Cloud Nineteen, Braille and S1, Cloud Nineteen Tour, Christian Hip Hop

Skepticold Music Video

braille — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:10:54 +0000

The Skepticold music video premier is taking place in Portland on June 17th. Then on June 18th the video will premier all over the WEB, including right here at www.itsnineteen.com.

We are happy to announce that we currently have a batch of another 10,000 CDs to give away this summer. This puts us at the halfway mark of our goal to give away 30,000. THANKS TO EVERYONE who has supported through giving, prayers and encouragement.

The PBJ party was a success!!!

braille — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:06:23 +0000

Hey hey - this is Braille. I just got home from the Peanutbutter and Jelly Party in Nashville, TN. First of all, Syntax Records and all the co-laborers did a great job with this party. Due to rain we had to move the show from the rooftop and into the gym, but it was just amazing. I was able to give away around 500 CDs. I also performed a brand new song titled “Almost There”. During my stay in Nashville I also visited a few other shows, spoke on an artist panal and spent time fellowshipping with friends. There are many stories I could tell but I’ll save them for a rainy day. 10,000 more copies of “CloudNineteen” are being printed up right now. It’s really excited and I feel blessed and honored that God is still working in my life.

TOP SELLER

braille — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:14:31 +0000

“CloudNineteen” was a top seller at 3 major online retailers for the month of March. #1 at www.sphereofhiphopstore.com, #12 at www.undergroundhiphop.com and #19 at www.accesshiphop.com

The album also did well at www.thebus-shop.com, www.qualityjunk.com, Itunes, www.3hmp3.com and www.360vinyl.com. Thanks to everyone who supported. We have now raised enough money to manufacture a new batch of 10,000 CDs to give away for free this summer.

Houston Concert Re-Cap

braille — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:46:52 +0000

Concert Re-Cap by Sketch Da Journalist

Still playing blog catchup, but here are some flix and commentary from Braille & S1’s Houston stop on the “Cloud Nineteen” tour at Fletcher Mission near downtown.

This was just two days after SXSW and the final show on this tour so they were both understandably beat. Still, both Braille and Symbolyc One really showed their hearts and shared their time and story with the small crowd of teens.

View full story with pictures at this link

http://sketchthejournalist.blogspot.com/2009/04/photo-recap-braille-s1-cloud-19-tour.html
thanks to Sketch Da Journalist.

Rapreviews rates “CloudNineteen” 8.5 out of 10

braille — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:13:31 +0000

as reviewed by Steve ‘Flash’ Juon at www.rapreviews.com

Braille should be very familiar to readers of RapReviews.com. We’ve covered four of his albums so far from “LIFEFirst” through “The IV Edition” and Braille Brizzy has improved with each one - in fact he got one of our coveted Nines on his last joint. If that weren’t enough you should know Braille’s voice from listening to podcasts like Hip-Hop Shop, where he can be heard to proclaim every week that “RapReviews is bringin’ the news, to youse and youse and youse.” Big up for the drop Braille, we greatly appreciate it.

Early in his career Braille got tagged as “a Christian rapper who doesn’t shove God down your throat” which is in many ways a backhanded compliment, and Braille has had to work hard to overcome that stereotype. Few rappers hustle as hard as Braille does though, which is how he’s not only elevated to being one of the top names in the underground but secured his music a coveted slot in the game “NBA Live 2009.” So here’s a little tip for the few non-believers still left out there - Braille can’t be pigeonholed as a Christian rapper, an underground rapper, a backpack rapper or any other “insert potential limiting prefix” rapper any more. Braille has come a long way and dared anyone out there to defy him to shine, and with new partner-in-crime Symbolyc One he’s here to do it one more time in 2009 with “Cloud Nineteen.”

