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AWKWORD’s Notorious: Free Download x Cover Art x Features
“Notorious“, the latest single off AWKWORD‘s DJBooth-sponsored 100% for-charity global Hip Hop project World View, premiered online as a stream only via ALlHipHop.com on December 29, 2012. Featuring Wordsmith, Jasiri X, Jus Daze and Capital X, the song had already received radio love from the likes of Chuck D of Public Enemy. Click HERE for AWKWORD’s breakdown of the song.
On January 11, 2013, AWKWORD and artist Andreis Costa dropped the ‘Flashing Marquee’ (gif) cover art.
On January 14, AWKWORD released the free download of “Notorious” through his soundcloud. He also made it available for purchase — on iTunes and other major online retailers; and with a ‘Name Your Own Price’ option through his bandcamp – with all proceeds going to charity.
Since its release, “Notorious” has appeared on many of the leading sites worldwide.
KevinNottingham.com said:
The homie AWKWORD is on a straight mission to serve up dope Hip Hop with a message, and that mission is so far very successful as he always catches my attention with his thought provoking tracks… This shit is just all the way dope and should not be slept on. AWKWORD does it again.
Other sites to feature the song include:
- Vibe
- 2 Dope Boyz
- DJ Booth
- Ashley Outrageous
- Barrelhouse BKLYN
- Nodfactor
- The Mad Bloggers
- Dope Music Blog
- Versos Perfectos (Spain)
- Sunete Sub.Sol (Romania)
- GoodTunes (Germany)
- Artistic Manifesto
- Crayon Beats
- Emcee Enthusiast
- We Goin In
- Definition of Fresh
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New: AWKWORD ft. Wordsmith, Jasiri X, Jus Daze – Notorious
“This song was originally inspired by the shootings and stabbings at the premieres across the United States for the Biggie biopic, Notorious — when we should have been celebrating one of our best and remembering the needless violence that caused his tragic death, we were busy perpetuating negative stereotypes. For me, and for Wordsmith, Jasiri X, Jus Daze and Capital X, these events became symbolic of a greater societal, cultural problem: one that impacts the Hip Hop community, specifically, and needs to be solved now. Chicago in 2012 says it all: a record number of murders; regular reports of police abuse; and a now-famous gang-affiliated 17-year-old rapper Chief Keef laughing on twitter at the shooting death of a local rival. And the massacre at Sandy Hook shows the problem extends beyond ‘the hood’. For BIG, for Hip Hop, for our communities, all our communities, let’s change what it means to be Notorious.” — AWKWORD
Leading Hip Hop music and culture site AllHipHop.com picked up “Notorious” for an Exclusive World Premiere.
CLICK HERE to stream the brand-new World View single, produced by Amin PaYnE of Australia and featuring Wordsmith, Jasiri X, Jus Daze and Capital X.
COMING SOON: Official FREE Download + Cover Art.
Click here to download the Clean/Radio/TV version now.
Special shout out to the one-and-only Mr. Chuck D of Public Enemy and ANDYOUDON’TSTOP!; The Company Man Show on PNC; Dharmic X and This Culture Never Dies on WNYU; and every other DJ already spinning the record for their listeners.
CLICK HERE to hear Chuck D introduce the song and speak about the Sandy Hook school shooting and gun violence in America.
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PleaseDontStare Editorial: A (Real) Hip Hop Presidency
“Although it seems heaven sent, we aint ready to have a black President” – Tupac Shakur
When Tupac made that statement on his song “Changes” on his greatest hits album, I was all of 11 years old at the time and at that moment, believed what Pac said in that record would remain true for the duration of my lifetime. But lo and behold, we have defied that statement (sorry Pac) currently have the first African-American President, Barack Obama, about to make a run for his second term in office. So, that got me to thinking..would it be possible to see a day where we could have one of our beloved Hip Hop artists as the leader of the Free World?? PDS Guest Blogger and Recording Artist himself, Awkword, takes a crack at it and tells us who we should vote for on our ballet’s.
Shout out to DJ Benhameen and the whole team over at PleaseDontStare for publishing the piece.
Click here to find out who AWK picked for the full presidential cabinet, and why.
