Blog - The Movement Fam, Independent Hip Hop Record Label - Toronto + Montréal
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While Notion is putting the finishing touches on the EP, he connected with his brother Cee, Toronto's The Mighty Rhino and regular collaborator Digital Junkie for this uplifting, soulful banger. "Back To Life" sees the three artists drop positive bars focusing on progression, dedication, focus and the neverending search for happiness, all tied together by Digital Junkie's razor sharp cuts.
Back in December, Cee dropped his 12th single of 2017, "Net Neutral". Once again helmed by Notion, soulful harmonies provided the backdrop for Cee's timely bars, touching on the recent Net Neutrality repeal, social media addiction and cryptocurrency, all contributing to an appropriate year-end wrap up.
Now Cee has teamed up with King Richard yet again for the FX and message-heavy visuals, shot in Montreal.
"Something Inside" was yet again helmed by King Richard Bastarache, who took care of 5 of the 6 videos from the project (all except the "Spaceman" lyric video). Notion and brother Ceehijacked the Queen Of The World barber shop in Montreal, alongside one of the dopest barbers in the city, Dave "Harder" Dumay, for a trippy, FX-heavy visual for the soulful, hard-hitting single.
The catchy vocal stabs are balanced by the dirty bassline as Cee effortlessly rides the beat, working the "I'll be" and "1, 2" vox into his verses. He confidently speaks on the position he feels he deserves in music, persistence, and the affect the death of his father has had on his life. As real and as poignant as ever while retaining that head nodding vibe, "Kill 'Em" comes in at exactly 2:00 so it's short and sweet, and it's exactly what you need in your life right now.
Produced by Po3 and Sophia Lucero, "What Do You Believe In?" preceeded the work on the album and is a fitting introduction to the forthcoming group effort. A rootsy guitar lick (courtesy of Noa Bourke) kicks off the track, leading to a sparse, earthy bass-fuelled hook with Po3's conscious chant, while the MCs - including Cee's brother Notion - trade introspective verses about the state of the world as they see it.
The second track in his 2017 monthly series is "Separate Ways", both featuring and produced by his brother Notion. It's a return to their historical sound - a driving soulful head nodder, drenched in their signature honesty, passion and genuine aspiration for achievement. With a hook loosely inspired by Nirvana, the boys break down how they're moving away from any negative energy while truly embracing and manifesting their inevitable success.
To hold the people over until the album drops, Notion returns with a heavy hitting brand new single "Infected". Produced by Saskatchewan's Rayne Drop, the haunting vocal sample, eerie keys and tough drums provide the soundscape as Notion rains bars for almost 3 minutes straight. One of the few remaining true lyricists, the MC let's the people know where he's been at and what's to come:
"I show love, so we talking 'bout the latter / it's mind over matter, MC over rapper, Notion"
The arresting visuals, directed by Jonathan Emile and shot by King Richard, follow Cee as he discovers his neighbour (played by Angela Nashed) has been a victim of domestic abuse, so much so that she does something very drastic to escape her situation. The upbeat vibe and positive lyrical content are juxtaposed with the dark themes, providing a jarring and thought-provoking experience for the viewer.
The second single from Cee and SVNTY6's collaborative EP, "Be Better", samples Ms. Rodrigues' classic "O Xaile de Minha Mãe", a song Cee discovered a decade back during Spanish lessons. He had sent the song to around ten different producers over the years, and only SVNTY6 had been able to flip it right.
The lead single, "Holdin' Hands", grabs you as soon as the snare hits with its heart-wrenching sample and Notion's personal, introspective lyrics where he tracks his musical journey and professes his gratitude for his fam and his supporters. Crafted by production team DiazSima based out of Budapest, Hungary, the single conveniently drops on Notion's birthday (November 8th) as a gift to both himself and fans of real, conscious Hip Hop.
The big homie Definition dropped 'LvlUp' featuring TMF's Cee and Notion, with the Fam Digital Junkie on the cuts. Cover art by iLLvibe. Produced by Fingaling.
It's been a quick minute since we dropped a Notion solo joint on the people, so we figured it was about time. Produced by OhNo Da French out of, well, France (now based in the UK), 'Vaxxine' is a haunting, dirty escapade filled with raw bars and off beat drums all peppered with Nosh's signature introspective realness.
Cee linked up with Philly resident Hezekiah (Bilal, The Roots, Talib Kweli) for this soulful head nodder. Shot in Mile End (the hipster HQ of Montreal) by long-time collaborator Richard Bastarache, the visuals for 'It Ain't Over' are simple yet fun, as the contagious energy of the two MCs perfectly compliments the positive vibes and strong message of the track.
The first visual - and first single - from Cee's debut album 'This Is All I Know' is a dedication to the sustenance from the sky - 'Rainy Days'. The feelings of despair when the clouds turn grey can be overwhelming, but the fresh start given via the heavenly earth wash is what truly drives and inspires us. Produced by Sydney, Australia native P.R (Bone, Thugs N Harmony, Evidence, Blu, Onyx - and Notion's single 'Young & Crazy'), the tune features Montreal pioneer D-Shade (Shades Of Culture), and the chemistry between the two MCs is evident as they effortlessly trade verses across the soulful soundscape like they've known each other for years.
#RoadTrippin is the first track from the EP, a soulful Hip Hop journey which encapsulates the imminent summer's carefree vibe of a bunch of friends jumping in a car and seeing where the road takes them.
The homie Citizen of The Understudies out in the Bay Area, California, hollered at Cee to jump on his latest single 'Ghosttown' produced by Digital Martyrs, which also features Kensho Kuma and Cyberclops of CandleSpit. Go 'head and cop the 3 track EP from iTunes!
Oh yeah, son! The kid Notion finally dropped his debut single 'Young & Crazy' on y'all! Produced by Sydney's P.R, this is one of my fave tunes we've ever released, straight up.
It's up on iTunes right now and it's only $0.99 - bargain, eh. Maybe $1.69 in Australia. Bastards stay jackin' up prices.
Man, my blog game is weak right now. My bad. Life is slowly starting to balance out. So after close to two years of getting this thing together, we are announcing the release of a new single from The Movement Fam! 'Smooth It Out' is an ode to everything 420; essentially a soul'd out smokers anthem. The tune is produced by VA's Krohme, who has worked with the likes of Ras Kass (The Game dis), Shyhiem, Obie Trice, MF Grimm, Ill Bill, Kool G Rap, Royce Da 5'9", Cappadonna, Killah Priest and more.
The full song, along with the acapella and instrumental for any folks out there who want to remix the cut, is available now on iTunes (Zune too)! Head over, take a listen and cop the tune!
Shouts to Krohme for rocking with us on this, and big ups to all the folks who copped the single already, which seems to be getting a great response with little to no promotion, so we're vibed.
The Movement Fam - Smooth It Out
Rae is everywhere these days. Peep the visuals for Travis Barker's ’Give The Drummer Some' album's latest single 'Carry It', also featuring Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine and RZA. The album should drop sometime next year
