1.) An arrangement of troops drawn up in parallel lines in step formation.
2.) A level of responsibility or authority in a hierarchy.
The Upper Echelon Tour is coming to Dallas, and the soldiers of hip hop have been called to formation. General Myka Nyne heads up the batallion, alongside his lieutenants Propaganda Anonymous and C Chan. Filling out the ranks are MC Astro, The Boom Bap Bullies, and DJ Nemoz. The Upper Echelon is prepared for battle, and their newest target is Dallas, TX. Poor Vida Productions has seized control of the command room, and battle is about to commence...
One of the best underground hip hop tours to hit Dallas in a long time is coming to the Green Elephant, and taking Poor Vida Sunday Sessions to a whole new level. 2010 is looking out to be a big year for Poor Vida, and for underground hip hop in general. There is a resurgence of intelligent, conscious hip hop that has been building for a few years, and the new decade seems to be the time to shine. The Upper Echelon Tour is a perfect example of this resurgence, and you don't want to get left behind doing the "Stanky Leg" or the "Rack Daddy" all by your self.
So, with no further ado, Poor Vida would like to introduce to you the new era of hip hop...
Myka 9 is known all over the globe as an "underground" Hip-Hop pioneer and icon who helped the world to "freestyle". Myka's artistic expressions led him to co-found the legendary Freestyle Fellowship, his respected presence loomed large at the Good Life Cafe in the early 90's and Project Blowed, which is still going strong today! Myka 9 is a current member of Haiku De Tat and the Magic Heart Genies. He also heads M9 Entertainment.
Myka, originally known as Microphone Mike in the 80's, was a member of the MC Aces with Aceyalone and Spoon Iodine. As one of the members of Freestyle Fellowship, Myka was instrumental in the scene at the Good Life Cafe in the early 90's. As one of the most stylistically advanced rappers at the Good Life, Myka 9 has had a profound influence on L.A. Hip-Hop and freestyle rapping in general. He and the rest of the members of Freestyle Fellowship nearly single-handedly invented the form that Freestyle comprises of today! The world of freestyle rapping would not exist if it weren't for Freestyle Fellowship and Myka 9, no small feat indeed.
Myka is known for rapid-fire, jazz-influenced, melodic rapping, often incorporating singing and occasionally scatting into his songs. Myka has said of his style, "My rhymes take the direction of a jazz trumpet or sax solo, like Miles or Trane, if I was to rhyme in the same meter as those notes...that's my concept."
Myka 9 has also worked with artists such as the Wailers Band, Prefuse 73, Daddy Kev, Busdriver, Blue Sky Black Death, Existero, and many others. He has worked extensively with producer and trumpeter Josef Leimberg, who produced the majority of Myka's album "It's All Love" and others.
Myka is featured in the award-winning 2008 documentary, "This is the Life," chronicling the music movement that was birth at The Good Life Cafe in South Central, Los Angeles. The Good Life is the open-mic workshop where he first performed with Freestyle Fellowship in the early 1990s. Myka was also featured in the great documentary "Freestyle" that was released in 2001. Myka 9 recently released "1969" in 2008 on Fake Four Records, it has since garnered much word of mouth acclaim as being one of the best releases in 2008. His most recent release, "Heartifact" is a collaboration with J the Sarge, together known as The Magic Heart Genies.
PropAnonymous represents the whispers of a dying baby's last dream. Found inside a naked mother's body, the 21st gram set free. PropAnonymous is a 12 Step fellowship pogram specifically designed for every other human, and their dogs.... Within his lyrics you might hear stories from those forgotten and laughed at. Homeless American Indian Actors, Ex-US Military Assassins found smoking pot in Amsterdam, Tons of PArasitical Sychophants some might find around certain seasons in hell, as well as those that are getting us through the fire to cool mountain huts somewhere in the peaks of South America...
"Ever notice how hip hop these days is seriously lacking in banging bass lines that might smash your speakers to shreds? Slow Suicide Stimulus' debut album brings back that bumpin' and thumpin' production style, with nasty wordplay provided by underground legend Tame One and slammin' up-and-comers the Dusted Dons (Govone, C. Chan, and DJ Melski). With serious weight of ill guest shots (including Grandmaster Caz, Cage, Aesop Rock, Vast Aire, SA Smash, Yak Ballz, and more) and hot production from CamuTao, El-P, Mighty Mi, Mondee, and the Stimulus bros. themselves, this album is definitely a must for all Weathermen, Definitive Jux and Eastern Conference fans. This shit is mad grimy and dusted, with tons of high-octane raw energy pumping through it- and if you ever get a chance to see these dudes in concert make sure you do that cuz they rip the stage live. Tracks like "Bi-Polar HiRollers", "Akinesia", "Roll Up" and "Smalltown" ensure SSS's status as one of the hottest groups...."
-UNDERGROUNDHIPHOP.COM
Astro had a humble start, freestyling on the mic alongside Dallas veteran DJ Phooka at the legendary Battletech drum and bass weekly. Since then, he has graced the stage with just about every major drum and bass artist he has crossed paths with, in Dallas, Austin, Miami, and San Francisco. MC Astro’s first major project was with the Dallas based production and promotion company D.A.P. – the Dirty Alien Project, where he learned the basics of studio and stage performances. Though his musical roots are drum and bass, MC Astro is no stranger to crossing boundaries and genres. He has appeared on several releases in the House world, including a feature on Fat Boy Slim's world renowned Southern Fried Records, alongside fellow Texans Granite & Phunk, and currently has a new release killin' the charts on Beatport with Dallas House diva Kelle Marie.
Writing On The Wall 
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