The Witzard

Hell yes, believe it or not (oh, you better believe it!) beatboxing is still alive and well in 2022. If you don't believe us, go check out The Best of Max Bent & Stan Ipcus: He's The Beatboxer, I'm The Rapper. It's a sprawling nine-track collection that spans 25 years of organic D.I.Y. beats and rhymes collaborative efforts between two life-long friends, Stan Ipcus & Max B. Human Beatboxer Max Bent and seasoned emcee Stan Ipcus have been performing and recording together since the late 90's when they were both students and aspiring musicians at The University of Maryland (UMD.) They, literally, met on-air in 1998 during a live freestyle session broadcast on college radio station, WMUC, when Max was beatboxing for a room full of rappers and Stan Ipcus stepped up to the mic to flex his skills. The audio recording of that WMUC moment—plus, eight other Max Bent & Stan Ipcus beatbox/emcee collaborations spanning almost 25 years—is included on this new Bes...

It's almost a bit hard to believe that in 2020, The Alchemist & MF DOOM haven't released a full-length project together. Although, it appears as though they have a few mutual friends/collaborators in Earl Sweatshirt , WestsideGunn, Madlib 's brother Oh No , and Egon from Now-Again Records. So, it doesn't seem entirely unlikely or 100% out of the question. However, the average fan may not be aware, DOOM & Alchemist have, in fact, worked together on a number of occasions on a couple lesser-known one-off tracks: "DOOMSAYER" was briefly released as part of DOOM 's mysteriously scrapped THE MISSING NOTEBOOK RHYMES series for [adult swim] in 2017 (a Young Guru -producer version was released in 2012) also, in 2017, Alchemist produced "2STRINGS" from WestsideGunn & MF DOOM 's super-limited edition WESTSIDE DOOM Griselda Records/Daupe! 12-inch. Then, without much prior notice, Alchemist jumped on Instagram Live this past Mon...

Early on in their career, Leeds -based band alt-J were quickly heralded as "The Next Radiohead" due to their extremely well-orchestrated, thought-provoking brand of Indie/Art Rock heard across their 2012 full-length debut, An Awesome Wave . Then, Joe Newman, Thom Sonny Green & Gus Unger-Hamilton did a total 180° and more or less, alienated nearly half of their new-found fans—à la: Beastie Boys' 1987 single "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)" debacle—by releasing tongue-in-cheek über- "American" single, "Left Hand Free" from 2014's This Is All Yours ... but, unsurprisingly, "the least alt-J song ever" pretty much back-fired because no one got it, including the label, and the song rapidly became, quite arguably, one of their biggest smash-hits to date. Last summer, alt-J suddenly returned this their third album (technically, an EP) RELAXER , which in the months since, has become my personal favorite release...

"I did this project paying homage to Westside Gunn and MF DOOM for always inspiring us to create and stay creative and true to the culture we love. I stopped making hardcore beats for a while, thinking it was over," Thanos Beats wrote on Facebook this past Sunday, November 19th. The Brooklyn -based, Avengers super-villain-referencing producer has taken WESTSIDEDOOM AKA Westside Gunn & DOOM 's recent 2-track EP and successfully flipped it into a sprawling 22-minute, 6-track EP fittingly dubbed WESTSIDEDOOM (Thanos Beats EP Remix.) "Then, we get hit with Griselda Records . After hearing the catalog and following their movement, I knew they were building a legacy of greatness. I thank y'all brothers, personally," Thanos graciosuly continued. According to Thanos_Beats.Beatstars.com , Thanos Beats has previously "produced for notable artists such as Domingo , Joell Ortiz, Lil' Fame , Chris Rivers, Cappadonna , Vast Aire, Sadat X , Smooth...

