How you can remixxx a Carnage song!

1. Find a way to LISTEN TO MY ALBUM, "Sense Of Sound":

If you have it already, just listen to it. If you don’t have it, you can

buy it from me via one of the many links floating around on my page

(Paypal, iTunes or CD Baby), or listen to it through CD BABY-

click on the link and listen to the snippets of each of the tracks on

there and decide which one you like. There are also three full

songs from the album on my MySpace page: "Unleashed",

"State Of Emergency" and "...Get Down Wit Us". Take a listen...

2. SEND ME A MESSAGE WITH THE TITLE OF THE SONG(S)

YOU LIKE AND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. (limit: two tracks per

person just to keep the confusion and multiple sending down just a little).

Also, please let me know if you have listened to my *album to decide

what you want to remixxx, as that will save me a little time of having to

send you the full song as a reference…

*If you want to do another one of my tracks not on the album such as

"No Leads" (on my page now), I would be willing to allow that. Another

option for remixxx is a song called, "Take It Better" which is a song I

did with my boy, E-thin. This song is on E-thin’s MySpace page:

http://www.myspace.com/ethin.

But I would send one of the others only if you are remixxxing

TWO of my songs, and the first is from my album, "Sense Of Sound".

3. Exxxpect an email from me using my email account containing

the following: The FULL TRACK(S) that you requested to remixxx;

the a cappella of that track; and the BPM’s of the original tracks I

recorded the vocals to so you can MATCH MY VOCALS UP CORRECTLY.

I say "Match correctly" not to sound like a jerk, but becuz my flow is

mad SPASTIC and takes lots of careful listening! Some of the recordings

don’t start at "zero" becuz I skipped some of the intros while recording

the vocals, so make sure you listen carefully to the reference track!

That reference track is basically going to be your "Remixxx Bible"!

4. When your track is finished, please send me a MySpace message to

let me know that your track is on the way so I can watch for it…Then

you can send it to me as a high-quality MP3 to my email account.

After the songs are listened to, I will set up an account for people to

listen to your remixxxes! I will also possibly pick the best ones and put

out a new mixxxtape with them all for free download so you can all

get exxxposure!

By me embarking on this remixxx mission, I’m hoping to get a wider

range of people listening to my music and maybe find some new producers

to work with for future projects…Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours!

Thanxxx for your time, and enjoy remixxxing Carnage tracks! Later on…

-Carnage.

Please feel free spend about 7 minutes of your day to check out my recent interview conducted by The Mad Editor for www.minnerapolis.com (click the link). I touch on such subjects as: the MN Hip-Hop sound, my favorite venues to perform at, local Hip-Hop support from the media & "making it" in the MN Hip-Hop scene in general.

I encourage all Hip-Hop artists from Minnesota to contact minnerapolis.com to arrange interviews for yourselves Happy 2008.

Thanxxx for your time!

-Carnage.

October 19-20, 2007
Fitzgerald Theater

Ballet Minnesota Photos & Description from Fall Concert 2007
A New section featuring Ill Chemistry (Desdamona & Carnage)!


     Ballet Minnesota performed its fall concert at the Fitzgerald theater to celebrate the opening of its 20th Anniversary Season. Works featured were 'Italian Symphony' & 'Black Dog Cafe' featuring folksinger Charlie Magurie & Spoken Word Artists Desdamona & Carnage (Ill Chemistry). The performance was a great success, attracting many new audience members.

DIRECT LINK TO ARTICLE(S) WITH PICTURES: http://www.balletminnesota.org/BMhtml/B2BlackD.html http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2007/10/18/72163916

Eyedea & Abilities Return!

Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2007 @ 02:07 in Music by Jimmy2Times.

DIRECT LINK TO ARTICLE: http://www.urb.com/permalink/1729/Eyedea-&-Abilities-Return!

CARNAGE - "SENSE OF SOUND"

By jschell42 on October 12th, 2007.

For such an established presence within Twin Cities hip hop, it's surprising that Carnage only released his first solo full-length this summer. The wait, however, for Sense of Sound (Hecatomb) has been well worth it.

