Kill The Autocrat

Mar 28, 2012- 11:52 AM

By: Jenny Jelen - Sudbury Northern Life Staff
Rapping for the working class took on a whole new meaning when Mike O'Brien of Kill The Autocrat joined forces with Timmins-James Bay NDP MP Charlie Angus to perform at the party's leadership convention last weekend.

What was originally supposed to be a song featuring harmonica work by former NDP leader Jack Layton turned into a tribute to him — Longer Than A Lifetime was written so “people could remember his legacy.”

O'Brien, who became known after performing One Day Longer during the 2010 Vale Strike, said aligning music with politics is his way of promoting social justice and equal opportunity.

“I will continue to align myself with any person or organization that tries to help make the world a better place,” he said.

O'Brien said it was an “absolute honour” to work alongside Angus on stage, in support of the party, “whether it's hammering the Conservatives in Parliament (or watching Charlie) wailing on his guitar, singing mining songs. I also found that we're a lot alike being artists from small mining towns.”

To get a copy of the song, visit 682records.com/featured_top_stories/longer-than-a-lifetime.

Posted by Arron Pickard
- Northern Life

Kill The Autocrat
New World Disorder
682 Records


Kill the Autocrat is a hip-hop trio from Sudbury, Ontario, who combine various aspects of punk, reggae, and rock influences. A New World Disorder begins with "Fantastic Mission", a song that establishes vocalist Michael Frasier O'Brien's great flow and lyricism throughout the verses. The song's chorus is catchy and more melodic with keyboards and a guitar solo from Scott Swain, with additional scratching from DJ Kenny Parker. The album then shifts into "Constant Movement" which is an anti-capitalist revolutionary anthem, reminiscient of Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine. The lyrics discuss poverty and war in stating: "Your government spends your money on tanks / While we bail out the people, not the banks".

The most optimistic and positive track on A New World Disorder is "Live The Dream", which uses an upbeat pop-rap feel mixed with folk conventions and instrumentation. Kill The Autocrat then contrasts the mood by following up with "Forevermore", an emotional minor key hip-hop song with a slow groove and reverbed-out stadium-rock production. One of the most memorable moments of the album is "What's Happening", which combines pop-punk and rap conventions with interesting literary and rock 'n' roll references. Michael Frasier O'Brien concludes the track in saying: "Without a struggle there can be no victory / Stand for something genuine, fuck hits make history". Other stand-out tracks include "Working Man", a blue-collar rap with an infectious chorus employing reggae melodies and rock rhythms, as well as "Gimmie More", an anti capitalist-political hip-hop song focusing on class issues and corporate fraud. Overall, A New World Disorder is a solid release with a diverse and enjoyable sound.

By Marshal Hignett
Nov 22, 2011
- Earshot Magazine

Kill the Autocrat makes a difference through music, one protest at a time
By Curtis Sindrey

The Brock Press

Published: Thursday, October 13, 2011
Updated: Thursday, October 13, 2011 13:10
1