"The silver vehicle featured in ["Du-Rag vs. Headband"] is also an E31 8 Series BMW , an “M8;" the only prototype ever produced (one that was reportedly not even road safe) was locked away by BMW in the company’s Giftschrank (poison storage). BMW and The M Division had strongly denied that the car was even a possibility, since the initial stages of its development. The only public showing of the car happened on August 17, 2012 during The Legends of The Autobahn car show held in Carmel, California . The car was specially shipped from Germany for the appearance," Genius contributor @ebuzzell wrote, appended along with "Mash the petal of the 850 ; sound like the thunder cracking." Sharp-tongued Flushing, Queens rapper and former chef turned television personality Action Bronson surprise released his latest non-album single, "Du-Rag vs. Headband" last night at 10:00PM on his VICELAND travelling food show, F*ck, That's Delicio...

“We went out to LA with [Action Bronson] last month—me, him, Alchemist , and Sean [Mahon] recorded an entire EP of material under the name Jericho . Jericho may be a project that we drop, that’s really under-the-table, no one knows about that yet. Jericho may just be like a multi-genre, no label EP that may cross genres from Hip-Hop to Electro to 80's Pop . We may bridge the gap with that actually, because some of the stuff we recorded for that, one of the songs sounds like a late 80's Smokey Robinson record and sh*t. And then, there’s some Surf Rock on there that sounds like The Beach Boys and Bronson’s rhyming on it," Party Supplies multi-instrumentalist Justin Nealis revealed to HipHopDX way back in January 2014. Nealis, at the time, proclaimed that he aspired to be "like The Black Keys ; they blew up in Rock and had a few Rock records out and then, they went on and used that leverage to call up Raekwon on that BlakRoc sh*t." Party Supplies ...

Not only have veteran rapper-producers Killer Mike & El-P become something of long-overdue " Hip-Hop royalty," their now-infamous handgun and fist Run The Jewels (RTJ) hashtag-friendly logo has become forever immortalized on a batch of limited-run Marvel comic book covers. "One of my heroes, @therealelp , made a incredible instrumental piece for our end credits. I couldn't be any more excited," Fantastic Four re-boot director @joshuatrank exuberantly Tweeted nearly one month ago, forever cementing RTJ 's legacy within The Marvel Universe ; that very track, now titled "Another Body," was unveiled over this past weekend. First, in the form of a painfully brief 20-second snippet. Then, it was premiered on El-P & Killer Mike 's Beats 1 online WRTJ radio show and now, it has been strategically leaked to The Internet in its full-length form. '"another body" produced by me with [co-production] by the gawd, @littlesha...

"Fresh off the heels of compiling a musically diverse compilation for GTAV 's Welcome to Los Santos , The Alchemist and Oh No are back, bringing their Gangrene noise on a whole other level with the release of their long-awaited third full-length record You Disgust Me ," Gangrene 's Nas -fronted label, Mass Appeal Records described in the Hip-Hop duo's latest Soundcloud press release. " You Disgust Me begins where Vodka & Ayahuasca left off, with Al and Oh lyrically vandalizing the minds of the masses over gritty, Psychedelic Jazz , Rock and Fusion -tinged beats;" not limited to, but including samples of Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention and 1960-70's Dutch Blues-Rock band, Shocking Blue . Frequent collaborators Action Bronson and Evidence appear alongside Gangrene new-comers Sean Price , veteran emcee Havoc of Mobb Deep, Your Old Droog , Fashawn, and Chuck Stranglers ... although we still have yet to hear that long-rum...

Just about one month ahead of his VICE Records "debut" MR. WONDERFUL , Action Bronson has unleashed a fourth track from the album; "'TERRY" PRODUCED BY @Alchemist , [ PtHILLY 'S OWN] CURT CHAMBERS ON GUITAR, @ChauncySherod WITH THE SOUL AT THE END = PERFECTION." It's the latest pre-release single VICE has strategically "leaked" from MR. WONDERFUL , which was preceded by "Easy Rider," Party Supplies duet "A Light In The Addict," and "Actin' Crazy," as well as non-album track, "Big League Chew." "Terry" reunites Action Bronson with his Rare Chandeliers (2012) producer buddy, The Alchemist , who hand-crafted a "jazzy, diminished chord walk with a prime boom-bap shuffle" as okayplayer poetically puts it. "Life's ironic and it's simple / Smoke good, f*ck, eat, drink, / Drive a nice car, wear all green mink," which has been forever embodied on ...