“Wait a minute - hold up - I’m on this
If you never heard this get ready for pure bliss
I’m a wordsmith; I swerve in the pocket
With subtle certanties and a secret identity
Call me Peter Parker, they never guessed it, the unexpected
Change into my costume before I make the record
SUPER MC, stirrin up soup for the soul
At the free throw line when I shoot for the goal”

“For Life” illustrates the Braille approach to rhyming nicely. Braille’s fluid delivery works rhymes in naturally as opposed to forcing them in cliched ways, while he’s nice enough to put assonance and double entendre into bars without breaking up the flow. The vocal tone is calm and self-assured, occcasionally reaching up an octave for emphasis but never coming remotely close to the trademark highs of Eazy-E or DJ Quik. You might think Brizzy was a California native by the natural West coast vibe he exudes, but in truth he knows more about rain than sunshine due to his Seattle stomping grounds. Combine all of these things together and sprinkle in some fine beats from Symbolyc One (or S1 for short) and Braille runs wild up and down the court like his favorite sport. Don’t take my word for it though, take Braille’s:

“It’s the return of the prodigal son, back on his saddle
It took a while to break from the shackles
More miles to travel, still kickin up gravel
It’s still more battles to fight and more topics to tackle
Grab a pothold it’s too hot to handle
Warning signs in the sky with a roman candle
I’ve been grindin all year and I can’t stand still
Surrounded by scoundrels, downdalls and scandals
Send me an angel to protect my territory
Cause I’m terrified of what the future might hold for me
Illegal downloads, record labels goin bankrupt
And I’m still rappin - I haven’t lost my passion
Authentic, we all in it, no doubt, no doubt y’all
We turn it out, that’s my word”

“That’s My Word” combines Braille’s almost impeccable rhyme-writing and delivery with an equally superb S1 beat that sizzles like any banger from Statik Selektah or DJ Premier, and if that wasn’t enough Theory Hazit provides guest vocals and Rob Swift scratches the hook. We’ve been telling y’all Braille ain’t no joke for a while now, and the rest of the hip-hop world finally seems to be getting up on it. In fact in many ways “Cloud Nineteen” is an all-star tribute to just how far Braille has come in rap. You don’t have to feel the bumps to read between the lines when you see Strange Fruit Project on “Broken Hearted,” Vursatyl from the Lifesavas on “Megaphone Phonics” or Ohmega Watts and Othello on “HardRock.” Picking individual songs from “Cloud Nineteen” though is both a joy and an exercise in futility, since Braille doesn’t really kick weak shit. Almost any song on “Cloud Nineteen” is banger so picking one song to say “this represents exactly what Braille is” will never be definitive as a result. One thing has never changed though from all the way back to 1999 - Braille has the “Heart of God” in his raps but just doesn’t fall into that cornball Christian stereotype no matter how hard people want it to fit. Braille is the truth y’all.

Slide show from first two weeks of tour

braille — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:10:24 +0000

In 14 days we’ve rocked 18 shows. This slideshow doesn’t have photos from every gig, and some gigs we aren’t even allowed to photograph the crowd but this slideshow will give you an idea of what we’ve been up to thus far. We’ve given out over 2,000 CDs and seen God move in many different ways. We’ve done intimate events, huge events, clubs, churches, schools, homeless centers, correctional facilities and much more. Every day is different and every day in an adventure. We will continue pressing forward towards the goal of giving out 30,000 CDs this year. WORD UP

Cloud Nineteen Producer S1…talks about the project, Braille & Hip-Hop

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:41:15 +0000

S1 first collaborated on the song “Blessed Man” from Braille’s last solo record. During 2008 they stayed in touch and slowly started kicking around ideas of doing a full record together. Once both of their schedules cleared up they started creating new tracks. The chemistry was immediate and “CloudNineteen” was pushed to the forefront. After 5 months of creating material from long distance (S1 in Texas and Braille in Oregon) they finally met up in person to do the final sequencing. Rather then sitting on the record, they decided to bring it straight to the public as soon as possible. An eclectic list of guest artists including Shawn Lee (Ubiquity Records), Tony Cook (drummer from the JBs – James Brown band), Rob Swift, Vursatyl (of the Lifesavas), Lightheaded, Ragen Fykes, Strange Fruit Project, DJ Idull and Theory Hazit. Braille and S1 will be touring together in 2009 – which is an indication of how excited they are about this album.

We kick it with S1, producer extraordinaire…

Anonymous :: Sup fam… thanks for the opportunity. I loved your production on “Blessed Man” from Braille’s last album the “IV.” For cats that just recently heard about your music, would you give them a glimpse of who S1 is? Tell us about your life as an artist and about your personal life (married, kids, etc.)?

