About Me
Buy the EP "Circa 2000"
All You Need To Know About The Mood
The Mood Swingaz (J Scholar, T-Haize, Sauce-Rest, All These Mutha Fuckin Reasons (A.T.M.R.) and Baadaaw) are releasing their highly anticipated debut album, Full Mood on the independent label, Karmis Recordingz, February 2003. Its been a few years since this amazing family quartet from Jersey released their neck knocking single, The Blessing on Raw Shack Records. The powerful 12 inch set the world of college radio on fire and paved the way for most of the stuff now being dubbed underground or backpacker music.
Established in 1996 they came up with the name Mood Swingaz, because of each persons radically different style and personality. In between then to now theyve gone through enough trials and tribulations for two episodes of Behind the Music and got a quick education in Music Business 101. This would have discouraged most people but they harnessed their frustration and flipped it into determination to create a stunning debut album. The production force that swings Mood Swingaz, A.T.M.R. explains despite their hiatus there is a huge audience for the new album. When we all startedit was never a joke. We all wanted to do something because we are all cousins and brothers. We sold 20,000 copies of The Blessing and that was huge! Ive just seen them progress and grow..I know cats will feel them because this is how they really areactual. Theres no pretension involved with them. Another producer and the Swingaz resident engineer, Baadaaw adds, Were all doing what we feel in our hearts is right to do and thats the music.
A family operation the Mood Swingaz all happen to share the same family name. Two of the MCs are brothers (Saucerest and J Scholar) while T-HAZE, Baadaaw and A.T.M.R., are cousins. They plan to be a primary force in showing a different side of New Jerseys hip hop scene. Sauce, the last harmonikat breaks it down, We want this to be a satisfying album. Not something that you play and theres only one song that you like. Like the great ones..a Whats Goin On (Marvin Gaye) album.
Similar to a vintage cabernet, Swingaz musical style has developed into a complex blend of bluesy soul, unexpected samples and extra tight rhymes. The Swingaz cut their lyrical teeth battling MCs and joining ciphers wherever and whenever they could. T-HAZE elaborates on how the group has developed from hip hop fans into hungry, rhyme veterans. We didnt realize how big The Blessing was until we went on the road and started doing shows. Then we came with the Mood Swingaz Anthem and now we have the EP. Weve been gradually making it happen. We grew as people so out flow had to change of coursenot just the rap thing but I have to go harder at everything in life. Its time to do this now.
Now with all eyes on them, the Swingaz album seems custom made for true music connoisseurs that miss the days when it was about more than just a salary. J Scholar provides some more insight. Our sound is more old school in a new school way. We have the same vibe that everybody tried to step away from. Before it was more entertainment but now I want to educate a little bit with my rhymes.
According to J Scholar, Every song on the album is my favorite. Some shining examples of hip hop youll find on the album, Surprise Yall (Ooh Ahh) with catchy background harmonies reminiscent of the long forgotten doo wop era, you almost forget youre listening to an album by a couple of cats from the Jersey City. Stray Katz which T-HAZE says, You have to nod your head to this, unless youve had a lobotomy, brings back the funk. Indy 500 takes the stakes up a notch with A.T.M.R.s flexing his beat-making muscles with ill, guitar licks and nasty snatches from a rugged bass line Mood Swingaz cant be pigeonholed. Finally just when you think youve figured them out the mood swings again and the spooky, Black On U creeps in. Not for the faint of heart or simple minded they reveal a harder side without turning into mindless thugs or gangsters. To sum things up, I dont really want to change hip hop. I just want to hang out with it for a while. Once you hear our songs and we sound absolutely like nobody else regardless of what samples are underneath us. Hip hop can either roll with us or not roll with us.
Bottom line Mood Swingaz created their own category and after one listen its easy to see that their debut, Full Mood was well worth the wait.RATE OUR MUSIC
SAUCE-REST, TEE HAIZE , & JAY SCHOLAR..... Buy the EP Circa 2000 Online... Produced by All those M-F-ING Reasons And Badoow