Mike O'Brien (aka OB) is committed to the labour movement in Canada and, through his music with the Sudbury-based Kill the Autocrat, he continues to support the cause.
The name Kill the Autocrat [KTA] came to O'Brien rather suddenly. It allowed him to explore and experiment musically with different genres.
"I meant it to be about killing the tyranny in your everyday life. If you listen to the album, it goes along with much of the album where I don't stick to one musical genre with total freedom of expression," said O'Brien.
As the front man for KTA, O'Brien began rapping 15 years ago. Since that time he has released three independent albums as a self taught songwriter and producer.
Organizing demonstrations, rallies and large group assemblies are some of O'Brien's passions.
KTA's debut album A New World Disorder was released in the spring of 2011 and contains numerous interwoven themes including class issues, the lack of protests songs and the current state of music.
"The major themes are a lot about my story, the class war that is being waged against the middle and lower class right now, and the gap between the rich and the poor becoming greater and greater," said O'Brien.
"I talk a lot about the death of protest songs and [the lack of] good, defining lyrics in music right now. It seems that the only people getting on the radio are those that have money backing them up."
When writing for KTA, O'Brien refuses to draw a line on political issues, citing that it made him who he is.
"My song "One Day Longer," caused a movement. It might be a bit extreme leftist, but it was written about my experience during the G20 in Toronto. It is what it is, and it made me how I feel at that exact moment in time," said O'Brien.
As a third generation miner in Sudbury for the World's second largest mining company, O'Brien has been named a "raptivist" by community leaders for his collaboration of hip-hop music and activism against global multinational corporations.
"I've been a union steward since I started at the company for the United Steel Workers, and we came up to our first contract bargaining when our contract expired and they put us out on strike for a year," said O'Brien. "So I became very active in the strike organizing, and the song "One Day Longer" is [partly] about the strike."
"Also being from the home of the President of the steel workers Leo Gerard, I played the song for him and he sent it across the World."
According to O'Brien, everyone has a talent, and thus everyone can help the labour movement in some way.
"Everybody has a way of helping the labour movement, [whether] someone [is] a good journalist or someone is great at video. I am talented with music, so that's how I can get the message across," said O'Brien.
Whether it is visiting the US Social Forum or witnesseing hundreds of copper miners in Mexico staying united while on strike, O'Brien finds it humbling to see real people in extraordinary situations.
"I've got to see a lot of major protests like the US Social Forum in Detroit a couple of years ago, and the experience of seeing places like Cananea, Mexico, which is the World's second largest copper mine and these guys have been on strike for three years," said O'Brien.
"It was just being able to see real people like myself within extraordinary situations and how they organize; it has been very beneficial to my writing."
As for O'Brien's future with the steel workers, he intends to continually fight for hard working people like himself.
"I believe that the government is supposed to be our defense against corporations. Obviously I am a big unionist, and the reason I've been so involved [for this long] is that we fight as people 24 hours a day. I'll continue to support hard working people," said O'Brien.
According to O'Brien, his future consists of World inspiration that he will use to create new and meaningful songs.
"I want to travel and write music [about my experiences] and build Kill the Autocrat's movement and influence people with my music," said O'Brien. - Brock Press

Interview with OB of Kill The Autocrat – October 25, 2011
Submitted by Laurie 2 weeks 2 days ago

By Laurie Lonsdale

www.killtheautocrat.com

Kill The Autocrat, headed up by OB from Sudbury, Ontario, creates protest music in the form of hip hop/rock. Music aficionado Alan Cross has described the band as making the kind of music that “might fill the gap left by the lack of any new material from Rage Against the Machine". The United Steel Workers of America have embraced KTA as their unofficial musical spokesperson(s), so it comes as no surprise that KTA has been receiving lots of buzz for their involvement with the labour movement.

Kill the Autocrat was in Toronto for a press day last week and lead rapper OB took some time out to answer some of my questions:

Laurie: Were you always interested in music while growing up in Sudbury?

OB: I've always been drawn towards music. I grew up listening to the Beatles with my mom. In the late 80s, I started skateboarding and listening to rap punk and metal.

Laurie: If not for the strike at the mine where you worked, do you think you would have taken the leap into music?

OB: I broke up with my old band in 2006 and wasn't really doing anything serious with music, but was still working on songs. I made the decision to start working in the mines like my father and grandfather and kind of gave music up. When we went on strike I had time and inspiration to start writing and producing again. It brought my love for performing and rapping back to me.

Laurie: What kind of limitations did you face while trying to make your music in a place like Sudbury, Ontario? And how did you overcome them?

OB: Growing up in Sudbury I had no access to digital music equipment, so I started rapping with my friends who played in punk bands.

Laurie: Who were your influences?

OB: I'm influenced by so many artists from the Beatles and the stones to Public Enemy and Kanye West, to the Sex Pistols and NOFX, to Muddy Waters and Jack White.

Laurie: With your release of “One Day Longer”, were you surprised by the reaction of the United Steel Workers Union of America?

OB: I was totally surprised by how much it inspired people. It blows my mind to see how music can bridge generation gaps and move people. I'm humbled every time I perform in front of my union brothers and sisters.

Laurie: Okay, chicken or egg situation……was it always your intention to push in the direction of writing protest music OR did the reaction you received “One Day Longer” actually push you in the direction of protest music?

OB: I've always been an activist and written socially conscious songs. I'm a proud union steward at work and it obviously reflects in my music.

Laurie: Was it a conscious effort to blend so many different genres of music in an attempt to gain a wider fan base, thereby spreading your word to more people?

OB: The concept of the band is about killing the tyranny in your everyday life; this also carries over in to our music. We like so many different genres we can't just partake in one. I think the best bands have always been able to diversify their sound and flip it any style.