S1 :: Well my name is S1, I’m a producer and emcee (in Strange Fruit Project) from Texas. I been producing for a bout 13 years now (3 years fulltime as career). I have a beautiful wife and two boys who keep me motivated and on my toes everyday.

Anonymous :: How did you and Braille hook up?

S1 :: We actually met a few years ago at a show that we (Strange Fruit Project) had. He introduced himself and we had small talk. A few years later he hit me up for a joint (Blessed Man) on his solo album and the feeling and response was so good that it evolved into us working on this Cloud Nineteen Project.

Anonymous :: What was the motivation behind collaborating on this project?

S1 :: The motivation behind this project was just life in general. All the good and bad things we go through in life is the fire behind this project. We wanted to let people know that we’re all going through trials and tribulation but we can get through it all with God in our corner. In addition, our goal was to be able to plant some great seeds in the youth. That’s the main reason for us giving this album away for free at all our concerts and events.

Anonymous :: Cloud Nineteen Project is a dope album. Braille is a beast on the mic and you are just as beastly on the production side. I think the tag-team compliments well. Tell me about the experience of making this album?

S1 :: The experience of making this album was magnificent. We completed about 60 percent of the album just sending files back and forth to each other. Then Braille came down to Texas for about 3 days and we completed the other 40 percent and put all the finishing touches on it together. It was Crazy!

Anonymous :: Looking back at that experience, what is the one thing in the process that stands out as something that impacted you as an artist/person.

S1 :: Just the overall feeling of knowing that the end result of this project is going to be BIG (because of the purpose behind it) but not knowing exactly how or what God’s plan was for it. We just knew through it all, we were doing the right thing in putting this album together.
Anonymous :: “Broken Heart” is a crazy track. Tell me about the concept. Did you come up with the features?

S1 :: That was a track that I had laying in the vault that I knew I would use for some project, I just didnt know which one. So when Braille and I started working together, I was like, “Okay I think this would fit well on the album.” So I sent it to Braille and he loved and laced it. Then I hit up the fellas (Myth and Myone) and they were down to jump on it. Originally Choklate was supposed to be on the hook, but that didn’t work out so we got Ragen and my homegirl Thesis on it and it came out lovely. Big ups to Choklate, Ragen, and Thesis.

Anonymous :: “That’s My Word” featuring Theory Hazit is another dope song. Braille’s second verse is bananas ;). He talks about being transparent, mentions that he raps to keep the streets calm, and that good music is from the heart hence why he is keeping it true. For the most part, you just don’t hear this type of message in rap music. What do you think is the state of Hip-Hop today? And where do you think we need to be? How do we get there?

S1 :: I think we just need more balance in Hip Hop. This generation of artists are more into following trends as opposed to setting them. So what we have is carbon copies of alot of the same music. We need more risk takers on the artistic/creative side as well as the corporate side with these labels and radio programmers.

Anonymous :: Here is yet another track I dig “From the Pulpit.” After hearing this joint I couldn’t help but wonder if Christian rap has a place in Hip-Hop. What do you think? What do you dig and hate of this subgenre?

S1 :: Me personally I think Christian rap definitely has a place in Hip Hop. If the music, message and feeling is there then its undeniable. I think the misconception with a lot of the Christian type rap stuff is that most of it sounds real corny in how its presented to the masses. Presentation is key.

Anonymous :: In a couple sentences tell us about this album?

S1 :: Great Music, Great Lyrics, Great Message, and Great Purpose!

Anonymous :: What is next for S1? Will we see another collab project with Braille in the future?

S1 :: I just stay working in the studio all day and every day. Aside for the Braille project, I just finished a project with an emcee from Texas named Kness. I’m working on the new Strange Fruit Project album and producing joints for about 20+ other artists on major and independent levels. ‘09 has already been a blessing for me, Praise God!

Anonymous :: Thanks for kicking with ILLSPOT, one!!

Article written by the guys over at ILLSPOT. Check out the actual article here.

