In less than a year and a half Intrinzink Records has launched a powerhouse of a mixtape collection. Appropriately titled the “Underground Hustlin” series, Intrinzink Records puts both promising underground artists as well as many marquee names on display. Each mixtape is packed to capacity with a diverse variety of sounds, horrorcore of course being the key focal point of each compilation. But for those not so keen on the darker side of hip hop, there are some more tame (or should I say
sane) tracks to sort through.
Those who follow the underground scene meticulously will appreciate some excellent cuts from such prospects as Epitaph, J.HEXX, Grewsum, Fury, Heavy Hittaz, Intrinzik, Virus, Jason Porter and more. Amongst all the up-an-comers featured, there are also plenty of “household names” for those who prefer to invest their interests in already established artists. Horror mogul Tech N9ne can be found on a few installments, as can Kid Crusher, Menacide, Prozak, Project Born, Skatterman and Snug Brim, Kutt Calhoun, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone, Marz and Twiztid. In other words, the gamut’s been run; there’s something here for everyone.
STANDOUT INSTALLMENTS
VOLUME 7This collection features 22 predominantly aggressive tracks from an impressive group of volatile vocalists. Featured on the album are Marz, Tech N9ne, Kird Crusher, T.O.N.E-z, and plenty more. While there are some inconsistencies in overall production value, VOLUME 7 is an enjoyable album with a solid handful of memorable cuts.
KILLER KUTS:“Ha Ha Ha” - Marz“My Problems” - Tech N9ne/T Trash“Take A Ride” - Stranger Haze, Potluck, T.O.N.E-z“Fuck Me” - Kid Crusher, Dead Arm“Dedicated” - Hagerstown Skeez
VOLUME 9Volume 9 offers up a more consistent, and commercially embraceable sound. Don’t mistake the facts, there’s plenty of horror to deal with, but there’s plenty of the genre’s regulars approaching tracks with a bit less violent mind state. Keep an eye out for another slew of quality names you may recognize such as Tech N9ne, Prozak, DZK, Soul Stalkaz, and 13 Amp.
KILLER KUTS:“Snuff You” - Tech N9ne, Tragedy, Prozak“Bad Man” - Epidemik“Creative Suicide Methods” - DZK, Virus, Daniel Jordan“Got Ya Shook” - 13 Amp“Funeral Parlor” - Soul Stalkaz
VOLUME 11A compilation filled with darkness, but a beautifully polished sound - the eleventh piece of the Underground Hustlin puzzle is an enjoyable piece of art through and through. With names like Fury, Bizzy Bone, Heavy Hittaz, Intrinzink, and Krayzie Bone involved, you can assume an auditory treat awaits.
KILLER KUTZ:“Come On” - Bizzy Bone, Fury“100” - Heavy Hittaz“Get Acquainted” - Intrinzik, Likewize“X Marks The Spot” - CG“MMM” - Psycho Killaz, Intrinzik“Sober” - Psycho Sick Asylum“Lordy Lordy” - Half Fiction, Krayzie Bone, Fury, Ether
VOLUME 14While volume 14 doesn’t pack quite the star power of other Underground Hustlin editions, it’s got an array of quality cuts all the same. UGH regulars Intrinzik, Heavy Hittaz, and McNastee are all on deck. As are a few new names that just may grab your attention. Check out the breakdown…
KILLER KUTZ:“Crack Rock” - Intrinzik“Hip Hop” - Heavy Hittaz, Likewize“Keep Em Guessin” - McNastee“Welcome To The Slaughterhouse” - Z-Rack“Pray” - Freakz R UsWith nearly 50,000 units moved in less than 18 months, the Underground Hustlin series is a proven success. It’s provided the one thing every serious musician desires: national exposure for new
and established talent alike. With 16 volumes already in the books, and two new releases slated for the immediate future (featuring some incredible talent, if I may say so), neither Intrinzink Records
or Underground Hustlin show any indicator of slowing progress. Quite the contrary, it seems as though Intrinzink Records is headed in the direction of longevity, and I hope for the sake of hungry musicians, and dedicated fans around the globe, the Underground Hustlin series continues to offer the masses quality collections.
Now, for a little deeper look at Intrinzik Records and Underground Hustlin - a one on one with discussion with Intrinzik…Matt Molgaard/Fango: What inspired you to launch the Underground Hustlin mixtape series?
Intrinzik: I was at the airport in Austin, TX after doing SXSW w/ Strange Music. Virus and I were talking about business. We were doing all of these big shows and I wanted to take better advantage of these huge crowds we were performing in front of. We had 2 more Tech N9ne shows lined up so I reached out to our community of artists in AZ and let them know if they wanted to get on a CD that would be passed out at 2 Tech N9ne shows to help split the replication costs. I got about 10 artists to throw in and from there it just snowballed. Now we are 50,000 units and 17 volumes deep a little over a year later. It's absolutely insane man. We have had so many great volumes in terms of music, graphic design and packaging.
Now we are doing all out concerts with Underground Hustlin artists at the biggest venues in major markets. This is just the beginning. Contrary to popular belief, the underground has so much unity that together, we are going to make some major noise. Now when we open for national artists, more people leave with UGH than the headliner's merchandise. Straight Hustle!
Fango: Less than 2 years later and you're about 50,000 units deep. How does that make you feel to know the series has received such embrace?
