65 & Hope

NEW SITE!

2008-06-29T20:22:00.001+08:00

Well, if you're here, that means you're on the wrong page. We've moved to a new site!

www.65hope.com/blog

PEACE!

Bakdatang...

2008-06-19T15:15:00.004+08:00

One of our favourite songs from the 'Rogue' team, Bakdatang, is finally on a music video! Woo hoo! *Kudos guys for the great video*. Winner of Favourite Overseas Act at our 1st Hope Award, The Rogue Squadron is slated to perform at our next year's big event 060609. We can't wait to see more of these guys actually. In the meantime, add the video to your favourites if you have a youtube account and give a shoutout to them! Peace! :)

ps; Do also check out our Youtube page as we will be adding whats good on Youtube...

Post Hope Award Updates: Congratulations!

2008-06-15T20:11:00.004+08:00

Congratulation to all the winners...

Favourite New Artiste - FeeKee'D
Favourite Solo Act - Richard J
Favourite Duo/Group - Xstatix
Favourite Song by Solo - Falsafah Pendekar by Pendekar
Favourite Song by Duo/Group - Teardrop by Xstatix
Favourite Performance - XS.1 @ 65Hope
Favourite Live/Acoustic Performance - Rauzan @ Family Affair I
Favourite Overseas Act - The Rogue Squadron @ Family Affair II
Hope Salute Award - Triple Noize
Favourite Hip-hop Album - School of X'scape Artiste by XS.1

Keep on performing and making music, and hopefully we'll see you at the 2nd Hope Awards in June 2009. Peace! :)

Hope Award Updates: Red, White & Black...

2008-06-12T15:07:00.010+08:00

We’re excited, aren’t you? Seriously! We’ve always wanted to have our own award show and finally we’re doing one to commemorate the efforts of emcees and performers in the scene. And to think about it, we’ve had a pretty good year. Maybe some of you might not agree to that, but we at 65 & Hope love what we do, and we will still do this for the years to come. Here are the details to our next event, 1st Hope Awards!

1st Hope Awards
Date/Day : 14th June, Saturday
Time: Doors open at 2.30pm
Venue: Chamber, The Arts House
Admission: $5 only
Dress code: Only white, red and/or black attire. :)

Voting through email is extended until tomorrow, Friday 13th June, 6pm, so do send in your votes as soon as possible. Once again, the winners for the awards are based on 50% poll votes, 30% email votes and 20% votes by panel of judges. Who are our panel of judges?

The Fixx – Founded by Mr Chan, The Fixx is an online zine where you can find information on music, events, interviews with local artiste, reviews and also fashion in Singapore. If you have events, singles or even albums, do share it with them. We seriously miss the good old days of online zine, but now we know the problem is ‘fixx’. Haha! *That’s so corny* Anyway, do show some love to their website, www.thefixx.sg. On a side note, Mr Chan is nominated for 3 Hope Awards; Favourite Solo act, Favourite Performance and Favourite Hip-hop album. Vote vote!

Bedsty Music – Whussgood! That’s what we always hear from the main man, Syaheed. Bedsty Music has not only ventured on music production but in 2007 they brought Magnolius Destroj Tour to Singapore and this year they brought Leo37 to our event, Protégé. We can’t thank them enough. And we hope to work more with them soon. In the meantime, do check out their website www.bedstymusic.com. In case you don’t know, Syaheed is one of the main man behind the 1Asia compilation (www.1asiahiphop.com) which is also nominated for Favourite Hip-hop Album! Vote vote!

Showstar .Inc – Our resident DJ and his lady boss, Nurul, are one of our favourite loyal supporters at our shows. We just love reading their reviews. They’ve also been covering other shows like Home Club Saturday D&B showcase and a few more here and there. If you do events, do invite them. If you have singles or albums, do share with them. You can get them all reviewed! Do visit their site http://showstarsdotinc.blogspot.com and don’t forget to give a shout-out at their tag-board.

Resurgence – when we say we miss the good old days of online zine, we meant them. We seriously miss Resurgence! But not to worry, our favourite editor from the team, Hafiz aka Psylence, will be part of our review team and soon you will see more reviews on the latest hip-hop albums. Special thanks to Universal for the CDs of course. We will also put up an online contest for readers to win those CDs. Next week, you’ll probably see Lil Wayne, Ashanti and NERD’s latest album being reviewed. In fact, we would also review anything we hear or see in the scene. Do hit back our review page real soon!

And if you don’t remember the nominees, here’s the list again...

Favourite New Artiste
- Feekee’D
- Jidda
- Irfn.xs
- Kwizyne
- Chavito

Favourite Solo Act
- Mr Chan
- Bless
- Pendekar
- Richard J
- Chaz Ali

Favourite Duo/Group
- Will’s Invasion
- Xstatix
- Public Eyez
- The Cartelz
- Rebel Yell

Favourite Song by Solo Act
- Roll Like That – Akeem
- My Witch – Richard J
- Fymps – Freaky Z
- Falsafah Pendekar
- Grace Bless

Favourite Song by Duo/Group
- Play with Fire – Public Eyez ft Decepticon, Akeem
- Put Your Flags On – Jin ft Akeem, Alyph
- Teardrop – Xstatix
- Make Em Bow – Richard J ft Syaheed
- Kasih Mengapa – Rauzan ft Roze, Urban Sensation

Favourite Performance
- Pendekar @ Family Affair
- GOD @ Protege
- Mr Chan @ Protege
- The Cartelz @ Protege
- XS.1 @ 65Hope

Favourite Live/Acoustic Performance
- Bless @ Family Affair
- Acid Empire @ Speakeasy
- Freaky Z @ Release The Fymps
- The Cartelz @ Protege
- Rauzan @ Family Affair

Favourite Overseas Artiste
- Magnolius @ Destroj Tour
- Leo37 @ Protege
- Altimet @ Platform 7
- Dose Two @ Family Affair II
- The Rogue Squadron @ Family Affair II

Favourite Hip-hop Album
- Fymps – Freaky Z
- School of X’scape Artiste – XS.1 the Regiment
- Last Man Standing – Mr Chan
- 1ASIA Compilation – Various Artiste / Syaheed (SG)
- Voice From Beneath – Various Artiste / Divine Aura

Do vote for your favourites! Email them to 65hope@gmail.com. We can’t wait for Saturday! Peace! :D

Hope Award Updates: Our Predictions

2008-06-05T15:33:00.006+08:00

Wow! Our mailbox was flooded with votes yesterday, since we closed the poll. Thank you to those who voted through email. Honestly, we can’t really tell who’s leading in each and every category. Plus our panel of judges has not made their votes yet. So we’ve decided to make our own predictions, just like how the Oscars and Grammys always does. Here are our predictions…

Favourite New Artiste

Our prediction: FeeKee’D
Ya’ll might recognize him as the big afro guy in the Da Fam or even the scene. We call him one of the best hustlers the scene has seen. Plus with Da Fam’s recent successful event, we think the whole family might be getting a little more attention from now onwards. Rumour has it that FeeKee’D told his whole school that he is nominated and politely asked them to vote for him. You might think that’s lame, but we think that’s hustling.