'"Did I do a perfect dive?" is such a popular debate (well, I'll give it a 9.3). I'm the hottest shit since B2K ... I got an old soul and young legs. I'm like a good horse," Action Bronson effortlessly rhymes on his latest Alchemist -produced non-album track, "Big League Chew," which premiered during the eighth episode of his MUNCHIES/VICE web-series, F*ck, That's Delicious (Roasted In Santa Monica ). "This is just another one they're gonna shoot down because it doesn't have a f*cking hook. It doesn't have anything that they're looking for, the radio... f*ck that, if this was '96, it would be hot," Bronson begrudgingly laments during the episode, which additionally features appearances from actor-turned-rapper Simon "Dirt Nasty" Rex , B-Real, Big Body Bes , and apparent FTD super-fan, Chef Mario Batali . @ActionBronson went on to further describe "Big League Chew" as a "CUSTOM-MA...

"HERE'S MY NEW JOINT, "ACTIN' CRAZY" PRODUCED BY @OVO40 [& @ProducedbyOmen ]. ENJOY.... MR. WONDERFUL MARCH 24th MOTHAF**CCKKKKKKA!!" F**k, That's Delicious super-star, Action Bronson exuberantly Tweeted Wednesday upon the release of his latest single, which almost instantaneously received a co-sign from Hip-Hop aficionado and 21-23 Jump Street leading man, Jonah Hill . It's the second and possibly lead single from Bronson's long-rumored Atlantic/VICE Records debut, Mr. Wonderful . Although a rough tracklist was previously "leaked" by Bronson himself through a stream of haphazard Tweets, VICE unveiled the album's official 13-song tracklist through a press release shared Thursday morning. Mr. Wonderful boasts top-notch production work from Mark Ronson , Drake affiliate Noah "40" Shebib, Party Supplies , 88-Keys, and Alchemist , along with all-star features from Chance The Rapper , Meyhem Lauren, Chauncey Sh...

"If you want to laugh, cry, jerk off, take a shit, this is the music you want to have playing," Action Bronson recently told Rolling Stone of the general aesthetic for his upcoming VICE Records (Warner Bros.) album. "This is for when you're comfortable with who you are - whether it's your dick size or your tit size," which is actually a pretty good assimilation of Bronson's overall musical feel. His rap schemes are more often that not littered with vague references to mid-90's sports, pro wrestling, gourmet food, exotic women, "wax" [weed], etc. Action Bronson has somehow managed to release 7-8 albums/mixtapes over the course of the past few years, and I think it's justifiable to ay that his just-released Blue Chips 2 (November 1st) just might be his magnum opus. Even though a handful of Blue Chips 2 tracks were pre-released as early as January 2012, Party Supplies' slightly left of center anti-Hip-Hop beats are pretty f...

Editor's Note: I'm very proud to announce that I finally decided to purchase "thewitzard.com" last night. While the new site is currently under construction, thewitzard.blogspot.com and thewitzard.com are essentially one in the same. So, in a certain respect, this is my "inaugural" Action Bronson post ha... But make no mistake, Bronson is hands down one of my favourite rising emcees and Blue Chips (March 2012) is quite easily his most readily accessible project. "Practice" is the latest leak from his upcoming Blue Chips 2 mixtape with buddy Party Supplies , which is set to hit The Internet this upcoming Friday, November 1st. "I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE FRANCHISE PLAYER, AND WE TALKIN' BOUT PRACTICE!?" beckons the voice of former Sixers all-star Allen Iverson (circa 2002) during the track's intro; and then, before you know it, "Practice" effortlessly morphs into a horn-laden Smooth Jazz in-debited BANGER! ...