Q-and-A: Braille

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:04:08 +0000

Check out the writeup the guys over at Williamette Week Online wrote

Article written about Braille over at the Willamette Week Online

BY CASEY JARMAN | 503-243-2122

[February 25th, 2009]

[HIP-HOP] Braille doesn’t know how to front. It’s because of this that his albums progress as he himself progresses—the 27-year-old native Portlander and MC drops life lessons, relates family tragedies and discusses his dreams—allowing listeners to grow with him as he examines the human condition. Because Braille wears his emotions—and perhaps more commercially dangerous, his Christianity—on his sleeve, he’s not the kind of MC one would ever expect to land a No. 1 single on the Billboard charts. But he’s also careful not to allow his genuine nature to interfere with the quality of music: Braille maintains a high level of creativity on the microphone throughout his latest album, CloudNineteen, and surrounds himself with similarly qualified collaborators—especially the album’s producer, Symbolyc One, whose beats ache with the same desire for communication and healing that permeates Braille’s verses.

When WW called Braille (born Bryan Winchester) he was shopping for food to serve during an upcoming video shoot. He showed remarkable focus for a man in a grocery store with his wife and daughter.

WW: You’ve never been shy about expressing your spirituality on records, but it seems like you’re on that topic even more with CloudNineteen.
Braille: I started touching on spiritual topics as a writer back when I was, like, 15. Twelve years have passed and it’s who I am. I listen to a beat and I get on a topic or I get on something that’s on my heart. I just try to be honest. I’ve always been careful in my own music. I don’t wanna build a fanbase off some buzz words. So if I say “Jesus” in a song, I want it to be a powerful and meaningful moment in the song that really represents my true feeling and my true heart.

Do you ever worry about isolating your secular fan base when you talk about your spirituality?
I came up listening to the Native Tongues, and when gangster rap and club rap came up the artists I listened to got phased out of the mainstream. So to me, if you’re not being real, what’s the point of even doing this? I can’t really be motivated by what’s going to make me popular. If people are rolling with it, that’s awesome, and I’m going continue working on the quality of my expression. But how many people listen to 50 Cent that have never held a gun, you know? If we can tolerate an excess of negativity that is more than we would personally live out, then I think on the flipside sometimes we can tolerate a level of positivity or spirituality that is more excessive than we’re willing to live out.

So, your daughter is 2 1/2 now. How has being a dad changed your life?
It’s just the value of human life—it just brought it up another level. I’ve always valued human life in theory, but then you start thinkin’ like, man, every one of us was somebody’s baby once, and if I see two people fighting, I start thinking, man, those two dudes were babies once. Some mom was holding them. You know? And you realize we’re not as big and as tough as we think we are sometimes. And when I’m out on the road, it’s a sacrifice for me at this point. People will be like, “Oh, you’re living out your dream.” You are, but there’s that part of you that wishes you could just sit on the couch and cuddle with your daughter and watch American Idol and just be a regular dude.

You’re planning to give away 30,000 copies of your album, right?
Yeah, we’ve already raised enough money to give out 5,000 copies. One of my frustrations as I was getting ready to put out this record was that I’m tired of not being able to market to the younger generation. The type of hip-hop that is being sold to the younger generation is crazy. But you go to these correctional facilities and see what these kids get into—10-year-old kids getting into gangs or on cocaine? How do you market positive stuff? What picture do I take of myself? You’ve got one album cover with a picture of a guy with cars and beautiful women and iced-out chains, then you have this skinny white kid with long hair. I don’t even want to sell them my album, I’d rather volunteer to go where they are at—at a crossroads in their life—and just show them another option.

Where do you hope your music takes you?
If it was over tomorrow, I’d be like, “Rock on.” I can’t believe I’ve experienced these things. To start out as a 13-year-old kid with braces and acne and double-XL FUBU shirts, you know, and 14 years later to be able to say I’ve been to Europe six times, I’ve been to Japan twice, I’ve done shows with artists I grew up listening to like De La Soul? People email me and say I’ve made an impact in their life. You can’t ask for more than that. I didn’t plan on giving a record away for free or visiting correctional facilities, it just came together. So I don’t even try to determine what’s next anymore. It’s always something different than what I thought it would be.

Braille goes to jail

admin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:03:17 +0000

It’s not what you think, though. Portland MC Braille is on a mission as of late to get his music—infectious hip-hop of the positive and spiritual variety—to as many kids as possible (including a previously reported plan to give away 30,000 copies of his forthcoming album, CloudNineteen). Braille was kind enough to take notes on his recent trip to perform for kids at a Washington Juvenile Corrections Facility for WW. The trip in his words:

Check out what they have to say about Braille over at Local Cut