Dark Horse: Chavito
Chavito currently leads the poll with 151 votes. This guy has definitely received some attention after being part of XS.1 and launching his project, with Young & Rauzan, the Xsclusive Online Radio. If you haven’t seen him, he will be performing this Friday at *Scape for the Street Fest Rap Battle Finals. A talented individual we must say.

Favourite Solo Act

Our prediction: Richard J
He’s seriously missed at shows this year, but that does not stop Richard J from ruling the local airwaves. We hear his songs every single day on 98.7fm! He’s definitely getting rich with royalties this year. Richard J is currently recording his highly anticipated 2nd album and we seriously can’t wait to hear more from him. He will also be performing at our Hope Awards next week.

Dark Horse: Pendekar
Love him or hate him, he just burns the stage every single time he perform. After Definition, this guy has definitely gain popularity among the locals. We love him for his hard-hitting lyrics and brutal honesty in every song he writes. One of the best lyricists and freestylers in SG, he is definitely an eye opener at every event. Ya’ll better recognize!

Favourite Duo/Group

Our prediction: Rebel Yell
Leading the poll last week was Rebel Yell. We happen to catch a glimpse of some email votes and they are still getting it. Rebel Yell was Top 5 in last year’s Platform 7 and they have had a fair share of performance ever since. They were last seen at Definition with a brand new remake of their hit song ‘Balla’.

Dark Horse: Xstatix
Let’s be honest, and no we’re not being bias here, we haven’t seen any crews as tight as these guys are. Every time they perform together, they always bring their set to another level. And with classic songs like ‘Teardrop’, we must say they are easily one of the most talented and respected crew in our local hip-hop circuit. They are currently leading at the poll votes.

Favourite Song by Solo

Our prediction: Fymps – Freaky Z
The ‘freak’ man has gotten quite the attention for his album, also entitled Fymps. Well, we think he gets more attention hosting actually, but we have to admit Fymps is a crazy song.

Dark Horse: Falsafah Pendekar – Pendekar
We love every single bit of this song, from the start till the end. It’s give us that adrenaline rush feeling with the hard hitting lyrics. The song is leading on the poll votes.

Favourite Song by Duo/Group

Our prediction: Kasih Mengapa – Rauzan ft Roze, Urban Sensation
One of the most heavily played song on Ria 89.7fm, Rauzan was nominated for two awards at Anugerah Planet Muzik this year. And who could forget his performance at Floetry when almost everyone sang along with him.

Dark Horse: Teardrop – Xstatix
One of the few classics the scene has ever heard. We can never get sick and tired of this song.

Favourite Performance

Our prediction: XS.1 The Regiment @ 65Hope
Our first show was in conjunction with their album release, School of X’scape Artiste. It was one of the most memorable set the boys has ever done and not forgetting marking an important spot in the local hip-hop scene, being one of the most strongest and long-lasting family/collective. Who could forget the ‘wu-tang’ like performances, when they did their anthem live. It was off the hook.

Dark Horse: The Cartelz @ Protege
After their performance at Definition, they were one of the most talked-about crews. They made the audiences fell in love with their acoustic soulful music. We were blown away too with Nurul, the lead singer’s voice. Might seem like it’s impossible for The Cartelz to catch up on the votes, but hey, anything can happen.

Favourite Live/Acoustic Performance

Our prediction: Rauzan @ Family Affair
Rauzan is again leading in this category. Performing with Urban Sensation and Roze at Family Affair last year, he did an acoustic set with his drums programmed. That was also one of the first few times his hit song ‘Kasih Mengapa’ was performed.

Dark Horse: Freaky Z @ Release the Fymps
The guy have worked with many bands, and on his album launch he invited Peepshow to play with him. For those who came, you know what you saw. It was a pure fun for 2 hours with Freaky Z that night.

Favourite Overseas Performance

Our prediction: The Rogue Squadron @ Family Affair II
Dark Horse: Dose Two @ Family Affair II
These two acts came recently and I think they’re still fresh in our mind. But we love all of them equally. And we thank all of them for rocking SG’s hip-hop scene. But who is your favourite? :)

Favourite Hip-hop Album

Our prediction: School of X’scape Artiste by XS.1
One of the best collective in Singapore, coming out with one the best compilation ever. The album was well received by many hip-hopheads in Singapore and also other countries. They even had a music video for their anthem ‘Regiment Rejuvenate’. It also helped in paving the way for every single new artiste in the collective like Pendekar, Irfan, Chavito and also secures the status to their leading artiste like Rauzan, Xstatix, Xscapist and many more. School of X’scape Artiste is a genuine Singapore hip-hop album.

Dark Horse: Fymps by Freaky Z
The freak man who is also affiliated with XS.1 was the only one from the collective who released his own album. Fymps, both the single and the album, was also well received by many audience and some have even called it ‘brilliant’ and ‘pure originality’. Being part of Noise Singapore, have also helped the album in getting more attention. Freaky Z makes the album a personal one, but he has never lost his humour, sound and of course his love for the scene. Fymps is LOVE!

There you go, our predictions for our 1st Hope Awards. We want to know what yours too. Write it on you blogs, myspace, friendster, facebok, everywhere and while you’re at it, do spread the flyer.

We hope to see ya’ll next Saturday. There will be a theme for this show, so better get ready! Woo hoo!

More updates soon. Peace! :)

Hope Award Updates: Polls Closed...

2008-06-04T10:50:00.003+08:00

We thought the polls were safe and should have no glitches, but we have totally underestimated the power of internet and computers once again. Yesterday, there were some irregular activities on the polls and we actually found a way to beat the system and vote multiple times. We also found out someone with a similar IP address have been visiting the polls 86 times at around the same half an hour. We’ve decided, in the terms of fairness, we closed the polls.

But that’s not the end of it; we still want to know who your favourites are. We want you to submit your votes to our email, 65hope@gmail.com before the 12th of June, Thursday. Winners will now be based on 50% poll votes, 30% submission votes and 20% by panel of judges. We will reveal who our panel of judges soon. Here are the lists of nominees once again.

