The mixtape game has been a part of rap since it's inception, when the only way to hear your favorite emcee was through some DJ's live recording. In the last few years though mixtapes have played a large part in the marketing plan of many of today's biggest names in rap. The fact is you need to let the streets know who you are. You need to let them know that when they see your name on a jewel case they're gonna get their money's worth.

            This fact is not lost on Brooklyn based emcee Labba who's been featured on more than his fair share of corner store and street merchant CDs. Like many rappers he fell in love with the culture at an early age, but unlike many he's been fortunate enough to come in contact with more than a few industry heads. People like Busta Rhymes and Kevin Liles have been sounding the call about Labba and the uniqueness of his music. That uniqueness in based on his West Indian heritage, evident from the moment he opens his mouth. Hard to find in the rap game, Labba's booming voice delivers lines to let people know about the culture he represents, and that realness has earned a lot of attention.....

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PLATEAU MAGAZINE: I REMEMBER FIRST HEARING YOU A FEW MONTHS BACK ON NEW CRACK CITY . THE BUSTA RHYMES MIXTAPE HOSTED BY CLINTON SPARKS. SO I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN SINCE THEN.

Labba: I did like two Kay Slay mixtapes. Then [a mix with] DJ Mor' fire, all three of those mixtapes came out and were real successful and started building my buzz. Then the real challenge came when Busta said "we just gonna put out a mixtape with Labba called New Problem, and we moved like 7,000 of that....

"The mix is not even close to being done," says Jay Deasel, the young producer. Shayna Zaid sits on a couch in a basement studio in midtown Manhattan, nervous about what she might hear. The studio is a part of music history, once frequented by Jeff Buckley.

"This is awful," she shrieks as she curls her body into the fetal position, but even the raw version of her new single, "It's You," could draw tears to the eyes of a woman in love. The words are authentic and the violin climax is mesmerizing.

Already a star in Malaysia, Shayna Zaid, a transplant to NYC, is trying to make it big in the states. Her self-proclaimed "melodramatic-popular song," east-meets-west style embodies the intricate composition of who she is...

We all know the story of a young artist - whether a painter, a writer, or a musician -- who, after college graduation, moves to New York City with dreams of making a name for himself. Hip-hop producer, Shawneci, is living out his own twist to this story. Shawneci grew up in Rhode Island and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where, he says, he "just finished up" as a member of the class of 2007, and moved to Brooklyn, where he makes beats. According to the archetypal storyline, the artist labors in obscurity for half a decade or more before finding his big break, but here Shawneci strays from the usual path. Already he is establishing himself as a significant presence on the hip-hop scene. He has completed songs for such emcees as Killah Priest, Dom Pachino, and Nyce, and his work has appeared on mixtapes hosted by the likes of Big Mike, Superstar Jay, and DJ Kool Kid.

Shawneci hasn't had to wait for success because, as a freshman in college, he came looking for it. Although he's been making beats since he was "a little kid," he "didn't know anybody really in the business." He recognized that he needed to make some connections. "I actually picked up some CDs and mixtapes and called some numbers on the back of the CDs and started speaking to DJs, many of whom I still have relationships with today. One was DJ Chuck T, who gave me a few numbers and recommended some indie artists who were on the come-up. That gave me a start."...

Three months have passed since Luke Dolahenty left Sydney, Australia to pursue his music in New York.   Growing up in a home indifferent to music began singing lessons at the age of five years.   He hated the first two classes, but by the third something in what he was learning clicked.

Sixteen years and three months later, that passion is still alive and thriving in his heart. With that passion he spends his nights exploring the city he considers the Mecca of music, looking for inspiration.   When it comes to musical tastes his can be found in the works of Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Nine Inch Nails.   It is hard to imagine NIN and Stevie doing a cover of When Doves Cry , but that struggle between melodious and intense rock is a driving factor in what Luke creates...

Loj - No Labels

Reviewed by Thomas P. Sodano

In a time where Hip Hop music is categorized as either socially conscious or chronically catchy, few artists can find a successful remedy that combines a bit of both. In Loj’s debut album, No Labels, he seems to do exactly that as he convinces listeners that his style can’t be so easily packaged in today’s musical landscape. By meshing relevant lyrics with hard-hitting beats, Loj’s music could be heard on the radio as well as on the stage of any underground venue.

After listening to No Labels in its entirety, Loj will leave listeners with the feeling of a high energy performance; his lively persona on this album makes you want to attend a show as soon as possible. The album’s quality production keeps up with this energy and allows you to look past the artist’s rare moments of lyrical weakness...

Maniacal Plan - Casualty of Sound

Reviewed by Joshua Kail

If you were to take a cup of post Black Album Metallica, 3 tablespoons of Nickelback, a pinch of Creed, the ghosts of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and put it in a Cusinart until it was a consistent blend you would end up with Casualty of Sound, the new EP from Maniacal Plan. It is a full blast hard rock album that is steeped in the sounds of the late 90’s with whinier vocals that give it a contemporary feel. The overall sound is good: strong bass, strong guitar riffs, strong drums, etc. And the energy on the EP gives a taste of what their live show must be like. In the recorded format though, it is just lacking something.

This is clearly not a CD to play quietly, but even with the neighbor’s floor shaking above your apartment ceiling, Casualty of Sound just comes off a bit generic. Again, as far as the hard rock feel goes Maniacal Plan hits it straight on, but so what? Other hard rock bands hit the same nail with the same hammer in the same way...