Party Supplies (Justin Nealis) is the ingenious anti- Hip-Hop producer behind the sonic madness that is Blue Chips ; Nealis somehow coarsed Action Bronson into rapping over Peter Gabriel , Phil Collins, John Cougar Mellencamp , Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam [all on one track!] , Extreme , Iron Butterfly, Guns N' Roses , Frank Zappa, Peter Bjorn & John , and Justin Bieber . Now, after nearly 2 years-worth of recording, Action Bronson & Party Supplies are gearing up to FREElease Blue Chips 2 on "The First Day it rains in NOVEMBER," whatever the Hell that means ha. Bronson generously previewed 2 unreleased Blue Chips 2 tracks the other night at the Toronto stop of his 2 High 2 Die tour. For the sake of continuity and sheer blog-ease, I'm just gonna refer to the new tracks as "Give Me One Reason" and "Tequila" from here on out. It's a little hard to decipher lyrically because we're watching a sub-par fan-shot video; But it cl...

When Odd Future first came out (2007), it seemed like they were pretty against working with an outside producers. But they've since slightly broadened their horizons, working with a handful of various producers: Kanye , Flying Lotus, Pharrell , James Pants, The Alchemist , RZA, BADBADNOTGOOD , Samiyam, and supposedly even MF DOOM . Late Tuesday night, without any prior notice, rhyme or reason, OFWGKTA uploaded "Look" to Soundcloud ; It's produced by Nottz Raw , a Virginia -based beatsmith who's worked with everyone from Asher Roth to [The] Game . Tyler The Creator, Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis & Earl Sweatshirt manage to utterly RIP apart Nottz 's hard-hitting beat over the course of nearly 5 minutes. While it's chock-full of righteous-minded bars-on-bars , some of my personal favourite lines include: "Barnacles, now I gotta brag / [Beamer] drive right by you nig*as like I was kinda fat / with a paint job that's flatter than Miley Cyrus...

Maybe Earl Sweatshirt really was locked up in a Samoan juvenile detention center from 2010-12 or maybe he was just "chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool" for a while. Whatever the real deal was, Odd Future 's 19-year-old protegee is back and after a string of non-album loosies, he's finally prepping his long-awaited sophomore album. Doris is rumored to feature production work from Pharrell , Flying Lotus , BADBADNOTGOOD , Samiyam, The Alchemist , Christian Rich... and guest vocals/instrumentals from Thundercat , Frank Ocean, DOOM , Om'mas Keith, Action Bronson , and his fellow Odd Future cohorts. Earl Sweatshirt quietly released "WHOA" late Monday-Tuesday night and eventually proceeded to break The Internet; Tyler, The Creator contributes a few ferocious bars, as well as directorial duties [Wolf Haley] for it's terribly AWESOME zonked out music video. I mean, getting introspective and deep is cool and all... But I can really...

Action Bronson is kinda like the weirdly AWESOME love-child of Beastie Boys, Ghostface Killah , and Rick Ross . The Albanian-American rapper hails from Flushing, Queens and cut his teeth as a Top Chef before converting over to rhymin' roughly 2 years ago. In a true testament to his sheer prolific brilliance, Bronson has linked up with one sole producer @ a time for each project: Dr. Lecter/Tommy Mas , Well-Done/Statik Selektah, and Blue Chips/Party Supplies - Plus Mr. Wonderful, Saab Stories , "Blue Chips 2," and his VICE Records debut are ALL expected to materialize fairly soon, too. Action Bronson has already had a chance to work with everyone from Asher Roth to Wu-Tang Clan and was the undoubted MVP of Meyhem Lauren 's hotel suite-recorded mixtape, Respect The Fly Shit . Bronson inked a deal with Warner Bros. back in mid-August and it seems like he has their full support to "spread his wings" a little bit on Rare Chandeliers , which was releas...