Favourite New Artiste
- Feekee’D
- Jidda
- Irfn.xs
- Kwizyne
- Chavito

Favourite Solo Act
- Mr Chan
- Bless
- Pendekar
- Richard J
- Chaz Ali

Favourite Duo/Group
- Will’s Invasion
- Xstatix
- Public Eyez
- The Cartelz
- Rebel Yell

Favourite Song by Solo Act
- Roll Like That – Akeem
- My Witch – Richard J
- Fymps – Freaky Z
- Falsafah Pendekar
- Grace Bless

Favourite Song by Duo/Group
- Play with Fire – Public Eyez ft Decepticon, Akeem
- Put Your Flags On – Jin ft Akeem, Alyph
- Teardrop – Xstatix
- Make Em Bow – Richard J ft Syaheed
- Kasih Mengapa – Rauzan ft Roze, Urban Sensation

Favourite Performance
- Pendekar @ Family Affair
- GOD @ Protege
- Mr Chan @ Protege
- The Cartelz @ Protege
- XS.1 @ 65Hope

Favourite Live/Acoustic Performance
- Bless @ Family Affair
- Acid Empire @ Speakeasy
- Freaky Z @ Release The Fymps
- The Cartelz @ Protege
- Rauzan @ Family Affair

Favourite Overseas Artiste
- Magnolius @ Destroj Tour
- Leo37 @ Protege
- Altimet @ Platform 7
- Dose Two @ Family Affair II
- The Rogue Squadron @ Family Affair II

Favourite Hip-hop Album
- Fymps – Freaky Z
- School of X’scape Artiste – XS.1 the Regiment
- Last Man Standing – Mr Chan
- 1ASIA Compilation – Various Artiste / Syaheed (SG)
- Voice From Beneath – Various Artiste / Divine Aura

Simply write a short email to us and vote for your favourites. If you’re lazy to vote for all, you can choose to vote for whichever category you like. It won’t take that long, unless you need to switch to 86 different email addresses to vote 86 times for your favourites. :)

1st Hope Award happens on 14th June 2008 at Chamber, The Arts House. Doors open at 2.30pm and admission is only $5. The event also marks our first anniversary in the local hip-hop scene, and we seriously like to thank everyone who has supported us since June last year. To the haters, we’re sorry, but we won’t be leaving so soon.

Spread the word about the event, dress super nice and bring your friends along to our Hope Award. Trust us; it’s going to be fun! More special updates about the show coming soon. Till then, take care and to all students, happy holidays! Unless you have remedials of course... Peace! :D

1st Hope Awards...

2008-06-01T19:45:00.008+08:00

The nomination list is up. Public voting begins. Make your choices now...

VOTE OR HOPE

What say you?

2008-05-27T19:59:00.002+08:00

In case you dont know, this coming June, 65 & Hope celebrates its first anniversary! Woo hoo! After 6 events, 5 Floetry episode, 4 compliment emails, 3 trips of Malaysian artistes, 2 album releases and 1 same host, we are going to be ONE! So this coming June, we are celebrating our anniversary with a show featuring most the acts that have helped us move this far. :)

We'll be doing a 'mini' award show this coming 14th June. But first we need to know who you would like to see on the nomination list. Here are the categories.

Favourite Solo Act
Favourite Duo/Group
Favourite Song by Solo Act
Favourite Song by Duo/Group
Favourite Performance
Favourite 'Live' Performance (acoustic or band)
Favourite Overseas Act (that rocked SG)
Favourite Album/Compilation

Submit your nomination list to 65hope@gmail.com as soon as you read this. Public voting will start this Saturday. :)

Floetry May...

2008-05-24T15:55:00.006+08:00

Hope to see ya'll next week! Have a great weekend! :)

Hip-hop workshop...

2008-05-23T14:51:00.000+08:00

*click to enlarge*

The good people of E-tracx is organizing a hip-hop workshop tomorrow at Nee Soon East CC, 4pm. If you want to learn a thing or two about hip-hop, it's element and culture, head down to see some of SG's best giving you some demonstration. Best part is, admission is FREE! For more information on E-tracx, you can visit www.e-tracx.com. :)

Family Affair II moments...

2008-05-21T13:10:00.002+08:00

Pictures from Family Affair II is finally up. Click on the photo above for more! Enjoy! :)

2 websites we think you should show love to...

2008-05-19T10:00:00.000+08:00

One of SG's most vibrant collectives/families, Da Fam, has a website up and they will be doing an event of their own end of this month. *Kudos guys!* The event is called Popcorn Playa and its happening on 31st May, 6pm at the Singapore Arts Museum and admission fee is only $2. Yes yes, we know, its on the same day and time of our Floetry, but hey if you like to see some new names, besides our regular roster of performers/rappers, you should check it out. For more information, visit their website www.onevoiceonemic.com.

Another site is run by DJ Ruxta and his lady boss, Nurul Hirata. One of our loyal supporters at our events, they run the site for gig updates and reviews. They do not only cover our events, but you can invite them to yours too. Read their reviews, its really interesting. For more information, visit their website http://showstarsdotinc.blogspot.com.

Both sites have a tagboard, so do give them a shout-out and dont forget to link it up under your favourites! If you have a blog or site on local music (hip-hop or any genre) do inform us. Lets link each other up. For more enquiries, write to us at 65hope@gmail.com.

ps; Happy Vesak day to all our Buddhist readers! :)

Thank you for the superb show!

2008-05-18T23:33:00.000+08:00

We from 65 & Hope would like to thank everyone who came down and supported Family Affair II last night. It was a blast! We love you loyal fans! We would also like to thank the performers, Feekee'D, Pendekar, Bless, Public Eyez and DSC. You guys were awesome! And of course to our Malaysian brothers, The Rogue Squadron and Dose Two, thank you so much for showing love to us and making the event, one of our best. We will definately hook up with you guys again! Family Affair III happens in May 2009, watch out for it...

Till then, keep on rocking everybody. And have a great long weekend! Peace! :)

Family Affair returns...

2008-05-14T01:35:00.004+08:00

65 & Hope present Family Affair II. Back for the second time, Family Affair showcases independent hip-hop collectives/families in Singapore & Malaysia. The Rebel Scum, who performed at the first instalment are back with their family, The Rogue Squadron, and they are no strangers to both the SG & MY scene. Dome Squad Clique, popularly known as DSC has had their fair share of attention in local scene. With front runners like Valentia Phlow, Fatalitee Phlow and many more, they are one of the most talented and brightest families around. Being one of the first collective to release an EP in 2006, they are now currently working on their much anticipated 2nd release.