Originally from Chicago, Carnage (real name Terrell Woods) originally came to Minneapolis in 1978. Growing up in a series of group homes around the Twin Cities, he formed The Overlords in 1992 with DJ X-Caliber, which then morphed into NEMNOCH and later, after the addition of two more MCs, Pagne and Concentrate, into the futuristic group S.W.E.E.P.S. (Sub-Terrestrial Wordsmiths Exhibiting Extraordinary Poetic Structure). Following in the footsteps of Rhymesayers, he started his own crew and record label, Hecatomb in 2004, as well as developing a mutually influential relationship with Eyedea (who recorded, mixed, and mastered Sense of Sound). He sold 3000 copies of a solo EP entitled The Carnology Vol. 0.5 (2004) single-handedly out of his backpack, and has gained much exposure by beatboxing with Desdamona as Ill Chemistry.

Carnage is probably best known for his beatboxing skills and his amazingly fast lyric delivery; the latter is especially showcased on Sense of Sound, as he utilizes hyper-quick changes in vocal inflection and rhythmic syncopation. Yet those who have only heard Carnage as part of Ill Chemistry might be surprised by The Sense of Sound. The lyrics, and especially Carnage's delivery of them, give the album an extremely aggressive character, as well as an overtly masculine character in line with so much hip hop. Many of the songs begin with little to no introduction, and end just as suddenly, giving the roughly 45-minute album an extremely urgent feeling.

While many of the songs are battle songs designed to showcase Carnage's undeniable abilities, he often infuses the "rapping about rapping" style with ideas and metaphors outside of mainstream hip hop subjects. On "Unleashed" and "Maximum Carnage," he combines his autobiography with monster narratives. (If MF Doom channels The Fantastic Four's nemesis Dr. Doom for his identity, then Carnage is the Incredible Hulk.) Afro-centrism is invoked over a thick funk beat on "Bring the Soul Back," a graphic description of a very different kind of carnage, the violence of the African slave trade.

The album's aggression, however, is balanced with humor. On "The Stank," he invokes the dual ideas of "funk," its association not only with the sense of sound but the sense of smell, as he imagines giving rival MCs a swirlie. (At the end of the song, which features Desdamona, Ill Chemistry makes a brief appearance, a teaser of the planned Ill Chemistry album somewhere in the future.) The album also approaches a level of abstraction with "Negative Space," with an angular, displaced piano line, as Carnage spits "even when I say nothing it's a beautiful use of negative space."

On an album in which Carnage rightly boasts so much of his abilities, he is also humble when it comes to the people who helped make Sense of Sound. Producer Booka B's name is equal in size to Carnage's on the CD spine and Carnage gives props on the album's title track to both his producer and Jimmy2Times, whose scratches are heard throughout Sense of Sound. Carnage's mixture of confidence and humility, as well as Sense of Sound is refreshing, a different sound than normally associated with Twin Cities hip hop.

DIRECT LINK TO ARTICLE: http://612to651.wordpress.com/

Carnage is one of the Twin Cities' most diabolical battle MCs, a beatbox juggernaut and the fastest-rapping Midwestern man on the mic this side of Twista—but the opening lines on his first full-length solo record, Sense of Sound, are carefully measured, quietly whispered, and plainly factual: "What is a DJ if he don't got scratch?/What is a producer without a tight track?/What is an MC if he cannot rap?/Well we can do it all, baby, just like that." As commanding as he is on the mic, Carnage always seems willing to share the focus, so it's not much of a shock that it's taken him almost a decade to drop a disc with his name as the most prominent one—and even then, producer Booka B's name is still the same size on the spine.

That brief refrain at the beginning of the album is the only moment where Carnage seems to be holding something back, and the rest of Sense of Sound is an exercise in the man's main strengths—namely making the complex sound simple, and vice-versa. His flow here skews toward a maniacal intensity that he sometimes ratchets up to absurd levels: He's practically cackling by the end of "State of Emergency"'s first intense syllable-juggling minute ("freakish astounding/pugnacious conflict ready renouncer of the Jesus medallion").

Tracks like "The Stank" and the title cut display a b-boy poet/street preacher-side to his style, with its sing-song taunting and conversational rumination coming across like some manic hybrid of Sadat X and Mike Ladd. Booka B's production keeps the beat pounding even when the tone gets anxious (the scuzz-funk of "...Get Down Wit Us" and the MGM musical dementia of "Creative Freedom" are highlights).

