Lingo
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Lingo

| INDIE

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Band Hip Hop Hip Hop

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""Representin Tha Finest" Review"

Let's admit it-in the Christian hip-hop industry, there is little to speak of in the west coast rap genre. West Coast acts come and go. We all remember S.S.M.O.B and the CMC's, among others who have made an impact from the westside, but as soon as they hit the market, they retire, leaving a void for those who enjoy throwing their dubs and rolling on chrome. Groove Sound Records is attempting to bring the sound back, introducing to the world Lingo, who just released his first album, Representin' Tha Finest.

If you are looking for deep bass lines, and funky guitar licks, Lingo delivers. While the album is a bit long at 19 tracks, many of the beats will satisfy the average west coast head. Puttin It Down would fit nicely on LA radio stations, even if the break is overused. Bravado is the name of the game on Had To Be Us, another track made for cruising on a summer day. The album progresses as above-if you're a west coast music lover, you will appreciate these tracks.

However, as with much left coast music, the vocal performances have much to be desired, as there is a lot of fluff on the lyrics. Whether its telling the listener to 'Turn it up' (Turn It Up) or relating the Holy Spirit to a drug (In Tha Spirit), there is not much to the music past the production.

Lingo did better than many attempted West Coast aspiring artists, by producing some bumping music to ride to. Decent song development would have done wonders for this album, turning enjoyable beats into complete songs. All in all, if you need something to test your subs this summer, Lingo will definitely be up to the task.

Mixologist - Sphere Of Hip Hop


"Mic Rippaz Interview"

YO, WHATS UP!! WHATS BEEN GOING ON?

Whats up, well I just been working on a lot of new stuff. Been keeping busy in the studio and shows.

TELL ME ABOUT THE ALBUM. WHY DID YOU NAME THE ALBUM WHAT YOU DID?

The new album is called “All Things 2 All People”. I got the title from the verse in 2 Corinthians where Paul talks about becoming all things to all men so that some might be saved. That’s’ basically the theme with all artists doing what we do through rap music. We know that we should be ministers of the gospel first and rap is just a tool to bring the message across.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG ON THE ALBUM

My favorite track of this album has got to be Way Out. I think the message is powerful and also the music was put together real well. I’m a big fan of live instruments so we incorporated that in this track

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN YOUR MUSIC, IN THE FUTURE?

If the Lord willing doing things strong in the industry. I believe my label is a vital part to bringing that street gangsta sound back to Christian hip hop where it has been lacking for a few years now.

WHO PRODUCED ON YOUR ALBUM?

I did all but one track on here. We got a new up and coming producer on the label called Phildawg and he did one track on there.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PRODUCING?

I’ve been working on beats and such for about 12 years now. You know started out with a little Alesis drum machine, then advancing to the modern stuff. Ive used the MPC, Ensoniq ASR10 and X, but lately been real hooked on the Motif by Yamaha


HAVE YOU PRODUCED FOR ANY OTHER ARTIST?

I’ve just produced for my artists on the label. That’s all I’ve really had time for. I got about 10 rappers or so to make beats for, so it’s kind of tough to produce outside the label. I’ve had plenty of offers, but honestly there’s nothing like working on stuff for your own team. To me when I record and sell studio time it just seems like a job. D.O.G. Squad which had KJ-52 and Antonious, plus there’s the Dooney stuff, those are just some names that have been on my tracks.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE HOLY HIP HOP CULTURE?

I’ve been listening for about 12 or more years now. D-Boy is the first gospel rap artists I heard cuz he’s from Dallas like me. I’ve been actually rapping and producing for holy hip hop for about 8 years.

WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO AS AN ARTIST?

I think Tupac was one of the best rappers cuz he painted reality so well through his rhymes. I loved the way Death Row put it down musically back in the 90’s. For obvious reasons those are the only things I look up to in those artists. As far has holy hip hop goes T Bone, Gospel Gangstaz, and D-Boy are the artists I’ve become a big fan of.

WHAT IS YOUR VAVORITE SCRIPTURE?

Revelations 3:23 Its all as simple has God knocking and us opening the door to allow Him to come in.

YOU KNOW MANY CHURCHES DO NOT ACCEPT HOLY HIP HOP, HOW ARE YOU ACCEPTED IN CHURCHES?

A lot of the Spanish churches are real skeptical about allowing stuff like that in the church so I’ve seen it firsthand. But I think lately the church in general is becoming more open to it. I think they realize that if they neglect it, their youth will just continue to turn to secular music.

ANY LAST WORDS?

Just want to say thank you to all the people that have followed me and the label. Just want everybody to look out for Groovesound Records cuz we are gonna be flooding the scene with music in these next few years. Also keep Christ first, and stay humble in all things. Don’t forget to pick up my album when it drops on May 24th. God Bless

KEEP DOING YA THING LINGO.....