Other performances include Dose Two, the ordinary heroes/gentlemanly poets from Kuala Lumpur, who have rocked the SG scene a couple of times. Public Eyez, one of SG Hip-hop's pioneering crew. Feekee'D, DaFam's most hardworking rapper. The controversy 'love me or hate me, I dont give a f***' lyricist, Pendekar and the most poetic rapper of our time, Bless. Top 7 from last month's Protege, will open the show so expect a lot of good hip-hop music from SG & MY.

Day/Date: Saturday, 17th May
Time: 5.30pm sharp
Venue: Chamber, the Arts House
Admission: $10 with a free mixtape

The show will be hosted by none other, Freaky Z. Seeya this Saturday! :)

Hip-hop bands...

2008-05-09T07:52:00.012+08:00

There are not much hip-hop bands in Singapore. And if there is, where are they now?

Urban Xchange was one of the finest hip-hop band in Singapore during a period of time. Their single Buzzin and Stoopid, from their album How Did We Get Here, was heavy on air. They were even nominated for Favourite Singapore Music Artiste at the MTV Asia Awards. The group later disband, but invidually the band members had their own solo projects and some of them are still playing at clubs. We dont really know what is their next upcoming project.

Then we had Acid Empire, whom many hip-hopheads saw them at Speakeasy for the first time. They played experimental hip-hop music (mixed with many different genres). Aiman and Ruxta from Public Eyez is part of the group and recently we heard they recruited our favourtie hypeman, Shino. The band is on a temporary break for the time being, but Aiman recently told us that they will be back performing after July. You can check out their myspace for now, and add them up if you want.

Sixx is another local hip-hop band in the making. We recently spoke to one of the band member, Kevin aka Switch, who initially was from Bonafide Vintage Flava. He said the band is playing soul, r&b kinda hip-hop music, something like The Roots. We havent seen them in action and they dont have any upcoming shows, but if they do, we will definitely be there to support them. Look out for the band.

Freaky Z is no stanger to bands. He has collaborated with The Marilyns, The Pinholes, Peepshow and this year he will be hosting Rock the Sub, an annual band show organized by Substation. But if you followed him in 2005, he had his own band called Funkus. They won 2nd at *scape Youthopia Exclaim 3, performed a few shows, and after that went on a hiatus for 2 years plus. Tomorrow, they will be performing once again at the Peepshow EP launch. Freaky Z said that Funkus will be playing his music the live version for the time being, but he plans to compose brand new songs for the band. He wants both Funkus and himself to have a different identity and style, but most importantly he said, he just wants to have fun making music.

So come down tomorrow, dress nice, bring cameras and show some love for these boys because you rarely get to see a hip-hop act play live. Peepshow EP launch is tomorrow (10th May), 4.30pm and it's held at the Chamber, The Arts House. Admission is FREE! but do bring some extra cash and buy Peepshow's EP and buttons ok. Seeya! Peace!

Peepshow EP Launch

2008-05-05T16:00:00.000+08:00

Ya'll probably wondering who the hell are these guys? Well, they are one of the most talented and anticipated band in Singapore you should look out for this year. No, they dont play hip-hop music but they got love for the local hip-hop circuit.

Last year we saw them playing live for our very own Freaky Z at his album launch. This weekend, they are releasing their EP. What's more? Freaky Z is performing and hosting the event, once again, at our lovely 'home ground' The Arts House. And we heard he's bringing his band, Funkus, back on stage.

Anyway, we like to congratulate Peepshow in advance on releasing the EP. *Kudos guys* You can check them out at their myspace, read more about them and preview the songs in their upcoming EP. The Peepshow EP launch will be held this coming Saturday 10th May, 4.30pm at Chamber, The Arts House. Admission is FREE!!! But do bring some extra cash and support them by purchasing their EP and buttons. It's local music, nothing wrong with supporting no matter what genre it is. Hope to see you this weekend! Peace! :)

Photos from Protege...

2008-05-04T23:55:00.000+08:00

Here are the photos from Protege last weekend! *Click on the handsome Mr DJ Ruxta for more photos*. I know it took us quite long to upload them, but hey, we do have our day jobs and new movies like IronMan to watch too ok. Have you seen it?! Its awesome!

Anyway, back to 65 & Hope. We're getting ready for Family Affair now, finalizing a few more things before we give you more information about it. We read some reviews from blogs/sites about Protege, and we have to admit, we did a pretty good job this time. *clears throat* Not only that we were on time, but the crowd response was amazing. So special thanks to all our lovely loyal audiences. We love you and hope to see more of you at our future events.

Family Affair happens on 17th May, 6pm at our 'home ground' Chamber, The Arts House. Stay tuned for line-up! :)

Top 7 Proteges...

2008-04-27T20:22:00.003+08:00

Congratulations to all the 7 Proteges who qualify to the next round...

1DZ
Farkhan
Firwan
G.O.D
Liptalk
Vanguard Oddities
WFM

You'll be seeing more of them at our shows. G.O.D will be performing at Floetry May and all of them will be performing at our next showcase Family Affair II. More updates soon.

ps; Pictures of Floetry April is up! Courtesy of Mr36 On Par Photography! :)

PROTEGE!

2008-04-25T18:28:00.001+08:00

We heard you, and we did what you want us to do. You wanted new acts, well tomorrow you're going to see the future of Singapore independent hip-hop acts. From 17 who applied, 14 came down to the audition and we picked 10 for the show. From this 10 proteges, only 7 will qualify to next round. Who will be the top 7?

Come down tomorrow and watch Protege, our first hip-hop talent search program that will stretch throughtout 2008. Featuring guest performances by Rauzan, Public EyeZ, Sleeq, The Cartelz, Will's Invasion, Mr Chan and Leo37(Canada). Admission is only $5 and doors open at 2pm. The event is held at Chamber, The Arts House.

There will also be CDs selling at our ticket booth. Freaky Z's 'Fymps' and '1Asia' compilation cd is going at $10 and Mr Chan's 'Last Man Standing' is going for $5 only. So do bring some extra dough and support our local artiste's work.

See ya'll tomorrow! We love our Saturdays! :)

Rauzan at Floetry...

2008-04-21T21:08:00.001+08:00

While waiting for Floetry pictures to be uploaded, here is our favourite performance last weekend. Rauzan performing 'Kasih Mengapa' during Floetry at Earshot Cafe. Enjoy!

We received 2 emails about crowd participation at gigs. One was a feedback about the crowd and the other one is about the artiste performing. We love your feedbacks and we hope anyone who has points or suggestions that we can improve on, please write to us at 65hope@gmail.com. Thank you for helping us. :)

Very nice... how much?