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AWKWORD Interview with The Village Voice
Fittingly, on May Day, a day after the release — to critical acclaim and great fanfare — of the video for AWKWORD‘s World View single “Bars & Hooks“, The Village Voice‘s Sound of the City blog drops its interview with the Activist Rapper…
N.W.A.’s “Fuck Tha Police” burst into Awkword’s life thanks to his baby-sitter. The Manhattan-based rapper visibly remembers the day when his part-time watchdog turned up with a copy of Dr. Dre and Ice Cube’s anti-establishment rant; hearing the song kick-started his first forays into writing his own raps. True to that song’s sentiment, today Awkward is as much an activist as an artist, channeling the idea of conveying a message and a viewpoint through rhyme and attempting to cause a change in the world around him. His upcoming World View project is the next stage in his mission, with all profits from the project going towards the Guns 4 Cameras (Aim To Live) anti-street-violence organization.
With the Occupy Wall Street movement set to snag more headlines today, we checked in with Awkword to speak about the potential for instigating social change through music, the dynamics of organizing a successful protest, and how his music is equally as inspired by Ill Bill as The Beatles.
Click here to read — and comment on or share — this unique, lengthy interview.
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AWKWORD Featured on Brosy Compilations 299, 356, 358 & 362
Hungary’s BROSYmusic Compilations featuring AWKWORD (to date)…
Brosy Compilation 362
December 21, 2011
Featuring Ras Kass, Timeless Truth, Reks, Busta Rhymes, AWKWORD, ILL BILL, Tenacity, Blame One, Boog Brown, LMNO, Large Professor, Jus Allah, Block McCloud, Apathy, Edo G, Craig G, Sage Francis, Toki Wright, Jasiri X, Copywrite and more.
Production from Oh No, Tranzformer, Audible Doctor, Falside, Scoop Deville and more.
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Brosy Compilation 358
December 7, 2011
Featuring Termanology, Reks, Reef The Lost Cauze, Chaundon, AWKWORD, Sean Price, The Kid Daytona, Slick Rick, Hasan Salaam, Jon Connor, Blu, Sadat X, Soul Khan, St. Joe Louis and more.
Production from Statik Selektah, DJ Low Cut, Reef Ali, DJ Premier, Sicknature (of the Snowgoons), Pete Rock, The White Shadow of Norway, JR&PH7 and more.
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Brosy Compilation 356
December 1, 2011
Featuring Bumpy Knuckles, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Rock (of Heltah Skeltah), AWKWORD, Sha Stimuli, Nametage, Emilio Rojas, Blaq Poet, Prodigy (of Mobb Deep), Skyzoo, The Roots, Phonte and more.
Production from DJ Premier, Black Milk, M-Phazes, 4th Assassin and more.
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Brosy Compilation 299
May 27, 2011
Featuring Rapsody, Koncept (of Brown Bag AllStars), Tenacity, AWKWORD, Dice Raw, Lords of the Underground, Wu-Tang Clan, Sean Price, Planet Asia, Mistah FAB, Joell Ortiz, Meyhem Lauren, Kidz in the Hall, Kool Keith, Tanya Morgan, Skyzoo, Erick Sermon and more.
Production from Astronote, Tranzformer, Harry Fraud, Frank Dukes and more.
All proceeds from World View are being donated to Guns 4 Cameras (G4C) (a.k.a. Aim to Live), a 501c3-registered nonprofit that goes beyond the gun-exchange program, working to eradicate street violence through the Hip Hop-inspired education and empowerment of our at-risk youth.
Hip Hop/Rap Artist, Activist and Sociologist AWKWORD is the mastermind behind World View, the first-ever 100% For-Charity Global Hip Hop project, presented and hosted by The DJ Booth (DJBooth.net) and also sponsored by The Morgan Stanley Foundation, The Red Tag Society and End of the Weak (EOW), in addition to Dope Music Blog and The Mad Bloggers.
World View is executive produced by AWKWORD, The White Shadow (Uncut Productions; Norway) and Trilian (Serbia). The final album mix is being handled by Vinyl Digger (Switzerland). Andreis Costa of Sweat Shop NYC is the World View Art Director.
