Is Henok Achido's video for "High On Life (When The Drugs Don't Work)" one of the best Independent rap video to ever come out in Europe? You decide. Here's my opinion:
It's one of the only rap videos currently in circulation that doesn't depict images of jewelry, cars, cash, models, and fashion; but that's not what makes the video great. The reason why this piece is so captivating is because tackles issues that are rarely spoken about in the hip-hop community. Issues such as isolation, depression, homelessness and mortality. It shows a side of urban life, that the public rarely gets to see. The social aspects, such as, the night clubs, parties, public gatherings, are replaced with images of confinement, paranoia, and desolation. When looking at the big city, we often focus on the lights, skyscrapers, and glamorous events, yet, we rarely think about the thousands of people confined within their apartments living with an array of social anxieties, addictions and mental disorders. We see a beautiful bridge in Brooklyn, but we don't see the people living under it.
Henok Achido, once again, proves that he's simply cut from a different cloth. A rapper that refuses to follow the mainstream trends of the music industry. Henok Achido has exalted himself to an unreachable plateau by creating one of the best Independent rap videos to ever come out in Europe.

"High On Life (When The Drugs Don't Work)"
Artist: Henok Achido
Music Producer: Vito
Album: Almaz Charming Child
Year: 2009
Director: Mattis Gustafsson & Oskar Ljungholm of www.slagskottfilm.com
Cinematographer: Erik Nordlund of www.skapetskasta.se
Editor: Alexander Widerberg
3D Imager: Fredrik Nilsson
Henok Achido on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/henokachido
Record Label: DLX Entertainment/Secret Society Club
Contact: thesecretsocietyclub@gmail.com

This is a great record for your summer playlist, "Stunna Shades" by Robin Rocks, featuring J-Son and Angelica. Fresh from Sweden. Enjoy!

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"Stunna Shades"
Artist: Robin Rocks
Featuring: J-Son and Angelica
Label: Unsigned
Year: 2009
Location: Sweden
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hellorobinrocks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/hellorobinrocks

I had to put question marks around this one because I'm not exactly sure if GLC and Bun B. are going to be on the final version of the remix. All we know, so far, is that verses from GLC and Bun B. were recorded for the much anticipated Mirrors Edge Remix. Will these verse make it on to the final cut of the remix… I guess we'll have to wait and see…

This is a fantastic video for Smoke Bulga's "Money On My Mind" featuring Jim Jones! It was directed by DanTheMan, who has filmed music videos for Prodigy, Termanology, 50 Cent and more. It was filmed on location, all throughout Boston (except for the scenes with Jim Jones which were filmed in New York City).

This is by far, the most expensive video and song that any Boston rapper has created all year. The rentals alone that are featured in this video will probably amount to $5,000 or more. Jim Jones was most likely paid, somewhere in the thousands, to appear on the song. Dan The Man is one of the best hip-hop music video directors in the Northeast. His camera alone, the Panasonic AG-HVX200, is worth over $5,000. The production costs of this video must have went "through the roof". I don't think anyone from Boston is going to top this one. At least not this year. Not with a recession… and a 8.7% Massachusetts unemployment rate. Smoke Bulga is the definition of "Ballin"! Ballin in a recession. Overall, Great song, Great video, Thumbs up!

"Money On My Mind"
Artist: Smoke Bulga
Featuring: Jim Jones
Director: Dan The Man
Location: Boston & New York City
Year: 2009
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/smokebulga
Label: http://www.myspace.com/smokebulga
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SmokeBulga

I'm only posting this because it's local… and I'm just doing what I can to support the local community!

"On and On"
Artist: Famoe
Featuring: Makio (From MTV's Making the Band Season 4)
Production Company: SureFire Music
Location: Northern Massachusetts
Year: 2009
Label: SureFire Music Group
Myspace: www.myspace.com/thisisfamoe
Website: http://www.famoe-music.com/

This is an exclusive video (from the good folks at the Secret Society Club) of Kid Cudi and Henok Achido doing their thangs in Sweden at the Hultsfredfestival. Now, I know that I've mentioned millions of times that Henok is one of the best rappers… out, but now I feel the need to re-emphasize that fact and remind everyone one more time that this guy is going to become a global hip-hop icon when it's all said and done.
The people that follow Henok, that go to his shows and buy his music are fans of him for one reason and one reason only… because he's a good rapper. Not because he's rapping on trendy instrumentals, not because of his sneakers, or his borough… they just want to hear him rap… because he's clearly a good rapper. Nothing more nothing less. He's not following himself around with a camera, he's not walking around in shutter shades, he's not wearing the ball-gripping skinny jeans. His female fans aren't daydreaming about his image, they just wanna hear him rap. His male fans aren't envious of his clothing, they just wanna hear him rap. Most of today's new 2009 and 2010 acts are entertainers, they're not just rappers. They sing, they dance, they hop around on stage, they post funny youtube videos; they entertain people. They have little gimmicks; their clothes, their looks, their videos, their blogs, their sneakers, their dj's. Henok just raps, and that's it. They're aren't a lot of new rappers like that. Ghetts from the UK is one of them, but that’s really it. No matter how much you cut and slice it, Henok Achido is the real deal. No if, ands, or skinny jeans about it.