2008-04-18T23:53:00.000+08:00

We wish we can get our show venues for free, because we seriously don't like charging our loyal audiences for our shows (Plus can save manpower also). We've had different cover charges since 65 & Hope launch last year. We want to hear from you what is the highest price you would pay to watch our shows.

We have started a poll for you vote (its on under our links!). Tell us what you think! Have a great weekend! :)

PROTEGE: Updates!

2008-04-16T15:33:00.001+08:00

Ok, some of you are confused seriously. This week, Saturday, we are having Floetry @ Earshot Cafe. Its FREE admission and the show starts @ 6.30pm. Performing will be Rauzan, Akeem, Chavito and more. Got it? :)

The week after that...

We'll have PROTEGE! What Protege is all about? Well, inspired by Platform, we are making our very own hip-hop talent search program that will stretch throughout 2008. We will have the Audition (April), Intro show (April) and last but not least the Final show (December). Only 7 'proteges' will be picked from the Intro show, and they will be groomed and working with some of the best in the scene for 7 months until the Final show. Top 3 from the Final show will walk away with amazing prizes, cut an EP and have a launch show, all sponsored by 65 & Hope. Sound good eh? :)

Registration through email, is still open or you can choose to walk-in for the audition on 19th April, 4 - 6pm @ Earshot Cafe, The Arts House (yes, its just before Floetry). But do take note, priority is given to those who register through email and there's a BONUS if you do. Results will be announced after Floetry.

For those who have registered through email, you should receive a reply from us by now. We thank you for your support and look forward to see you at the audition. :)

And to all our dedicated audience at our shows, we will be selling the tickets for Protege this Saturday, during Floetry. Simply approach our ticketing booth and tickets are going at only $5.

So to all those who wants to join Protege, hurry up, send your name, stage name, contact and a short bio abour yourself/crew to 65hope@gmail.com. To all those who love the scene and its music, spread the word about our shows. Much love! Peace! :D

RE:Definition continues...

2008-04-13T23:30:00.000+08:00

Thanks to the good fellas of Xclusive Online Radio, they've made this aftershow interview video from our previous event Definition. More videos of performances will be up soon. And if you want to be updated on our videos, subscribe to our youtube account, http://www.youtube.com/65hope. We'll upload any hip-hop videos we can find in the local scene. So stay tuned! :D

Floetry is back...

2008-04-11T07:29:00.001+08:00

Floetry is back this month! Featuring performance by Chavito, Akeem, Rauzan and many more. We'll be having more interactive segments and news updates too. Admission is FREE, so tell your friends about it. But we would advise you to come early, because space is limited. Hope to see ya'll at The Arts House, 19th April @ 6.30pm. Peace! :)

PROTEGE: Audition Date, Time & Venue

2008-04-07T21:43:00.004+08:00

The audition date, time and venue is set.

On Saturday, 19th April, 4 - 6pm, we'll be having the auditions for Protege at the Earshot Cafe, The Arts House. From there, only the choosen 15 acts will be selected to perform at the Chamber for our Protege exclusive showcase on 26th April. Registration is still open, email us at 65hope@gmail.com your full name, stage name and a little bio about yourself/crew.

Protege is open to anyone, whether you're new or old in the scene.

WORD: We Jammin' The Airways

2008-04-04T17:10:00.001+08:00

It used to be Soundclick then on to social networking sites like Myspace and now our music can be heard over the radio topping charts and getting more requests day by day. If you’re with me, then I’m sure you belong to the people who are now smiling and standing proud looking at the achievement of our very own ever since back in the days.

We used to not have any solid equipments to work with, no bedroom studio, no producer that’s readily available offering their services to people who’s out to make a banger except the occasional hiphop gig that happens for us all to showcase our music. In fact, it wasn’t just technological advancement that helped us get to where we are now, our sheer determination to ‘Keep It Real’ and getting out there to ‘hustle’ our cause enabled us to enjoy the current success.

Many passionate scenesters worked hard to create channels for other like them to put out their work. There was Platform, FreshNite, Hiphop Festival, Da’Shocase and recently Floetry, which was all set up to keep the local scene and spirit of hiphop alive. These specific events weren’t just made for the hiphop fans in mind but it being held outdoors helped to further reach out to the public’s ears. Not until Construction Sight (rap duo in which Sheikh Haikel was a part of) won Asia Bagus, hiphop in SG was non-existent then. That was the first step right there. It helped spread not just the music but the word about our very own hiphop out to the people.

Anyhoos enough sidetracking and let’s get back on track here. So with many new aspiring emcees sprouting out every now and then how do you make music and put it out there for others to listen? Soundclick.com was the answer back in circa ’01 – ‘05. You could do up a profile and upload all your songs and promoting your music was as easy as linking your listeners to the page. On comes Myspace which was a gazillion times better because of well…the Bulletin board. No more hopping from forum to forum to promo your music one by one because the Bulletin helps broadcast your message across to all in your ‘Friends’ list. For many of us that have yet to make it big, sure yeah, such sites are enough for us but for people who have a little more passion and dedication to the art form, that couldn’t possibly be the limit, right? They have to get out there and find new avenues to get their music out to the public and that was exactly what they did.

The mass media. We made it on TV and got our songs played on the radio. It was the best medium to showcase our talent. It was an outlet to let the people see/hear us. Freaky Z, Rauzan and Sleeq to name a few all got their songs heavily played on the radio because it was good and the masses loved it. The local scene is evolving and progressing. The path has already been set and now it is up to the rest to follow in the footsteps of these pioneers.

I must congratulate these guys for helping to promote good hiphop music to the public and to everyone else who’s helped since day 1 to spread the sounds of our homegrown talents. Be it the release of mixtapes or having our own bedroom radio shows done through podcasting or whatever, it is all done for the same cause.

Big ups to Divine-Aura for the distribution of the non-profitting Voices from Beneath mixtape project, XS.One for the Xclusive Online Radio series and 65&Hope for organizing events actively for us all to get together and enjoy what we have learned to love about the art.

- Hafiz RSG

ps; If you have articles you would like to share and publish, simple send them to 65hope@gmail.com. We wanna know what you think about the scene. :)

RE:Definition

2008-04-03T14:27:00.006+08:00

Ok, firstly, dont think we're gone. We're here and still gonna be here.

Secondly, our most favourite photographer of the moment has uploaded his pictures of the recent Definition gig and we're here to share them with you. Please note all pictures are copyright of On Par Photography, so ask for permission or at least holla atcha boy! Mad props to Yasin! You're crazy dude! Click on the photo for more... :D

Definition went pretty ok, even though we faced some lighting problem and the wired mics. We received some feedbacks about the length of the show, and trust us, we'll work on it on the next show. Thank you for supporting us! Next up is PROTEGE!! Hurry up, application is still open to sign up and audition is sooner than you thought. Dont wait any longer! For those who have emailed us, kindly wait for a reply on when and where the audition is gonna held aite.

