¡Mayday! Signs With Tech N9ne's Strange Music Label

Here at Hooked on That, we've always been supportive of master hip hop musicians ¡Mayday! so we are very happy to report of their signing to the biggest indie label around Tech N9ne's Strange Music. Congrats guys!

via XXL

The crew, which consists of Wreckoniz and BernBiz on vocals, Plex Luthor on guitar and keys, Gianni Cash on Bass and keys, L.T. Hopkins on Drums and Nonymous on percussion, have recorded with a handful of big acts like Cee-Lo Green and Devin the Dude and worked with Lil Wayne in the past. Their music also got placements on such popular TV shows as Entourage and Lincoln Heights.

¡MAYDAY! 'Stuck On An Island' Release Set For Release October 12th

via the press release

October 12 marks the latest release from Miami-based hip-hop collective ¡MAYDAY! entitled Stuck on an Island (¡MAYDAY! Music). Stuck on an Island is the follow-up to 2009’s teaser EP Technology, both of which blaze with an upbeat, tightly wound energy that keeps the listener grooving with its slick production and singing along with its ultra-catchy hooks. The album’s title pays homage to the trials and tribulations the band has faced trying to "escape" Miami. Producer/guitarist Plex Luthor explains: “Miami is paradise, but at the same time the geography has always made us feel like outsiders in the larger pond. We want to get our music to the masses, but sometimes the walls around the port of Miami make it difficult to break out. We want to make sure the world knows musicians from this city can compete culturally with the best of them.”

While Stuck on an Island is only ¡MAYDAY!’s second full-length album, the band has consistently turned out addictive urban alternative tracks that have permeated the local Miami music scene and beyond, grabbing the ear of hip-hip impresario Lil’ Wayne who used the group as his personal band in the videos “Get a Life,” “Da Da Da” and “On Fire.” ¡MAYDAY! also collaborated with Cee-Lo on the hit song "Groundhog Day" from their self-titled debut of which mtvU said, “Like Gorillaz covering Gnarls Barkley, the gospel funk-hop assault of the ¡MAYDAY! single “Groundhog Day” would be enough for most to base a career on.” The music video logged over 2 million hits on YouTube in its first two days and made the band a breakout success story, garnering attention from the New York Times, MTV and URB Magazine. They went on to share stages with Daft Punk, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Method Man, winning over audiences around the country with their high-octane live show.

The dynamic songs Stuck on an Island call to mind a who’s who of alt-hip-hop’s most cutting edge and creative stars like Gnarls Barkley, N*E*R*D or Lupe Fiasco. Tracks like “I’ll Be Gone,” “Picture Perfect,” “No 1’s Looking,” “Worse Case Scenario,” and “Make a Living” form the backbone of an album of diverse styles that always manages to surprise and never ceases to get your head bobbing and your body moving.

The stunning cover art for Stuck on an Island was rendered by Jeff Dekal with creative input from all the members of the band. Using several types of media to give the image a lifelike quality, the scene is meant to depict the band’s feeling of isolation, and the small details - the guitar inputs plugged into Plex Luthor’s arm, and the futuristic shades they all wear - highlight that the band’s distinctive style.

¡MAYDAY! is: guitarist/producer Plex Luthor, MCs Wrekonize (you might remember him from MTV Battles) and BernBiz, bassist/keyboardist Gianni Ca$h, drummer L.T. Hopkins and percussionist Nonymous

Track listing for Stuck on an Island:

01. I’ll Be Gone
02. Stuck on an Island ft. 7King
03. No 1’s Lookin
04. Lost Highway
05. Broads & Freqs
06. Transparent ft. Snave Nair
07. Freak Show
08. Smoke & Mirrors
09. On 2 Somethn ft. Jovi Rockwell
10. Worst Case Scenario ft. The Money Making Jam Boys