Intrinzik: Of course it's a great feeling. I've seen a lot of people in the scene try to do what I do. I make it look easy but on the real it's a full-time/part-time job. I'm always marketing and maintaining relationships with artists, suppliers and sponsors of Intrinz INK. I think what really blew me away was "Bar Wars." In less than 3 weeks we had 80 minutes of music made exclusively for "Bar Wars" made on custom beats from Jason Porter. I mean think about that. Less than 3 weeks over 20 tracks from artists all over the globe and there were still artists who wanted to be on the CD that just didn't get their music in on time. Psychopathic Records had to push back the deadline for "Tunnel Runners" because they couldn't get 13 artists' tracks in on time and here's little old Intrinz INK getting 20+ songs in less than 3 weeks. Straight mind blowing.
Fango: I imagine assembling any single project like this must be challenging, let alone constantly working to put new collections together. What kind of work goes into the making of an Underground Hustlin mixtape?
Intrinzik: McNastee and I pretty much have it down to a science. I'm not going to get into the exact logistics of the process but we got the process down to a T.
Fango: Now most of these albums feature a lot of horrorcore artists, but they often seem to step out of the box and offer more "commercially embraceable" tracks. Was that something you wanted to see these artists be able to do, represent themselves as hip hop artists in general, and not just "horrorcore artists" (so to speak)?
Intrinzik: I think there are so many different genres of rap represented on UGH because there are so many different reasons for getting on the CDs. Some artists do it to make money. You get 100 CDs for 100 dollars so you can easily double or even triple that $100 real quick at 1 or 2 shows. Then there are the artists who do it to network or to add another CD to their discography. Some do it just to say "I'm on a CD with Twiztid." Whatever it is, you see different artists with different quality and style on any given volume of UGH. It makes sense to me. When I was just coming up I would have easily given 100 dollars a month to sit on my ass and get a box full of CDs that look and sound professional and feature the biggest names in rap delivered to my door. Any artist with half a brain and a little bit of money to invest in themselves will agree. Its all about the Wal-Mart philosophy. Strength in numbers. We have the best features, artwork, packaging, mastering and customer service. Why would you go to another mix tape?
Fango: Tell me about some Intrinzink Records - what kind of releases can we look forward to in the future, and what past albums should new fans seek out?
Intrinzik: Let's start with the past. I think people really need to check out McNastee's "Pieces of a Broken Man," Heavy Hittaz "Thirteen Percent," Seperated at Birth's (Ako Mack, Emerg McVay, Menacide, McNastee, Jason Porter, Intrinzik and Slim) "Nothing Like You," and my latest, "Fallguy: Resurre6T7ion." All are classic underground records with top notch production, sonic quality, artwork and packaging. I have always been a musican's musician or a rapper's rapper. This is why UGH is so successful. Artists see my music for the untouchable art that it is and believe in the movement and Intrinz INK's vision. It's a good thing most of my listeners have converted to rappers. I see a lot of people complaining about "too many rappers" but you have to evolve with the business or you will just be a guy with a guitar and a tip jar hanging outside of Starbucks.
With that being said, I don't have any future album releases planned. The game has changed so much I have to use my time as efficiently as possible. I'm getting up there in age so I really want to continue to pursue the artist services side of things. Don't get it twisted, I will do another record and it will be as epic as the Odyssey, but until I have the motivation and inspiration I am going to stick with the hustle and grind.
Fango: You've already had the pleasure of working with some great artists. Anyone out there you haven't worked with yet that you'd like to?
Intrinzik: Mike Patton
[FAITH NO MORE, MR. BUNGLE, PEEPING TOM, FANTOMAS, TOMAHAWK, ETC] is #1 on that list. I'd love to do some 80s remakes with the guy. Every song I hear on the radio from that era, I just imagine how much sicker it would be if Patton was singing it. I'd love to do more work with Jason of Strung Out as well.
Fango: Let's head in the ceinematic direction for a moment. Who are some names/faces of horror that have provided you with inspiration?
Intrinzik: One of the biggest inspirations in my music is movies. Sometimes I go to movies just because of who did the score. If a score really moves me you can bet I'm going home and logging on to Amazon.com to download the music to sample in my next track. I don't really use horror lyrics in my music but if you trace my discography you can hear the scores of movies such as Saw, Jaws, Disturbia, Friday the 13th, Psycho, the Exorcist, Ravenous, the Ring, Requiem for a Dream, the Haunting of Connecticut, and Star Wars just to name a few.
Fango: The best horror film you've seen in the last five years?
Intrinzik: I really liked the "Last House on the Left" remake and the "Saw" series. I pretty much go and see every horror flick that comes out, but those are the stand outs that come to mind at 5:30 am.
Fango: Fellow horrorcore artist Ressurrector released a horror film themed album, is that something fans could one day look forward to from Intrinzink?
Intrinzik: Probably not. I mean 70% of my latest CD, Fallguy: Resurre6T7on has horror samples. Same with Seperated at Birth's "Nothing Like You." It's something I have been doing for years. I just haven't gone out of my way to market it as a "horror film themed project."
Fango: What do you want to say to the fans out there who have been following your music for the last few years?
Intrinzik: There's really only 1 thing I can say to my supporters and hustlas... Thank You!
Keep an eye out for Underground Hustlin Volume 17 COMING SOON! And be sure to visit www.myspace.com/undergroundhustlin for news and updates on all future projects.