Till then, stay power like Nurul *the one in the pic* and may the force be with you! :)

HOW TO - get to The Arts House...

2008-03-27T17:16:00.008+08:00

*click to enlarge*

We hope these answers for those who have been asking us how to get to The Arts House. Ya'll better recognize this place, cause most of our events will be held there. Its just our favourite spot for the moment, cause it feels like home. And the sound system is pretty decent. We'll be using Chamber and Playden (level 2) for most of our mini annual event (Definition/Family Affair) and Earshot Cafe for our Floetry. We hope to see more of ya'll there!

Most importantly, don't forget this saturday! DEFINITION is happening at Chamber, The Arts House, 3pm sharp. We still have our $5 pre-sale tixs going around, if you're interested you can mail to 65hope@gmail.com. Or if you dont mind paying a couple of bucks more, you can purchase the tix at the door for only $8.

We hope to see ya'll there this Saturday! Woo hoo! Cant wait!! :D

More of us, hopefully more of you...

2008-03-21T23:55:00.000+08:00

We received some complain letters last week (as if we're some huge-ass event company), about our events and its line-up. It seems like we always have the same people for our shows. "How come 65&Hope are not giving opportunities for new fresh talents who want to break into the scene?"... "Now that Beats Society might not be doing Platform anymore, how do we get recognized?"... "What's so good about Freaky Z?"... Ok ok, we heard you guys/gals and we're acting on it.

Coming this April, we're organizing our very own rap talent search program, PROTEGE! We're looking for individual or crews who can rap, entertain and of course bring your message across. Only 15 acts will be choosen from the audition, to perform at Chamber on 26th April. Top 7 acts will then be groomed, producing music with some of best producers in the scene, recording their very own original song and performing at our upcoming shows for the next 7 months. Lastly, the final round PROTEGE: Last Call will be held in December and the top 3 acts will win attractive prizes and record their very own EP.

Sounds good? Well dont wait any longer. Simple send us your name, stage/crew name, date of birth and a short bio about yourself/crew to 65hope@gmail.com. Audition begins in mid April, so that's the closing date. This could be your big break! :)

And how could we forget about our neighbours? FAMILY AFFAIR is back and this time we're bringing more Malaysian acts down. The Rouge Squadron will be coming down on 17th May 2008, with KLG Squad and Dose Two. It's going to be off the hook, we tell you! Plus all our local emcess who are going to rock the show as well, such as Rauzan, Bless and many more, this is definitely an event you should look forward to. SG & MY, nam sayin!

On top of all these, we still have our Floetry going on every month till July. But this month's Floetry is replaced with DEFINITION. So we hope to see you all of you hip-hop heads and local music lovers on the 29th March @ Chamber, The Arts House, 3pm sharp. Early birds will receive a mixtape. Pre-sale tickets are selling fast, no joke! Email us, 65hope@gmail.com for tickets.

Like we said earlier, we're still in a midst of adding more stuff to this site. Today we added the upcoming shows, so you can see what's in store from us the next few months. We've also added a new page, the SG Artiste link, where you can find all the active independent hip-hop artitste in Singapore. YES, there's more, we're still working on it and NO, they're not signed by us. We just love what they do for the scene and their music. Show some love for them by visiting their sites and drop a comment too, if you can. More updates will up soon! Till then, have a great weekend!!

ps; we weren't joking about the complain letter... :)

DEFINITION updates...

2008-03-18T05:00:00.001+08:00

We use to say, 'spread the word' or even 'spread the e-flyer'. Now we're telling you; spread this video. DEFINITION is happening at Chamber, The Arts House, 3pm sharp on the 29th March, Saturday. Ya'll wouldnt want to miss this show...

Pre-sale tickets are already available for only $5, anyone interested mail us at 65hope@gmail.com.

And we've added a few stuff here and there on our site. If you notice, we now have a mailing list. Simply enter your name and email address, and you will get updates weekly from us. How cool is that?! Not forgetting, we've put up an online calendar. Anyone can update that calendar, tell us any shows you know or heard of. We want to come to your party too. :)

More updates soon. Peace!

Street Emcees

2008-03-13T23:45:00.000+08:00

First they rocked Chingay 2008, then they partied at Arab St. Looks like nothing can stop the boys of XS.1 from doing what they do best.

Hajilane.sg featured Freaky Z, Xstatix along with Akeem and Zul Mystroe on one of their article. They boys performed on the streets of Arab St on 29th February, and the boss of Al-Majlis who organized the street party was very impressed with their hip-hop performances. Nothing like a street party with street emcees, nah mean! Read more on the article here. :)

DEFINITION

2008-03-12T03:00:00.002+08:00

If you dont know what the definition of hip-hop is, then let this event explain it to you. Witness some of the best in the local hip-hop scene as they showcase the different style and colour of hip-hop music in this 2 and a half hour show. With a star studded line-up, this is definitely an event not to be missed. So mark your calenders people!

Date/Day: 29th March 2008, Saturday
Time: 3pm sharp
Venue: Chamber, The Arts House
Admission: Pre-sale $5, Door $8 (early birds get a free mixtape)
*Email 65hope@gmail.com for more information and pre-sale tickets!

See ya'll there! Peace!

Azrael as it gets...

2008-03-11T22:40:00.008+08:00

We at 65 & Hope, well, we love good hip-hop music. But one thing we love most about hip-hop music is the poetry in it. For many years now, hip-hop music have changed so much and there are so many different styles of this genre to date. The beat gets heavier and more complex than the old school music, but one thing that's losing power is the poetry in the lyrics. Now we've decided to start our own 'Greatest Lyrics Of All Time' segment, where we salute the lyricists, who we sometimes fail to notice, in our local hip-hop scene...

Today, we pay tribute to one of realest lyricists in SG, Azrael. Azrael has been in the scene for more than 7 years now, from Decepticon to his current crew Xstatix. He is no doubt the main drive in the crew and even the whole collective of XS.1. He's a beat-maker, sound & video engineer and most importantly, he is a lyricist at heart.

Our favourite track and verse from him would be Teardrop, a poetic love song about Hip-hop. Here are his lyrics...