More info:
¡MAYDAY! website
¡MAYDAY! Myspace
¡MAYDAY! Twitter

Nas & Goodie Mob Live In Miami, FL Concert Recap

Photo courtesy of Manny Hernandez / Miami New Times

As reported by Esther Park at the Miami New Times

Mayday!, Goodie Mob, and Nas at The Arsht Center Miami FL - Friday, February 5, 2010

The Arsht Center was definitely up late that Friday evening as the show was pushed back to a start time of 10:30 p.m. to accommodate the heavy-loaded BET Haiti benefit concert at the nearby AAA. Nevertheless, the crowd quickly staggered in and filled up the center's Knight Concert Hall, where they were greeted with a 20-minute opening set by local hip-hop supergroup MayDay. With an actual band set-up, Mayday truly gave a stellar performance as Plex took his beat-making skills to the keyboards, and MC Wrekonize and Bernie rhymed and sang their hearts out.

Immediately following Mayday's opening set, it was no surprise that clearly, a good portion of the audience came out just to see the next group in the flesh. Goodie Mob, the first hip-hop group to come out of Atlanta and to coin the phrase "Dirty South," has been in an unofficial hiatus for well over a decade. But finally, after much gossip and hip-hop pseudo-beef, this year marks the group's long-awaited reunion tour.



All four original members, Big Gipp, T-Mo, Khujo, and Cee-Lo Green (better known now as the other half of Gnarls Barkley) took the stage in full glory. The crowd went crazy as they performed an over-the-top, energy-filled 40-minute set filled with all their classics like "Soul Food," "Dirty South," "They Don't Dance No Mo", and of course, the era-specific 1995 hit "Cell Therapy." Laced throughout were also some entertaining segues like a 2 Live Crew tribute that got the crowd of more than a thousand screaming, "Heeeyyy, we want some pu******y!" Cee-Lo also did an emotional a cappella version of his Top 40 single with Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy," that had everyone singing along.



With such an intense set by such a legendary group, everyone was curious as to see how Nas was going to top this one. As the audience chanted "We want Nas," the concert hall's lights went black, only to illuminate DJ Green Lantern as he dropped the first beat . In walked the legend himself, proclaiming "Hip-hop is dead," before launching into the song of the same name. The banging guitar riff from the Will.I.Am-produced track shook the floor as Nas recited the lines that he'll "roll into every station and wreck the DJ!"



The ultimate lyricist then went straight into his classic songs from his debut album, Illmatic. From "New York State of Mind," to "Life's a Bitch," to "The World is Yours," every hip-hop head was seen mouthing each syllable, word for word. Midway into the Illmatic set, as Nas finished up "One Love," in walks Mr. One Love himself, Damian "Junior Gong" Marley. It was no surprise as these two have been working heavily on their joint album, Distant Relatives, that's set to drop next month.



The audience was blessed to hear two new singles off the album, "As We Enter" and "Only the Strong," both evoking great chemistry onstage. As Nas took a short breather, Damian took over and invited his older brother and mentor, Stephen Marley, to the stage. They in turn did a quickie version of Damian's hit single "The Mission" as well as his bumboclout money-maker "Welcome to Jamrock."



Then the brothers acknowledged the time, literally -- several minutes past midnight, it was now February 6 and their father's birthday. As Bob Marley's song "One Love" filtered through the hall, everyone shot up their lighters and the scent of sensimillia was inescapable. The Damian-Nas combo ended with their song "Road to Zion" that had everyone singing along the chorus: "Got to keep on walking on the road to Zion."



Back to just Nas again, it was time for more hits: "If I Ruled the World," "I Can," "Made You Look," "Hate Me Now," you name it, he rapped it. It was clear that his fans were out in full force; the room looked like a lyric-reciting army. And just like that, he was off. He thanked the crowd, thanked Miami, thanked Damian for coming through, thanked Goodie Mob for reuniting and, as Jay-Z would say, he was "onto the next one."

(video courtesy of Kris Martin, manolletes & itsjewels1)