Got Next: Leon Marin "Beyond Limitations"

"So much heart I'm blastin'..." 


It's only one phrase on a 17-song offering packed dense with loaded lines. Yet that mere piece of a refrain to the breakneck-paced second track on Leon Marin's latest resonates, encapsulating the oversized personality and snarling talent that distinguish this young emcee. In just a week since Beyond Limitations was made available for download (and that coming hot on the heels of Marin's video for "NBA Theme Song"), the mixtape has received praise for its consistency and reached thousands of ears, many belonging to hip-hop fans who may have been previously unfamiliar with the Brooklyn artist.

Don't expect the low profile to last. The laudatory blog posts are on point -- Beyond Limitations is rock solid from open to close, while demonstrating a versatile array of flows and styles. There's the loquaciously bitter ruminations of "Jaded" and crass bounce of "Women N Some Cash," offset by the earnest "Strugglin 4 Life" and eminently eponymous "Leon Marin Show." Some songs may call to mind hip-hop's biggest names -- his lyrical contradictions and technicolor expressions make it difficult to avoid Kanye comparisons. But listen, really listen --Marin's word choices and themes bear so much originality, his impact is utterly fresh.

Don't just take it from us -- grab the FREE download below and introduce yourself to one of the next generation's bright stars.

Click here to download Leon Marin's "Beyond Limitations" 

Leon Marin will be performing Saturday January 28th at Paint and Poetry: A Collaborative Effort of All Things Art. 

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Meet Me on the Flip Side

I've always lip-synched along to songs played silently in my imagination. Lyrics can keep you company that way, no matter where you are. It started with Bruce Springsteen's epics echoing across my mind during longer walks home. At some point, Steve Malkmus' four winding verses from Pavement's masterpiece Watery, Domestic EP were recited like a mantra. Later, it seemed that 90% of my mute mutterings were written by NaS and other emcees. With hip-hop I'd become sensitive to repeated incantations that didn't in any way reflect my own experience. It wasn't just that. Some lyrics are just trite, some violent or disagreeable to the point where I wished neither to vocalize nor internalize them. 

With NaS though, I ran into trouble. Here were some of the most masterful flows and displays of lyrical prowess committed to beats. Even if I couldn't own these words, the rhythm with which they were written energized me. And so these 'Flips' were birthed. Some have been posted here, including one based strictly on AZ's legendary first verse from  "Life's a Bitch (and then You Die)". The conception for NaS' verse and development of this entire flip-to-a-more-positive-tip only came this year when our first son was born. Recently I posted the piece, "Life is Rich (and Love is Why)" on my "big kid culture" blog boobuddha.