What happens when the passion that you have for the pen is gone?
What happens when the beats stops and doesnt go on?
Nobody paid attention and you feel torned
When its all fadin away/Is it time to move on?
As long as the mic is on/We keep on keepin on
But when its all for the fun/its really hard to push on
I remember the time when I fell in love with the beats and
the rhymes and the life
Embrace it like a belief/and make it a part of my life
It`s genuine love and I cannot describe/the feeling I had inside
Even if this became a joke/I wont swallow my pride
Coz it`s a part of me/And it will always be
And I will reminisce the days as an emcee
I hope you can see/I set myself free
I`m just fillin up this space that is empty
With rap poetry in low quantity
But high quality that pack potency
80 to 90 beats per minute the rate of my heart beat
Thats why hiphop is what my heart needs
And when hiphop is dead/that is when my heart bleeds
And when hiphop is dead/that is when my heart weeps

If you like to hear the track, you can visit http://www.myspace.com/xstatixhiphop.

If you like to check out Xstatix and the man Azrael himself, they will be performing at DEFINITION, 29th March, 3pm @ Chamber, The Arts House. Ya'll better be there! More information will be up soon! Peace!

Too small for an award?

2008-03-10T23:37:00.005+08:00

Who said the scene is too small for an award? Well, you're just jealous! Rauzan and Sleeq are both nominated for Anugerah Planet Musik this year and they both have 2 nominations each. Sleeq have won 2 awards last year, and they have been busy with shows. On the other hand, Rauzan's 'Kasih Mengapa' created a lot buzz on Ria 89.7fm and the song was on the charts for many weeks. We love both of them as much, so all the best boys!!!

If you would like to cast your vote, simply visit this site and follow the instructions. Go go go!!! :D

HOW TO - plan your tracks and record your demo?

2008-03-02T19:15:00.001+08:00

We seriously think the scene need more releases. If it's not an album, a demo would be good. No doubt, compare to years before now we have a lot more track releases, thanks to sites like Myspace and Imeem. So where's the demo or album? Maybe we can help you. Here's some tips we got from Liquide Magazine years ago.

Ok, you're about to embark to become a recording artiste (even if its home recording). Your stuff should show off your style, your talent and should you want to feature people in your demo, it should be people of smilar interest or clashing styles, then it will be a party. Your demo should show to the world what you or your crew is all about, musically and then lyrically.

1) How many tracks do you wanna do?
The more you record, the more time it will take, the more money it will cost, the more work to be done. A demo EP of 4 - 6 songs is enough to show the world what you're about, but if you're going to take your time and cash is not a problem, hey, do a double disc if you're good enough. But logically speaking, start small.

Out of X number of songs, at least a few must be radio-friendly and catchy enough for people to bop to, memorize or have a DJ want to spin it. Any commercial album usually plans 4 hits out of the whole album.

2) Who's doing your music?
Recording covers is a no-no, and using downloaded instrumentals is a HUGE no-no-no-no. There are 3 ways to do this.

a) if you're a musician, computer or guitarist/pianist, you got a head start, finish all the tracks that you're doing and lay it out. It's best to do the song one by one but if you're doing the music for the whole demo at one go, you'll have a better idea of your production/musical style.

b) if you're not a musician, get help. Get a band or get some producer. It's not wrong. You might be a rap maestro but you are not expected to be a producer too. So scout around for original beat maker, you might get yourself a hit.

c) last resort : if you're not a musician, and you have absolutely no music contacts, you may want to buy your music online. But high chances, the US$70-US$250 megaclub-track that you just bought with your father's or friend's credit card is also used by somebody else elsewhere. Stick to A or B.

3) Who's going to be on your demo?
You might want to give your friends a boost and feature them in your demo, and/or you might want to work with other musicians/rappers/singers to give it variety. Our advice, choose wisely. A guest can make or break your song.

Go safe with
- close rapper friends with tight rhymes/flow
- an established/older rapper/crew to boost you, help you with your song
- a singer who can actually sing to be featured on your choruses

Its important to work together so that the song can be real good and a true group effort. You can't go wrong with the three suggestions but if you have wilder ideas like feauring a poet or sax player from your school band, by all means, live your dreams.

Where are you going to record?
This one is kinda tricky. Sound quality is tough when you're on a budget, and worse if you have no knowledge about it. There's the recording, the adlibs, the mixing and engineering, and mastering. It is the Sound Engineer's responsibilty to overlook all of that and during recording, try to pick it up from him and tell him if it doesn't sound good. Bring hiphop CDs to the studio if the guy happens to have only recorded alternative bands, he might not be familiar with how hiphop music should sound like when recording emcees.

Oh, about the question. There are many small studios that can offer recording and mixing at reasonable prices. The bigger your group, the less money each of you have to come up with, but the more will be spent on recording. Always be prepared, practise really hard and know what you're going to do for your vocals and adlibs, so that you can finish it fast and be satisfied about it.

We'll share some home studios that are currently available with you soon.

5) When you're done recording all your tracks, what do you do?
Do not share it with friends or make courtesy copies for people. No, do not do that. Release 1 REALLY GOOD track as an mp3 and let everybody preview what it is about. Email us (65hope@gmail.com), we'll be more than pleased to help promote your work!

The suggestions above do not necessarily guarantee you stardom but its sensible. We hope it will somehow help you to start off your mini rap career. More HOW TO entries soon. Good luck! :)

Xclusive Online Radio

2008-03-01T22:50:00.002+08:00

Finally!!! We've been to many blogspot/sites searching for podcast playing local music. We found a few, but none played hip-hop music. Now we've got one. Xclusive Online Radio!

The boys from the XS collective, mainly Young (Naufal) and Rauzan are the geniuses behind it. Initially, they had the idea way back when both Psykes & Rauzan were in Beats Society, but they left that boat, got a new one and now they're the ones cruising it. Xclusive Online Radio successfully launched their first episode earlier this week, with guest appearance by Doggface aka Pendekar. You know how crazy that guy can get with his freestyles right! If you haven't check it out, you should by clicking here

You can expect more episodes from them soon, cause these boys got everything planned out. If you wish to contribute to their podcast, you can also submit your episodes to them. If you have any enquiries, you can email them at xclusiveonlineradio@gmail.com.

And if you're a local emcee, you should submit your songs. Its another way to get yourself heard! :)

FYMPS review..

2008-02-28T22:15:00.005+08:00

In case you didnt notice, we've added a new link on the side called Reviews! This is where you find lastest reviews of songs, albums and even movies. We just want to share our thoughts with ya'll. We even have guest reviewers just to let you know we're not bias. But still, if you disagree or simple would like us to add your reviews, write to us at 65hope@gmail.com. We like to hear from you... :)

Title: Fymps
Artiste: Freaky Z
Released: December 2007
Label: 65&Hope

"And I dont care about the he say she say
I say, as long as I'm good, I'm here to stay
I'm here to bring light to emcees on the street
Cause without me in the scene there's like no bass in your music
Fuckin empty right?" - Bass Man, Freaky Z

This is it. The cd put out by our nation's favourite superhero, Freaky Z to solidify himself as an established emcee and out to tell his fans that he's in this for the love of his supporters and hiphop as a whole.