I labeled this as "Funny Video", because it's clearly a "funny video". A funny video with a great beat and some good lyrics, but overall, A FUNNY VIDEO! If you're not familiar with NGP, they're one of the hardest working hip-hop quartets in New York City. They're known for their unique sense of humor and their mascot which is a big yellow chicken. They're managed by Robert A. Celestin of RACLawFirm.com under his Intelligent Music Entertainment company. There's nothing really more to say, the video speaks for itself! Check out the details below for more info:

"Took Your Girl"
Artist: No Good People (NGP)
Manager: Robert A. Celestin
Producer: Concept
Director: Pumatrax aka Joe Puma
Location: New York City
Label: Intelligent Music Entertainment
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/nogoodpeople
Twitter: http://twitter.com/nogoodpeople

Let's get into this one, new music from Million Stylez of Sweden. This is a brand spanking video released about 9 hours ago, thanks to Universal Music in Sweden. The video for Million Stylez new single, titled "Love We Deal With", is directed by David Dawoodi, who is best known for his unique advertising spots for Adidas, Playstation, Budweiser and Lexus. This video, which looks like it was filmed on a moderately low budget, contains many great shots with numerous camera angles that showcase the musicians doing a live performance in an empty concrete building. Overall, it's a great video shot by one of the most creative directors in Sweden.

"Love We Deal With"
Artist: Million Stylez
Director: David Dawoodi
Country: Sweden
Year: 2009
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/millionstylezonline
Label: Adonai Music/Universal Music Sweden
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQEuoTC1En8&feature=channel_page

This is J-Son's newest video for his single "My Window" (produced by Addeboy vs. Cliff). The background vocals were sung by Yaiya, a Swedish pop singer who is currently prepping the release of her new song, titled "What's4Dinner", which features Eboi. The video was directed by the animation and stop motion wizard Arvid Tappert. Arvid Tappert has produced video clips for many major companies and he's also won dozens of awards throughout his amazing career.
The stop motion team which worked on the video did a phenomenal job in making seamless transitions during the frame by effects. Stop motion videos can be very difficult to produce, yet Gifford Film managed to make those visualizations very look easy.
The chorus of "My Window", which is sung in a similar fashion of Seal (from his album "System"), is about waking up with and knowing that you can accomplish anything that your mind can manifest. This song contains a valuable message about the importance of staying positive and making all of your dreams come true.
J-Son has a new album titled "Never Half Steppin", which is scheduled to be released during September of 2009.

"My Window"
Artist: J-Son
Featuring: Yaiya
Music Producers: Addeboy vs. Cliff
Director: Arvid Tappert
Production Company: Gifford Film
Cinematographer: Hannes Isaksson
Strop Motion Photographer: Klara G
Set Designer: Anja-Lisa Rudka
Compositing: Sam Brandhild, Robert Eskekarr, Claudio Salas
Album: Never Half Steppin
Release Date: September 2009
Country: Sweden
J-Son's Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jsonsb
Label: Same Blood Entertainment
Contact: Thierry@Sameblood.com

Addeboy vs. Cliff's "Beep My Beep" is one of the strangest video's I've ever seen. It's so strange, that it's almost brilliant! What do motorcycles, strobe lights and wolves have to do with "beeping" someone's "beep"? Who knows?
I really love the lighting used in this video; everything from the green lasers, the pink sky during the outdoor scene and the four vivid ominous lights that shine behind the thickening fog.
Overall, the best scene in the video has to be the sunset at :50 seconds. The sky looks absolutely amazing throughout that scene.
Addeboy vs. Cliff became international celebrities when they produced Adam Tensta's "My Cool" and "They Wanna Know" from the album "It's a Tensta Thing". They recently went on tour in Los Angeles and displayed their signature sound of electro synths, guitar and frequency filtering. Addeboy vs. Cliff are becoming one of the biggest names in Swedish dance music and production.

"Beep My Beep"
Artist: Addeboy vs. Cliff
Director: Mauri Chifflét
Production Company: Lillasyster Produktion
Cinematographer: Linus Rosenqvist
Producer: Jonas Mattsson
Country: Sweden
Year: 2009
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/addeboyvscliff
Website: www.addeboyvscliff.com
Booking: info@addeboyvscliff.com
Licensing: info@lightsout.se