Laurie: You admittedly have a chip on your shoulder and write music to incite people to rally and rise up…… does it ever concern you that you might hold the power to incite more than just a rally, whereby desperate times and desperate people might actually be inspired by you to riot?

OB: Look, people are going to do what they want to do regardless of what a song says. I support people standing up for what they believe in. Violence isn't always necessary and peaceful means is always the best option, but the people of Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya would still be ruled by dictators if they hadn't taken up arms to fight back.

Laurie: Very true. Your performance at a Madison, WI rally ended up being the largest protest in the US since the Vietnam War. How many people were actually there?

OB: Over 70000

Laurie: Wow! Did you have a moment where you questioned how you got there? Why a Canadian artist was inciting American people? A feeling of accomplishment or a feeling of sadness given what the event signified?

OB: Canadians and Americans have mostly the same problems besides healthcare. I'm a very proud Canadian, but I love to travel and I feel blessed with the opportunities I've had to travel. For the movement, the rallies are in the U.S. and always have huge numbers.
Laurie: What means more to you… the release of more music, or your involvement in rallies and affecting people’s lives?

OB: I've taken my music and activism and fused them together its called ‘raptivism’, so I can enjoy both in my career. It's extremely satisfying to be able to inspire so many with my art. It means the world to me to be able to be this active and meet so many great people that are passionate about the same things as I am.

Laurie: What’s next?

OB: I've already started witting the second album and I will continue to travel and play shows and demonstrations and meet more great people. The revolution is here!! - Lithium Magazine

WAV. - Explore Music

By Laurie Lonsdale

www.killtheautocrat.com

Kill The Autocrat, headed up by OB from Sudbury, Ontario, creates protest music in the form of hip hop/rock. Music aficionado Alan Cross has described the band as making the kind of music that “might fill the gap left by the lack of any new material from Rage Against the Machine". The United Steel Workers of America have embraced KTA as their unofficial musical spokesperson(s), so it comes as no surprise that KTA has been receiving lots of buzz for their involvement with the labour movement.

Kill the Autocrat was in Toronto for a press day last week and lead rapper OB took some time out to answer some of my questions:

Laurie: Were you always interested in music while growing up in Sudbury?

OB: I've always been drawn towards music. I grew up listening to the Beatles with my mom. In the late 80s, I started skateboarding and listening to rap punk and metal.

Laurie: If not for the strike at the mine where you worked, do you think you would have taken the leap into music?

OB: I broke up with my old band in 2006 and wasn't really doing anything serious with music, but was still working on songs. I made the decision to start working in the mines like my father and grandfather and kind of gave music up. When we went on strike I had time and inspiration to start writing and producing again. It brought my love for performing and rapping back to me.

Laurie: What kind of limitations did you face while trying to make your music in a place like Sudbury, Ontario? And how did you overcome them?

OB: Growing up in Sudbury I had no access to digital music equipment, so I started rapping with my friends who played in punk bands.

Laurie: Who were your influences?

OB: I'm influenced by so many artists from the Beatles and the stones to Public Enemy and Kanye West, to the Sex Pistols and NOFX, to Muddy Waters and Jack White.

Laurie: With your release of “One Day Longer”, were you surprised by the reaction of the United Steel Workers Union of America?

OB: I was totally surprised by how much it inspired people. It blows my mind to see how music can bridge generation gaps and move people. I'm humbled every time I perform in front of my union brothers and sisters.

Laurie: Okay, chicken or egg situation……was it always your intention to push in the direction of writing protest music OR did the reaction you received “One Day Longer” actually push you in the direction of protest music?

OB: I've always been an activist and written socially conscious songs. I'm a proud union steward at work and it obviously reflects in my music.

Laurie: Was it a conscious effort to blend so many different genres of music in an attempt to gain a wider fan base, thereby spreading your word to more people?

OB: The concept of the band is about killing the tyranny in your everyday life; this also carries over in to our music. We like so many different genres we can't just partake in one. I think the best bands have always been able to diversify their sound and flip it any style.

Laurie: You admittedly have a chip on your shoulder and write music to incite people to rally and rise up…… does it ever concern you that you might hold the power to incite more than just a rally, whereby desperate times and desperate people might actually be inspired by you to riot?