Guitarist Bill Mike adds some maggot-brained snarl to cuts like the seething "Bring the Soul Back," and guests ranging from Ill Chemistry's Desdamona to Throwback Protocol's/SWEEPS' Concentrate to Hecatomb labelmate Illusion drop in to give the album some career-spanning context. But on Sense of Sound the spotlight is on Carnage, and he owns it completely.

DIRECT LINK TO ARTICLE: http://citypages.com/databank/28/1394/article15787.asp

Local Music: Carnage talks 'SENSE'
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune

Ask Carnage what took him so long to put out his first full-length solo album after nearly a decade on the scene, and you'll get about 30 different explanations. Fortunately, the Minneapolis hip-hop vet talks almost as fast as he can rap, so the reasons fly by quickly.

"I've done everything in steps and have watched myself develop," the real-life Terrell Woods, 32, explained. "I've gotten to a point where I think my name carries a little weight, and so that pushed me a little harder. Making my 'first official full-length' means something more now."

The album, called "Sense of Sound," was recorded in his pal Eyedea's basement studio, but most of the production, beats and instrumentation were provided by longtime collaborator Booka B. Other players on the album included his Ill Chemistry partner Desdamona, DJ Jimmy2Times and guitarist Bill Mike, all of whom will join Carnage for his two release parties Saturday at the Dinkytowner.

Of course, "Sense of Sound" isn't really the first CD featuring Carnage, who's one of the scene's best-liked rappers (personally and musically) and has a knack for popping up at anyone's gigs. His old group, the SWEEPS, had a full-length disc, and he appears on Eyedea's recent all-improv Face Candy CD. Carnage's first solo effort, 2002's "The Carnology Vol. 0.5 EP" (which was actually longer than some LPs), was an underground hit, selling 3,000 copies without much distribution.

"Sense of Sound" sounds like a continuation of "Carnology." Songs like the disc-opening "Orientation" and the wiry and wry "Monsters Ink" show off Carnage's talent as a classic freestyle rapper with a jaguar-rapid tongue! . Even better, though, are the more stylish cuts such as the title track and the funky "Bring Back the Soul," which are more about quality delivery than speed...

"I figured a lot of people expected me to make an album where I rap faster than anyone on the planet, so I tried to not do a lot of that," Carnage said...

A more practical reason why "Sense of Sound" was long in the making (more than two years) was the fact that Carnage -- a southside Chicago native and Hamline University grad -- long has been a full-time social worker for at-risk youths (he prrefers calling them "misguided"). Early this year, though, he downgraded to part-time work so he could finish the album...

After a lot of years of helping others, I thought it was time to help myself," he said, pointing out the fact that there aren't a lot of do-gooder messages on "Sense of Sound."I've been telling people how they should live their lives day in and day out at my job, so that's the last thing I want to do with my music. This record is more about having a good time."

DIRECT LINK TO ARTICLE: http://www.startribune.com/457/story/1326241.html

Downtown mixes a dose of 'Chemistry'

Minneapolis based rapper and beatboxer duo, Ill Chemistry, created a new musical concoction with a down to earth lyrical base and rhymes style.

Kaleb Bronson

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..>..>..>..>..>..>..>..> ..> ..>..>..>..>..>..>..>..>..> Media Credit: Bounyoo Philavanh Human beatboxer Carnage provides the background hip hop beat for award-winning lyricist Desdamona to deliver her emotional rhymes during an Ill Chemistry performance at the Java Joint Thursday evening. Ill Chemistry is one of the newest creations on the Hecatomb record label roster based out of Minneapolis.

..>..>..>..>..>..>..>..> ..> ..>..>..>..>..>..>..>..>..> Media Credit: Bounyoo Philavanh Desdamona and Carnage of Ill Chemistry astound the crowd of the Java Joint with hip hop flare Thursday night. The hip hop duo also played down the street at the Rox Bar that same evening with many other hip hop artists.

..>..>..>..>..>..>..>..> ..> ..>..>..>..>..>..>..>..>..> Media Credit: Bounyoo Philavanh Hip hop duo Ill Chemistry pose in front of a mural in the Java Joint Thursday night after a stage show without the help of electronics. They headed to their second performance of the night at the Rox Bar for a 21-plus audience.