INTERVIEWED BY LA LA - Mic Rippaz Magazine / www.micrippaz.com


""All Things 2 All People" Album Review"

The Apostle Paul was so concerned for others who needed salvation, that he was willing to do anything to reach them with the message of Christ. In his first letter to the church of Corinth, Paul is found defending himself and his actions. Much like the Pharisees and teachers had raised questions about Christ's ministry on Earth, people were talking about the liberties that Paul had taken in order to spread the Gospel, claiming that he was abusing his authority. As Paul explained, however, to become "all things, to all people," he had actually been limiting his freedoms in Christ. Paul became week to reach out to the week, placed himself under the dominion of a rigid system of law to reach those who practiced legalism regularly. In short, Paul became a servant to everyone to fulfill his goal of serving God's purpose.

Lingo, rapper and founder of Groovesound Records, returns with another dose of his music that efforts to reach all branches of the hip hop audience. Rather than settling into any one particular style, Lingo's approach is to diversify his sound and try a little bit of everything. Whether it's an East Coast flavor in the vein of early Ma$e ("Want Us"), a dirty south feel like a Juvenile ("Groovesound Hittaz"), or a distinct Latin flair ("Ritmo Latino"), Lingo gives a veritable tour of hip hop styles. The best example of this is "The Tour" a track that is just under five minutes long that splits its time between three distinct styles (west coast, New York City underground, and Miami's bass-filled club rap).

The problem with this approach to recording can be summed up with a well known saying: "The Jack of all trades is the master of none." It's somewhat difficult to believe that All Things 2 All People is a sophomore effort for Lingo. The rhythms and beats are all loop-based and therefore get repetitive and wear thin really quickly. Lyrically, the album could be much stronger and despite noble intentions, tracks like "Bible and Clyde" (a play on Jay-Z's "Bonnie and Clyde") come across as unimpressive knock-offs.

Try as he may to appeal to everyone, Lingo unfortunately falls flat on his second album. Outside of a few moments, All Things 2 All People is simply a mediocre effort that fills space on a shelf. Fans of KJ-52 and T-Bone may find something to like on the project, as Lingo is somewhat of a combination of the two.

By: Brenten Gilbert

http://cmcentral.com/reviews/3716.html - CMCENTRAL.COM


Discography

Streetype - Step Into Tha Vibe (1998)
Tha Bloodline Compilation (2000)
Lingo - Represntin Tha Finest (2004)
Tha Bloodline - Family Buisness (2004)
Lingo - All Things To All People (2005)
Keep It Gangsta Compilation (2005)
The Fallen Soldier Compilation (2006)
Lingo - No Cost For Da Streetz (2007)
Lingo - Texas Chroniclez Mixtape Vol.1 (2009)
SINGLES

"Drop It Down Low" (single to No Cost For Da Streetz)
"Bounce" (first single to Reperestin Tha Finest Album/ video also available)

"Get Up" (first single to All Things 2 All Poeple album / video also available)

Photos

Bio

“Ever since I can remember I have always had the fear of God in my life. I have always felt that Christ had a plan for my life. Even though I knew this, I tried avoiding Christ plan at a young age. I was born into an area of Dallas, TX that was filled with gangs and gang life.. At a young age I began to fascinate myself with my surroundings. Most of my friends were heavily involved in gangs, drugs, and alcohol and I began to allow myself to be lured into that lifestyle. Due to my strong convictions I tried to avoid all this by finding another passion, which was music. Music did help to an extent, but it did not totally fulfill my life. Christ was saying to me that it was not music that would make me, but He Himself. Still avoiding Christ total calling, I began to surround myself and get involved with everything I tried so hard to avoid. I believe Satan had a strong hold on my life. Later in life, a good friend of mine, which was heavily involved in the gang life, gave his life to Christ. As I seen his change, I began to open my eyes and allow God to take complete control of my life. I dedicated my life to Christ. Since then, I have not been perfect, but I have begun to totally submit myself to the will of God and His true calling in my life.

Lingo is not only an artist but also founder of Groovesound Record, a gospel rap record label out of Dallas, TX. Artists on the roster include Heata, D.O.G. Squad, L.A.W. Click, Nate G, Phildawg, & Pooh. The goal of the label is to put out quality recording from artists that have a message of hope to people involved in street life. After years of putting out independent albums, Lingo searched for distribution that would allow his records to be heard nationally. In 2003 he landed the label a national distribution deal. The labels releases are now being nationally distributed by Word Distribution (one of gospel music’s biggest distributors). “I believe that God has His grace and favor on my record label. We have obtained a national deal without money, artistic star power, or professional experience. Were just a couple of guys from the street with a vision and passion to put out music for Jesus”.