OB: Look, people are going to do what they want to do regardless of what a song says. I support people standing up for what they believe in. Violence isn't always necessary and peaceful means is always the best option, but the people of Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya would still be ruled by dictators if they hadn't taken up arms to fight back.

Laurie: Very true. Your performance at a Madison, WI rally ended up being the largest protest in the US since the Vietnam War. How many people were actually there?

OB: Over 70000

Laurie: Wow! Did you have a moment where you questioned how you got there? Why a Canadian artist was inciting American people? A feeling of accomplishment or a feeling of sadness given what the event signified?

OB: Canadians and Americans have mostly the same problems besides healthcare. I'm a very proud Canadian, but I love to travel and I feel blessed with the opportunities I've had to travel. For the movement, the rallies are in the U.S. and always have huge numbers.
Laurie: What means more to you… the release of more music, or your involvement in rallies and affecting people’s lives?

OB: I've taken my music and activism and fused them together its called ‘raptivism’, so I can enjoy both in my career. It's extremely satisfying to be able to inspire so many with my art. It means the world to me to be able to be this active and meet so many great people that are passionate about the same things as I am.

Laurie: What’s next?

OB: I've already started witting the second album and I will continue to travel and play shows and demonstrations and meet more great people. The revolution is here!!
- Lithium Magazine

A Vale miner is taking the music world by storm.

Michael Fraser O'Brien (OB) is one-third of the Sudbury-based band Kill the Autocrat, along with Scott Swain and Trevor Johnston. The band first garnered attention in 2010 with its first single, One Day Longer, written during a year-long mining strike. The band's take on protest music continues with the release of the album A New World Disorder.

"Protest music doesn't have to be 'cheesy,' said OB. "What we're trying to do here is make powerful timeless music that combines the best of multiple genres, and still maintains a message when it's all said and done." - By LAURA STRICKER

Five years ago, Sudbury's Mike O'Brien gave up chasing a music career after a decade of trying to make it. Then 25, he opted for what he calls a normal life.

He followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and got a job as a miner with Vale Inco. He bought a house. Got married.

Less than a year into that so-called normal life, O'Brien -- known to fans and friends as OB -- found himself on a picket line with 3,000 other members of United Steelworkers, "and everything blew up in my face," he said.

Little did he know when he went on strike July 13, 2009 -- for what was to be almost a year -- he would soon be reunited with his first love. Music.

O'Brien and his band, Kill the Autocrat, will hold a video music release party tonight at SRO in downtown Sudbury.

The event will mark the official launch of Kill the Autocrat's first single, Constant Movement, a protest song about social injustice from the band's first album, A New World Order.

The video was shot by renowned Toronto music video director The Sharpshooter (Nadeem Soumah), who has worked with hip-hop artists Belly, Bishop Brigante, P Reign, Aristo, Angerville and Joell Ortiz of the hip-hop super group Slaughterhouse.

It was filmed in a day in Toronto, but O'Brien says it was essentially a decade and a half in the making.

"I've been doing this for 15 years and it's all starting to pay off now," said O'Brien.

It was on the picket line in the fierce strike that O'Brien reclaimed his voice as a lyricist. By the end of the labour dispute, he had recorded a new labour anthem, One Day Longer.

O'Brien may write and sing hip-hop, but it is based on root music based in blues, rock and even rap, the latter of which he says descended from protest songs of a generation or two ago.

O'Brien, now 30, quickly became an activist during the strike and his involvement with the union "really kind of brought my music back to me."

Encouraged by reaction to the strike song, O'Brien and Kill the Autocrat moved ahead on their first album. He has been doing double duty since the end of the strike five months ago -- 10.5-hour shifts at Vale's Coleman Mine and full-time on music.

Tuesday, he was a excited as a child at Christmas about the video launch party.

"It really is amazing. I have such a great team of people working with me and a lot of support from my friends and family," said O'Brien.

O'Brien fronts Kill the Autoc rat for band-mates Trevor Johnston and Scot Swain. The three work together to produce the funky riffs and beats that form their music.

"It's been awesome and hopefully it's getting better," said O'Brien. "I don't really sleep much because I'm doing this full time."

The album was recorded at the group's record label studio 6.8.2 in Sudbury.

O'Brien said they chose the single Constant Movement for the video because its lyrics lend themselves to the format. It includes footage from the G20 protests in Toronto in June.