Grown Man's Music
By Lars J. Larson


pix by Ron Essex

Raw. Energetic. Powerful. When Carnage is on stage, people stop and watch. That's one thing I have noticed over the years of attending his shows. While most patrons drink and bullshit through most local performances, when Carnage steps on stage, he holds all their attention captive. People take in, or at least try to take in every word, as Carnage spits over the mic with fury and intelligence.

Carnage is known as a hard worker. Even when he was small he had to fight and stay driven. Born in the heart of Chicago 's infamous Southside before moving to Minnesota, Carnage recalls some of the trials and tribulations his situation: "I lived with my mother in need of familial stability for most of my life; she lost custody of my sisters and I when I was about 12 years old. I saw her boyfriend abuse her, I saw her turn to alcohol, then later drugs; life was hard growing up. But I kept my head on straight and maintained hope." Carnage has been through every kind of earthly hell conceivable, yet he remains undeterred. This kind of fight and struggle you can hear in every breath Carnage spits on stage and on record. But it wasn't all struggle and pain.

After moving to Minneapolis, Terrell hooked up with fellow classmate, Steve. Trading music collections off each other, the two formed a team and friendship, which still stands today. Terrell as Carnage and Steve as DJ X-Caliber. Around 1987, then known as T-Swift, Carnage wanted to become a DJ. I loved the look of the DJ, the way they cut, moved and scratched. says Carnage. But after a couple sessions with X-Cal, Carnage knew he had a heavy hand and couldn't keep up with X-Cal and his transformer scratches and all that,so his dreams of standing behind two decks faded. But like most old skool B-Boys, T-Swift moved on to beat boxing and other elements and mediums, such as breaking and flirting with graffiti early on. Then came his calling; Rhyming. T-Swift wrote his fist 4 bars and then his first whole song about being a DJ, even after the heavy hand, he still wanted to rap about being a DJ and this being the first time the DJ was on the mic. From then on T-Swift grew.

Even back then Carnage had a very technical way of rhyming. Ahead of his time in some sort of way, Carnage blew X-Cal away (X-Cal, a professed DJ, was also quite skilled at emceeing himself!), bouncing rhymes off of him with his different style heavily inspired by old pioneers Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Superlover Cee and other teachers. Rhyming fast and technical came easy for Carnage as he was already an experienced beat boxer, and it mended over into this rhyming skills.

Carnage and DJ X-Caliber challenged each other throughout the years, honing their crafts, and eventually formed The SWEEPS. One of the numerous groups Carnage will be apart of in his career. Even though Carnage has been rapping with numerous groups for years, in just the last few years has he been known as a solo artist. Carnage gained to most notoriety on his appearance on Eyedea & Abilities E&A album on the track Star Destroyer where Carnage basically stole the track and put it in his back pocket. "Many of my new fan base, especially out of town, came from this track.", says Carnage. 

During the years of building his craft, Carnage found time to go to school and graduate from Hamline University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Today, he is not only a father, but a social worker, mentor and counselor to youth and adults in Minneapolis. Carnage is always looking to help others out with his talents and knowledge as he proves to be a mentor within the local Hip-Hop community.

"Eyedea helped me a lot as did Abilities, when I first started really coming up locally. So I would like to help others like they helped me.", says Carnage. By building his HECATOMB label with a talented roster of MC's and DJ's under his wing, things only look good for the label with his guidance and help. "That's if they listen to me and accept my help!", laughs Carnage. "I have a few of them that still like to do it their own way." Carnage plans for the label to be big and rise with other local independent labels. "I want to build Hecatomb from the ground up, I want Hecatomb to exist ten years from now, when Im not rapping anymore."

Like all people in the spotlight, Carnage has his fair share of haters, complaining about how Carnage is not hood enough. Working with Eyedea & Abilities probably didn't help that cause, but Carnage is defiantly a student from the old school. "Grown man's music", as Carnage would say (a phrase he coined from a friend he met on Myspace named Capskey). Few people know about his personal trials and his life or him being born in Chicago. That alone should earn him respect. "I have learned you can't please everybody. You just have to keep making music and grow.", says Carnage.

Carnage's show resume and guest appearances are as long as the Starr Report and 9/11 Commission combined, going on numerous tours with Eyedea, Atmosphere, Desdamona and others. Pounding it on stage many nights of the week at dive venues over the years has paid off with a small cult following. Carnage should be a example or blueprint for local rappers on how to grind and win fans over.

