn from it. I have a gang of mistakes on the record, basically teaching lessons on that. I want people to react and take it in and apply it. The message of the album is creativity. Creativity is not dead, especially doing it unto God. Doing it with God.”

While the powers that be are keeping the release date under wraps, expect Modern Marvels to hit the shelves sometime this winter. For now, check out the title track featuring Wildchild and Lightheaded at: http://bit.ly/2mbaTP.

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Josh Gloer is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He’s written six season of MSNBC’s Lockup: Extended stay. He has also written for MTV, TLC, TruTV, HGTV and Oxygen. Josh has been a journalist for over 12 years, doing celebrity interviews with actors such as Djimoun Hounsou, Dennis Farina and James Marsden; and bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Orgy and sax guru, Carl Grubbs. Josh’s work has appeared in Filter, Car Audio & Electronics, Zink!, Item and many other publications and websites. This fall, his fiction is scheduled to appear in an anthology of LA writers, including Charles Bukowski. www.joshgloer.com

By: Josh Gloer

Say the words “Christmas Album” and you’re likely to invoke less than positive reaction. Lounge style rehashes of the same old tired “Classics,” laid down for the almighty dollar, these albums generally run the gamut from dull to dreadful.

Enter Family Force 5.

In early October, the boys of FF5 dropped a Christmas album of their own. Simply called Christmas Pageant, the album knocks the dust off the cliché and offers some music to truly be merry about.

Old standbys like “T’was the Night before Christmas,” “Little Drummer Boy” and “Do You Hear What I Hear” get run through the grinder and come out mean, dirty and surprisingly fun to listen to. Some tracks grind while others thump, but none of them resemble anything you’ll hear at the shopping mall. Finally… some Christmas music that’s worth adding to the wish list.

The album also boasts the band’s own interpretation of the story of the three wise men. In “The Baby,” the majestic trio hales from the ATL and showers the baby like only kings from the “Dirrrty South” can. Front man Solomon Olds’ own baby makes his vocal debut on the track (his wife appears on another), making it truly a family affair.

Check out the tired Christmas CD’s you’ve got on the shelf. If you want to get into some Christmas crunk, show off a holiday hip hop routine or just keep grandpa up past nine, drop Christmas Pageant into your rotation – its about time. 

By: Josh Gloer
 

Akron, Ohio. The former Rubber Capital of the world. It’s the home of the ice cream cone, hamburgers and caramel corn. Visitors here can see the world’s largest model train in the city that stakes claims on famous residents like Angie Everhart, Hugh Downs and Devo!

It’s no surprise that Akron, however, is not known for a budding young hip-hop scene.

“The hip hop scene is pretty dry in Akron.”

But its fitting that 24hits (Steve Bader) hails from the City of Invention. It might not yet be a household name, but its one that carries with it, a heavy message. October 20th marked the date that 24hits, along with DJ 2 Snaps, dropped his album The Grey Area – and his message was quickly downloaded to computers across the country.

“It’s basically like the elephant in the room,” Bader said of his album. “If you’ve met a Christian who really turned you off from Christ its kind of letting you know that that’s not what its about. It was something that, a topic that I felt didn’t have a representation as far as like the church and the kind of like messed up stuff that it does, and if there’s a representation that speaks out about that its not really a Christian perspective.”

His message may be controversial, but his intention was never to make waves. He’s clear about one thing – he’s trying to help.

“I didn’t want to piss anybody off and make diss records about the church,” Bader said, “but I think it covers the extremes that people get carried away with and kind of put in place of what’s really supposed to be the reason that we all get together and the reason we even congregate – just to share the love of Christ and to worship the savior.”

His goal is to reach out and grab those people who’ve been jaded, or turned off from the church.

“Anything that a non – Christian would look at the church and say this is what I don’t like about the church, I think it covers those things in a loving way. But also doesn’t shy away from the fact that we’re all sinners and we all need Christ.”

He’s constantly asking hard questions in his tracks.

“Why is it that we would get together and hurt each other?” He asked. “Why would we put laws on something that has nothing to do with what the scriptures are?”

Questions that may have no answer.

But Bader continues to ask. The producer has a unique approach when it comes to music. Raised in a home where all things secular were frowned upon, his exposure to music was very limited.

“I wasn’t allowed to listen to music,” Bader said. “It was pretty much hymnals, maybe a little Sandy Patti if I was lucky. But I ate that stuff up because I loved music.”

Bader remembers the first time he heard Hip Hop. It was during the credit sequence of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie, and he listened to it over and over until he wasn’t allowed to listen anymore. He was hooked.

“Maybe it was just the fact that I had to do without it for so long that made me love it so much.”