Kill the Autocrat is betting a new generation -- and some members of an older one -- are ready for protest songs that are au courant.

"I believe we lack that in music, right? It all comes back to not having a culture of resistance as rich as it was before," he said, turning political.

"I find people ... need to educate themselves more and be not so dumbed down by the corporation and everything that's thrown at us that we don't question, right?"

There's a "little something for everybody" in this album, said O'Brien.

"Hip-hop originally started as community organizing. It's all positive music. It's political. It's about what's going on in the community, locally and worldwide at the same time."

Some people may not like the medium or the message.

"I'm not a big new country fan. I like the old stuff, but I'm not going to buy a Shania Twain record," said OB.

But if people sit down and listen to his lyrics, "they would have a whole different idea of what everything is all about. There's too much commercial garbage out there that just gives everybody the wrong idea, and I'm sure it happens in every genre of music." - By CAROL MULLIGAN, THE SUDBURY STAR

Five years ago, Sudbury's Mike O'Brien gave up chasing a music career after a decade of trying to make it. Then 25, he opted for what he calls "a normal life."

He followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, and got a job as a miner with Vale Inco. He bought a house. Got married.

Less than a year into that so-called normal life, O'Brien - known to fans and friends as OB - found himself on a picket line with 3,000 other members of United Steelworkers, "and everything blew up in my face," he said.

Little did he know when he went on strike July 13, 2009, for what was to be almost a year, that he would soon be reunited with his first love. Music.

O'Brien and his band, "Kill the Autocrat", will hold a video music release party Wednesday at SRO in downtown Sudbury.

The event will mark the official launch of Kill the Autocrat's first single "Constant Movement," a protest song about social injustice from the band's first album, "A New World Order."

The video was shot by renowned Toronto music video director The Sharpshooter (Nadeem Soumah), who has worked with hip-hop artists Belly, Bishop Brigante, P Reign, Aristo, Angerville and Joell Ortiz of the hip hop super group Slaughterhouse.

It was filmed in a day in Toronto, but O'Brien says it was essentially a decade and a half in the making.

"I've been doing this for 15 years and it's all starting to pay off now," said O'Brien.

It was on the picket line in the fierce strike that O'Brien reclaimed his voice as a lyricist. By the end of the labour dispute, he had recorded a new labour anthem, "One Day Longer."

O'Brien may write and sing hip hop, but it is based on root music based in blues, rock and even rap, the latter of which he says descended from protest songs of a generation or two ago.

O'Brien, now 30, quickly became an activist during the strike, and his involvement with the union "really kind of brought my music back to me."

He paraphrases the Chinese proverb, "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it was yours. If it doesn't, it never was."

Said O'Brien: "So, you let your love go, and if it comes back to you, right, it's yours forever." - By Carol Mulligan/The Sudbury Star

By: Sudbury Northern Life Staff

Protest music is hardly a genre, but it's what Kill The Autocrat (KAT) makes.

The Sudbury-based “hip-hop-rock” trio, comprised of Mike O'Brien, Scott Swain and Trevor Johnston, is out to prove “music has the power to unify against incredible odds, and that every great revolution needs an even greater voice of reason.”

The band grabbed attention in June 2010 when O'Brien's song One Day Longer was released online. He wrote it while he was on strike against Vale for nearly a year.

Shortly after, the group performed the single for about 80,000 striking workers in Wisconsin.

“Our initial goal when we started this band was to educate and inspire, so that hard-working people realize that they are capable of igniting change and killing the tyranny in everyday life,” O'Brien stated in a press release.

“I rap about me — a blue collar guy who grew up in a small city — because that's real and what's who I am.”

The band released their debut album, A New World Disorder, Aug. 30. It is “direct and raw, driving home a powerful intent behind every word,” the press release stated.

There isn't anything “cheesy” about it either, O'Brien said.

“What we're trying to do here is make powerful, timeless music that combines the best of multiples genres, and still maintains a message when it's all said and done,” he said. “Good music has the power to move people and that is something that always prevails.”

A New World Disorder is available on iTunes and from 6.8.2 Records in Sudbury. Visit www.682records.com for more information. - Northern Life Sudbury Staff

By: Jenny Jelen - Sudbury Northern Life Staff

People might remember him as the rapping striker, making his voice heard during the Vale labour dispute, but Mike O'Brien's music career didn't start there. And it certainly didn't end there.

