SD CityBeat: ‘Working Man.’ Blame One and The Recession

November 18, 2010 by Quan Vu 1 Comment


It’s been a long time. My bad. I have a shit-ton of excuses, all of which are pretty valid, none of which are more accurate than the fact that I just got kinda lazy. ::shrug::

Anyway, check out the article I wrote on Blame One’s latest foray into the rap game. I’d originally intended to transcribe the interview in full and run it here. But this past interview lasted about an hour and featured Blame rambling on drunkenly and admitting to undisclosed criminal activity. Funny thing: I used material from a previous article I wrote about him and Days Chasing Days. I took a writing class and wrote the article for the class. Unfortunately, they taught us to write articles without teaching us how to pitch articles to actually get published. I’m glad that some of it has finally seen some semblance of light.

Again, check out the article on Blame. Here’s a grab below:

Jahson Rutkowski’s daily routine has changed drastically in the past few months. Before becoming another victim of recession-era layoffs, Rutkowski’s typical day included campaign analysis at ad agency, EuroRSCG, in Carlsbad. After work, he’d spend time with his fiancée, Jenell, and their two children, Symphony, 6, and Anthony, 4. And only after tucking in the kids could he go into the makeshift studio in a spare room of his house, where he’d record music until 3 a.m. as his alter-ego, Blame One.

Now, he’s traded in the dress shirt and trousers for a hoodie and fitted cap. The freedom of unemployment allows him to fully pursue his passion.

“It turned out to be a blessing because right now is the perfect time for me,” Blame says. “I’m loving it.”

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Hip Hop Congress – The Verdict

November 9, 2010 by Quan Vu 8 Comments


Hip Hop Congress “The Verdict“
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I’d feel guilty not posting this up. In case you’ve been under a rock, the verdict came in for the officer that shot Oscar Grant. And it’s pretty shitty. Ugh ……

In case you’re wondering, this song features Orko, Thaimex, and Trust One from San Diego as well as a bunch of other rappers I’ve never heard of (full line-up in order of appearance: DLabrie, Orko, Ookie, Thaimex, Scribe Sayar, YDMC, Vida Killz, Megabusive, Trust One, Joosik Energetik, and DJ Luicidal). My bad if anyone else is from SD and I missed it. Let me know.

Anyways …

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Album Review: Blame One – Endurance

November 3, 2010 by Quan Vu 9 Comments


Blame One “Still Doin’ Me”
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Blame One ft. Johaz of Deep Rooted, Planet Asia “Left Shattered” [prod. Tranzformer]
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If you’ve ever read Wooden on Leadership, a motivational book by famed UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, you’ll remember that one of his keys to success was that his players never played to win. Rather, he trained them to play with the goal of playing the right way. And he trusted that doing so would inevitably lead to wins.

You hear the same philosophy in Blame One’s Endurance. Despite a frustrating career that has already seen a number of premature claims of retirement, Blame remains dedicated to what he sees as the right way of making hip-hop: funky breakbeats, soulful loops, sharp lyrics, clever wordplay, complex rhyme schemes, and substance. These old school fundamentals pervade much of his music and Endurance is not an exception. These fundamentals are refined to great quality in songs like the emcee-slaying “Left Shattered,” the socially-conscious “Ride For The Truth,” and “Do Work,” an autobiographical ode to the 9-to-5ers. Blame is at his best when he can mesh all of these elements together seamlessly like on “Still Doin’ Me,” where he jumps from calling out fake emcees to “melting words together like welders” to reiterating his mission to bring solace through his music. It’s an excellent display of finely honed craftsmanship.

And though it is a chaotic time for Blame–he dives head first into a declining music industry after having parted ways with his stable day-job–he keeps faith. He knows his fundamentals are intact. He’s making hip-hop the right way. The rest will follow.

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Aims One ft. Odessa Kane, Banish, Orko Eloheim – Stargate Punishment

November 1, 2010 by Quan Vu 6 Comments


Aims One ft. Odessa Kane, Banish, Orko Eloheim “Stargate Punishment“
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With a name like “Stargate Punishment,” you gotta be expecting this to be extremely nerdy. And you would be right–references to Marvel Comics, Star Wars, and The Matrix abound. Obviously, they’re all very happy that Comic-Con is staying in San Diego for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to Odessa Kane’s and Orko’s verses now. There are a lot of quotables depending on how many references you get, the highlight being Orko’s line: “Knock you out with a North Star Fist that puncture drum machines.” Wow.

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