Bader was later nearly expelled from his Christian school for having a DC Talk tape in his locker. Now, music has become his life, his vehicle to explore the deep crevices of life. He invites you to do that with him, and experience The Grey Area.

“I don’t think this is an album that everyone is going to enjoy,” Bader said. “I think there’s a certain group of people and a scatter group of people that have been turned off by the church or hurt by the church and I think if they got their hands on it they’d kind of feel that somebody else knew what they were going through. It would kind of maybe give them hope.”

For a free download of The Grey Area, go to: http://www.moongardenrecordings.com/.

For more information on 24hits, check out: http://www.myspace.com/24hits

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Josh Gloer is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He’s written six season of MSNBC’s Lockup: Extended stay. He has also written for MTV, TLC, TruTV, HGTV and Oxygen. Josh has been a journalist for over 12 years, doing celebrity interviews with actors such as Djimoun Hounsou, Dennis Farina and James Marsden; and bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Orgy and sax guru, Carl Grubbs. Josh’s work has appeared in Filter, Car Audio & Electronics, Zink!, Item and many other publications and websites. This fall, his fiction is scheduled to appear in an anthology of LA writers, including Charles Bukowski. www.joshgloer.com

By: Josh Gloer

Haunting, dark, gritty, angry… not words that can often be used to describe a Christian album. Maybe its time. 

The Grey Area, from the mouth and mind of 24hits and Dj 2 Snaps is all of the above, shattering stereotypes as it delivers a poignant message – we’re all sinners, we all need Christ. 

The album comes in two different forms – in a hand made sleeve or as a free download – but don’t for a minute think that signifies lack of talent or authenticity. These tracks are raw, real and ready to turn heads. Tracks roll from monastery like drones to the screams of heavy metal and back again. Just when you think you feel the onset of predictability, it changes – never failing to surprise.

One thing doesn’t surprise – each track is more passionate than the last, too dark and disturbing to turn off. 24hits’ desire and drive seeps through the speakers with every thump, making the entire album have more feeling than anything I’ve heard in a long time.

Well worth the free download: http://www.moongardenrecordings.com/

By: Josh Gloer

It’s February, almost a full calendar stretch until Christmas. Stockings are packed in boxes, next to bubble wrapped nativities and knotted strands of twinkle lights. The holidays lie dormant, waiting to be unearthed ten months from now. Right?

Wrong.

For Family Force 5, February was the time the band decided to start working on the most upbeat and unconventional holiday album to hit the shelves since… ever.  And in early October, the band’s hard work paid off as their Christmas album, Christmas Pageant finally hit the shelves.

“We decided to make a [Christmas] record because we were tired of listing to the same old Christmas music that we’ve always listened to for the last 80 years of our lives,” Solomon “Soul Glow Activatur” Olds, the band’s front man, said. “This one you pop in, and I think its very unexpected and refreshing to hear.”

Recycled, remixed and revamped, holiday favorites like “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Carol of the Bells” and “T’was the Night Before Christmas” fill the track list along with a FF5 holiday original entitled, “The Baby.”

“That track originally developed from trying to do a version of ‘We Three Kings,’” Olds said. “We thought why not do it our way and make the kings gangstas from ATL, bringing silver and gold and have them talking about it in their Cadillac.”

Appropriately, Christmas Pageant was born in motion. The band recorded tracks while on tour in Atlanta, Nashville and  the UK. Some of it was even laid down in a portable recording studio in the back of the band’s tour bus. It’s a blend of dance, “ghetto”, upbeat and infectious twists on the timeless tracks American’s associate with Christmas. But, get one thing straight — this isn’t your momma’s Christmas album.

“We wanted to create a Christmas album that you could throw on at a part, or rock at a club,” Olds said.  “Have a Christmas dance party with eggnog and all that – all the Christmas shenanigans that go on.”

According to Solomon, the album gets back to the band’s dirrrty ATL roots, straying from the dance licks of their last album, Dance or Die. But that doesn’t mean this album is falling back into old and stale territory as they boys of FF5 combine gangster and grunge.

“A lot of people expect us to do different twists on music,” Olds said. “Our fan’s are loving it. We’ve got ‘glee’ and ‘jolly’ written all over us.”

And keeping with the Christmas Spirit, Christmas Pageant is a family affair. Of course, the ranks of FF5 posess three brothers, but several tracks boast Jerome Olds, the Olds brother’s dad, Olds’ wife under the moniker “Lalipop,” and his baby exercising his young vocals on “The Baby. 

For more info on the Christmas Pageant show schedule, check out the band’s MySpace page at: http://www.myspace.com/familyforce5.

And remember, for FF5 fans, it’s never too early for Christmas.

“It’s been Christmas all year for us. It’s an overload on Christmas, but it was a very fun album to make.”