Mike McCray

Local Leak: Pradigy GT's "Believe"

by Mike McCray on April 7, 2010 at 5:34PM

I can remember being a last second replacement judge for my college radio station's beat battle a few years ago and having some dude named Pradigy continually blow the other judges and I away round after round with his production that was just a notch above everybody else in the competition. Well that guy is a Charlotte native and he's back home performing with his band, Pradigy GT.

Local Leak: Eyes of the Elders' "American Man"

by Mike McCray on April 6, 2010 at 10:55AM

Fresh from being mastered, Eyes of the Elders, sent us their new track, "American Man." Creative Loafing was given exclusive access to this track from the band that somehow seems to get bigger and bigger, yet better and better. They are one of the few acts out there that can, literally, cover all bases and this new song has something very badass about it.

Local Leak: The Flash Alchemy's Pour Me Poison

by Mike McCray on April 5, 2010 at 12:00PM

Anyone remotely affiliated with CL meets their fair share of up-and-coming artists, but I think most readers would be surprised at how few of them actually follow through on the opportunity to have their music reviewed and the possibility of having something written about them, whether it be good or bad. I'm not saying flood our inboxes but a simple, 'Hey, check this out' from artists around town every now and then is appreciated.

A lifetime of loathing shitty R&B singers

by Mike McCray on March 30, 2010 at 2:13PM

Few things conjure up my inner hater like the would-be, local R&B singer. Not their music per se.

I get it, I'm late

by Mike McCray on March 24, 2010 at 2:41PM

Whether it was never listening to an entire album from The Beatles until college or picking up a hip-hop album just one week after it was released and trying to talk about how good I thought it was, in my position, no one lets me slide on being late. Few things are as cutting and condescending as getting a "you're late" reply to something you praise that didn't just hit the streets ... but realistically, aren't we all late to some degree?

Message, schmessage

by Mike McCray on March 18, 2010 at 4:33PM

Where is it written in the by-laws of hip-hop, that the artist must be saying something? While I'd agree that deeper and thought provoking subject matter do, in fact, make music better (generally), every song doesn't have to have some bigger message.

Live Review: Red Bull Thre3 Style Battle

by Mike McCray on March 16, 2010 at 4:30PM

Red Bull Thre3 Style Battle The Forum March 15, 2010 The Deal: Eight local DJ's each spin a 15 minute set that must include three different genres of music and win over the crowd and judges, which included local promoter Mike Kitchen, NASCAR driver Scott Speed, rap duo Camp Lo & the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff, among others. The Good: It took DJ Jazzy Jeff no time to prove that he'd been doing this for longer than most of the contestants had been alive.

Celebrating Notorious B.I.G. Day

by Mike McCray on March 9, 2010 at 5:34PM

With today being the 13th anniversary of Biggie Small's death, it's crazy to think that as a 23-year old that literally grew up with hip-hop, that B.I.G. has been dead more than half my life. March 9 is always a day where radio blows the dust off Biggie records that aren't just singles but the meat of the legacy he left behind.

Video: Pac Div - "We The Champs (Duke vs. Carolina)"

by Mike McCray on March 8, 2010 at 11:37AM

You might have seen Duke slaughter my beloved North Carolina Tar Heels in the greatest rivalry in college sports over the weekend. While I'm still licking my wounds and receiving tons of salt via social media, I can be glad that we're still the reigning National Champions for about a month AND this dope Pac Div song from their 2009 mixtape, Church League Champions, exists in honor of the rivalry... well, maybe not honor, but it's named after the rivalry which it samples rather dopely. Further proof you don't even have to be from the South to respect the greatness.

Catching a case for Plies' credibility?

by Mike McCray on March 4, 2010 at 4:00PM

Anybody perusing the Miami Herald yesterday might have seen the headline, "Gainesville nightclub shooting victims sue rapper" and for those that weren't checking up on South Florida, that rapper was Plies. A lawsuit was filed against the rapper who's blown up behind the strength of his "goon" image, overtly sexual material and thousands of chest-naked pictures that teenager girls die for, but it doesn't take a lot of research to know that he is, at the very least, college educated (if not an alum).

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