Carnage plans to capitalize on this and expects to be releasing 5 different projects this year: A few live albums as well as new projects with Eyedea, Cheap Cologne, and some works with label mates Hecatomb. And finally his first a solo full-length album, "Sense Of Sound". "I spent all this time, all these years, trying to make a perfect album. And I just realized you can't do that, nothing is perfect. You have to grow with each project."

2006 is the Chinese Year of the Dog which means the year ahead - a year which offers great hope. 2006 is defiantly a year of hope and promise for Carnage. Just a few weeks ago after the Rhymesayers 10 Year Anniversary that took place at First Avenue, Carnage was hard at work, selling CD's after the show, when a girl came up to him almost in tears, excited to see Carnage and meet him. The both of them exchanged words and hugs (ladies love the hugs from Carnage!) and went on their way. That's how you build a following, one fan at a time. Grindin. Grown man's shit.

DIRECT LINK TO ARTICLE: http://www.dunation.com/pages/news/carnage2.shtml 

You can also read this interview in the 9th edition of Industry Minne-zine availbale in coffee shops and venues all over the Twin Cities!

Click to check out Industry online!

Visit www.DUNation.com if you haven't been there!!!

*30 Music.com talks about Oliver Hart album appearance:
"It should be mentioned that Slug, of Atmosphere, makes an appearance on the album, but it is the contribution of Carnage that provides the one of the discs most astonishing segments. His appearance on Prelude to Coaches is veritable clinic on syllable control. Carnage rattles each word out as though his mouth is a machine gun and hes spitting bullets. He fires on all cylinders throughout, never losing his rhythm. Truly amazing considering it seems to have been a one-take ordeal."

*HipHopInfinity.com talks about Oliver Hart album appearance:
"...followed by "Coaches," an all out battle track pairing Eyedea with a resoundingly dope, but unknown emcee by the name of Carnage. The two trade verses for the duration of the 4:03 lyrical slugfest, with newcomer Carnage more than holding his own."

*Epinions.com talks about E&A album appearance:
"...But if there was any battle track on this album that compared to the first single, its "Star Destroyer". Its a unique track featuring a pounding bassline tinged with futuristic space sounds, not to mention a tight Xzibit sample that just completes the whole thing. This track features the only guest emcee on the entire album, Carnage of the Hip-Hop group The Sweeps. You might remember his past work with Eyedea on his Oliver Hart album, on the tight track called "Coaches". This track is better if you ask me. The whole theme of the battle track is Eyedea and Carnage destroying so-called rap stars using astronomical terms. The two emcees exchange verses at first but then begin spitting alternating rhymes, switching off after every two bars, until Carnage takes over again and spits another verse. Its just a great track and an original theme for a battle rap."

*Rapbattles.com talks about E&A album appearance:
"Track 5 - Star Destroyer feat. Carnage - Rating = 5/5
The beat is dope; and the Xzibit sample is VERY nice. This is another battle track; Eyedea sounds pissed. After Eyedea's first verse (dope), Carnage kicks a verse. This is the first time I've heard Carnage, but he's got the lyrics and the flow. Hoping to hear more from him. Eyedea and Carnage trade lines at the end. Dope song."

*Empathy promotions talks about The Carnology and performance on E&A tour:
"Currently Carnage is touring the United States with Rhymesayers Recording artists Eyedea & Abilities and Weightless Recordings owner/artist Blueprint in support of his latest release The Carnology Vol. 0.5 Ep. On April 3rd I got the opportunity to catch the tour on its stop in Madison, WI and the man put on a hell of a show so I picked up his album...."
"...Shows how much Carnage has progressed over the years musically. Overall, The Carnology Vol. 0.5 Ep is a very solid record, the listener is in-store for a few surprises..." Rating: 8/10.

*The Independent.org talks about Carnage performance on E&A tour:
"First on deck was Minneapolis local, Carnage. Id never heard of this MC, but I was pleasantly surprised. With the speed of Twista and anger and emotion of Cage or Copywrite, this MC laid his stage presence on the audience with a weight that made you say, DAMN! The song of his that stood out in my mind the most was about his favorite way to get intimate with a woman . . . Tea Baggin. The hook on the song goes take two of these and call me in the morning."
"...Carnage came back up on stage and proved to the crowd that he wasnt just some opening act by actually out-twisting Eyedea..."