O'Brien, Trevor Johnston and Scott Swain, known as Kill the Autocrat, are about to release their first professional music video for Constant Movement.

The track is the first single of their album A New World Disorder, which is expected out early next year. The single is currently available on iTunes, Amazon and MySpace.

O'Brien said it's a “protest song,” like much of his other work.

“It's basically about the state of the world,” he said. “It's time to rise up, because we've had the wool pulled over our eyes for too long.”

O'Brien said after his first band broke up years ago, he decided to step away from music to pursue “normal people stuff” like going to school, getting a job and tying the knot.

The hardships of the strike challenged all the things he worked for though.

“That all just seemed to blow up in my face during the strike,” he said. It wasn't all bad, since it helped O'Brien reconnect with his passion.

Now that music is back on the forefront, O'Brien said he plans to spread the word on “the politics of everything” on a local and global basis.

Thanks to his strike song One Day Longer, O'Brien has had the opportunity to perform for strikers in Mexico and at a number of other stops along the way.

While he's proud of the project, he said he wants to distance the rest of his work from One Day Longer.

The strike was "something for the history books,” he said.

Performing with Kill the Autocrat, O'Brien said he wants to “inspire” audiences by stepping back to the roots of hip hop, which he said are rooted in songs about community and organization within it.

“I love catchy music, stuff that sticks in peoples heads, but at the same time I like to have real, educating lyrics,” he said. “ If (my music) helps one person see something for what it really is, then everything is worth it.”

He said the goal is to have the video play on music channels, but he's not certain how well mainstream TV will take to the controversial nature of it. He said if it doesn't make it to TV, it will be available all over the Internet.

The Constant Movement video was created under the direction of The Shartshooter, a Toronto-based director. He has worked with other hip hoppers like Belly, Bishop Brigante, P Reign, Aristo and Angerville.

The video officially launches at S.R.O. on Dec. 22.

For more information about the release party, visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113465858721507.

The launch will also set the band's website into motion. Check out www.killtheautocrat.com for more information about O'Brien's band. - Jenny Jelen

Something that might fill the gap left by the lack of any new material from Rage Against the Machine. Lead vocalist/rapper OB is the "musical spokesperson" for the United Steel Workers of America. The group has also performed at some NDP events. And yes, they're Canadian.

Their debut release, A New World Disorder, is out on Tuesday. More at www.killtheautocrat.com - Alan Cross

Northern Ontario Artist Invited to perform in Madison Wisconsin will do the same in Toronto

Canada, March 25, 2011 – Fresh off of his personal invite to perform in Madison Wisconsin for the Worker’s protest against Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) proposed rolling back of public employee unions' rights, Northern Ontario artist O’B from Kill The Autocrat (KTA) will perform again, this time at the Legislative Assembly in Toronto.

A rally is set to take place on March 31st to support the passing of a Private Members Bill to prevent Companies from using SCAB labour in the event of a labour strike.

“I am here to show my support for the hard working men and women who have made this country what it is today” said O’B.

In the past year KTA’s song “One Day Longer” has grabbed the hearts of the American working class and their supporters. He is currently being dubbed as the “working class hero” and his song has resonated with striking and protesting workers so much that he has been invited to rallies in the US.

This might not be such a surprise if the artist were already a popular charting performer based out of Toronto or Vancouver, but this huge noise responsible for inspiring workers across the US and Canada to stand their ground for “One Day Longer” is from Sudbury Ontario.

And why has it resonated so much? Well O’B himself is an employee of Vale Inco, the mining company who locked out their employees for over a year. Enduring that gave him the inspiration to write and record the song “One Day Longer” but never was he expecting it be the catalyst to performances in front of more than 100,000 people, to become a national slogan in the US, used on striking workers banners and flags or to become the theme song for a Radio show called Sly in the morning in Madison.

“It’s definitely a trip. My entire life I’ve been an artist and performer trying to showcase my talents to the masses with varying success. I have always written from the heart and have been politically charged. It just seems that the stars are aligning and people are finally hearing my voice. In reality though, my voice is theirs as well.”

And his voice is being heard loud and clear. He was flown down to the Capitol Building in Madison to perform “One Day Longer” in front of 80,000 protesters just days after Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame performed. Then a week later he received a personal invite to perform in Indianapolis to 30,000 people.