This 20 track cd is an all out production by Freaky Z featuring no cameo appearances in the songs and just 2 other producers jumping on the beats side. Why you ask? Maybe it's because this time it's personal. Rauzan (XS.ONE) and Alyph (Sleeq) jumps on board on 'Do The Walk' and 'Kids' respectively with all other productions handled by the main man.

And if you haven't noticed, Freaky Z's productions are nothing short of 'atmospheric'. The beats as far as i can tell fits like a glove to his style and flavour. It's hard to pin point what makes it what it is but you know it's him with just a listen. He brought his A game on this one. Flow/style is varied and on point (it's always a good thing to show your versatility) and the lyrics are mostly direct and personal. You see what makes Freaky Z a true Singaporean Emcee is his way of incorporating all things local into his music. You can find references to many things 'Singapore' in his work. He is all about defining/branding Singapore Hiphop (not in the 'commercial/mainstream' way of course, if you know what I mean).

Tracks like 'Do The Walk', 'Saturday' and 'Same Woman Again' shows the lighter more cheery side of himself while 'Bass Man', 'How I Do It' and 'It's Not Me' projects the darker side of his ying and yang. It's all about balance here in this cd. In other words, Freaky Z wants his listeners to know that he's still human afterall, behind that stage moniker.

At the end of the cd, I find FYMPS to be a well worthy product done. Even though it lacks a different voice (no featured artistes), the overall content of the cd makes up for it. This was definitely made with the fans and love for hiphop in mind. You get to know him a lot better with this and i'm sure hiphop or non-hiphop fans alike will enjoy listening to this. There are too many emcees out there fronting silly fantasies and dreams out there but at times you need something like this to tell the world that not all rap artistes are rich blokes with fast cars and blings.

I demand that you get up from your seat and cop this cd now.

4 out of 5 stars!

- Hafiz, RSG

Other Reviews

POSITIVE

as fun as the man himself, Freaky Z knows how to hit the right note...
- Mr Chan

his song FYMPS is brilliant...
- Nick Chan, MUON

MIXED

a down-to-earth album and definitely a great leap in impovement from the 1st album but lack of varied production sounds and lack of featured artistes. lyrics/content: 9/10, beats/production: 7.5/10, overall: 8/10. honestly, its better to watch the man himself live...
- Azreal, XSTATIX

Floetry February...

2008-02-27T22:09:00.000+08:00

Here are the some photos of from Saturday's Floetry, courtesy of Yasin. You can chek out his gallery of photos here. This guys is amazing and we were told that he will be around for upcoming Floetry, so you can expect more great shots from Floetry in March. Yeay! Where has RSG gone to? Hmmm... For other pictures of Floetry, visit here.

It feels good to be back at Earshot Cafe. Eventhough the place is small, we felt home. Floetry March will be happening on 29th March, same time and place. Line-up and flyer will be up soon. Come back here for more updates! Peace!

Rap Vs Poetry

2008-02-22T22:35:00.000+08:00

This video was a special feature presentation from episode 1 of Front last week. Freaky Z, Sleeq, Mark Bonafide and many more rappers/poets shared some views about rap music and poetry. It would be even cooler if we could do a Singapore Hip-hop mini-documentary right? Well, maybe in a few years time. Anyway, you could also see some clips from the XS.1 - 'The Regiment Rejuvenates' music video in the footage. How cool is that!

*click to enlarge flyer

Speaking of poetry, tomorrow don't forget Floetry! Public EyeZ couldn't make it for this one, but they will be in the next following ones for sure. On the bright side, we've got our funnyman Freaky Z hosting and performing a couple of songs, Richard J who will be performing with his wicked flow and crazy beats and not forgetting VelvetGroove's soulful music. Plus we have some other guest rappers/poets who will be performing too. And if you're an aspiring rapper/performer, bring your instrumentals along because we're having an open mic session. Be there early to register.

If you dont know how to get The Arts House, the nearest MRT station is City Hall or Raffles Place. It's just a 10 minute walk from the stations and the nearest landmark would be the Parliament House. If you get lost, ask around for directions or simply follow anyone who looks like a rapper. (Might help you!) Show starts at 6.30pm, but we would sincerely advice you to come early as the space is limited. Admission is FREE! Hope to you ya'll there! Much love! :)

Better 2008, hopefully...

2008-02-18T10:33:00.000+08:00

It's been a good year for 65 & Hope last year 2007. In just 6 months, we did 3 events. First was the official start at Playden, on 23rd June. We saw XS.1 releasing one of the most anticipated albums in local hip-hop scene, the .XS compilation. The album sold more than 300 copies in just the first day, which is considered a big accomplishment for an underground hip-hop act. We even had old timers like Shade Of Brown, Ishaaq and The Noize Foundation performed to show love for the scene.

Next was Family Affair, the idea of bringing families/collective in Singapore and Malaysia together. The Rebel Scum from KL, was featured and it was their debut performance in SG. They were totally off the hook. Main highlight of the show was Da Fam and XS.1, whom both had different styles and concept of local hip-hop music, but one true love for the scene. Family Affair II will be happening again in April this year.

Last but not least, we saw our most loved (and hated) rapper Freaky Z, having his album release party on 23rd December. Even though he made a boo-boo with the delay of his album, he totally rocked the show that afternoon, quoting from audiences 'one of the best local hip-hop gig; fun and true'. Featuring all his close friends from the local hip-hop scene and not forgetting one of the most talented local bands, Peepshow, all of them showed love for our very own funnyman. The show ended on high note, when every one stood up for Freaky Z's last song and skank-ed to Same Woman Again.

We even had our own monthly show, Floetry, with the help from *scape last year. The show only lasted for two months due to unforeseen circumstances. But that not the end of it! We'll be back with a brand new Floetry at Earshot Cafe, The Arts House next weekend, Saturday. More information about Floetry will be up soon.

Our website, www.65hope.com is now up and here's where you can receive updates (maybe even some juicy gossips) about our very own local hip-hop scene. We are not big event organizers but we love doing shows just to keep the scene alive and growing. If you wish to be part of our shows or even our volunteer team to help out at our events, do email us at 65hope@gmail.com. If you want us to update and come to your shows, we would be glad too. We'll be adding more stuff to this site, so do come back often.

Have a great weekend, and see ya'll next week at Floetry! :)