You won’t hear about Kill The Autocrat at the Juno’s in Toronto but O’B’s voice will be heard in the provincial capital as the Legislative Building gets over run by union members supporting the passing of an anti scab labour private members bill now in it’s 3rd reading that was put forward by the NDP.

Kill The Autocrat is currently putting the final touches on their debut album called “A New World Disorder” being recorded and released through 6.8.2. Records. The rallying support from striking and protesting labour unions, now being dubbed the KTA Union, is sure to assist in making this debut effort a successful release.

For interviews, or for more information on Kill The Autocrat, please contact Large Management at largemanagement@gmail.com.


-30-

Media Support Content

First Single “Constant Movement” from Kill The Autocrat’s debut release entitled “A New World Disorder”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Fuegi84pY

Video of O’B’s performance at the Capital in Madison Wisconsin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vCvCPJ1pGA&feature=related

Video of O’B’s performance in Indianapolis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7yYT4IXOOY
- Large Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sudbury Ontario based record label releasing albums by world renowned artists including KRS-One

Canada, May 30, 2011 – Sudbury, Ontario based record label, 6.8.2 Records, is gearing up for a very busy summer and a groundbreaking year. “It’s been a steady progression the last couple of years to get to this point. It’s hard to believe that we are finally readying ourselves to release some amazing new music onto the world” says Lynn Johnston Vice-President of the burgeoning label.

You wouldn’t know that 6.8.2 Records has only been around for a few years, nor would you think an indie label with such a high calibre of artists would be based in Northern Ontario. With veteran artists like Boogie Down Productions, KRS-One & Bumpy Knuckles & Grand Puba releasing albums through 6.8.2 in 2011 it proves that this label is looking to make as much noise as it can right out of the gate. In fact, the first release from the label comes from KRS-One & Bumpy Knuckles on Tuesday May 31st, 2011. The album is called Royalty Check and it will be the first of many rolling out of the halls of 6.8.2 Records this year with the next album launch coming from Boogie Down Productions on June 28th.

The Grand Puba album alone, produced by the Hit Squad from Bad Boy Entertainment, is a proverbial who’s who of the urban music scene with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes and P. Diddy making guest appearances on many of the tracks. This album is still in production so no confirmed release date has been set as of yet.

The label isn’t just about releasing records from artists who already have a track record. They are also interested in artist development. “This city (Sudbury, Ontario) has some amazing talent” says Trevor Johnston CEO. “We just happen to be lucky enough to have one of the most talented local artists of the bunch (Michael O’Brien: Kill The Autocrat) signed to our label.” Kill The Autocrat (KTA) is the first artist to be brought up through the development division. This specific project not only features Michael O’Brien as the principal songwriter and rapper, it also features the CEO of the label himself on drums and musical collaborator Scott Swain another Sudbury born artist most known for his work in the bands Far From Heroes and The Black Maria.

Kill The Autocrat has also caught the attention of the Boogie Down Productions crew. Enough so that KRS-One will be collaborating with Michael O’Brien of KTA on a future track and legendary DJ Kenny Parker called the music of KTA “revolutionary” and stepped up to do all of the scratches for the album. The first release by KTA called “New World Disorder” will be unleashed to the world on July 5th, 2011.

The label was started by Trevor and Lynn and Sudbury is their base of operations. Both are Northern Ontarians through and through. With Sudbury’s close proximity to Toronto it gives the label the opportunity to conduct business with clients based there easily yet the low overhead costs available in Sudbury helps them to stretch their dollars and cents allowing the 6.8.2 in house studio and development department to flourish.

2011 is a pivotal year for the label with summer releases coming from every artist on their roster, a 45 day North American tour showcasing all of their artists slated to start in mid July and extensive marketing and promotion initiatives supporting all of their artists. The music industry in the US and Canada is a buzz anticipating the release of many of the fledgling label’s artists.

6.8.2. Records’ goal is to provide honest music that has integrity to anyone who wants to listen and services that artists working in the modern era of the music industry will find to be fair and just. But don’t let the labels nicety’s fool you. They are all business and plan on making 6.8.2 Records one of the most successful indie labels in the world.

For more information visit www.682records.com or contact:

6.8.2 Records Inc.
Attn. Lynn Johnston
705 523 9682
lynn.johnston@682records.com


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