SMC Recordings Preps '08 Albums From Killer Mike, C-N-N & Pastor Troy
Published: Tuesday - April 8, 2008
Words by Ronnie Gamble
Killer Mike (Photo: SMC Recordings)
Bay Area based indie label, SMC Recordings, continues to diversify their catalog, as they gear up for three new releases by the end of the summer -- one from Killer Mike, Capone-N-Noreaga and Pastor Troy.
The first is Killer Mike's I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II, which is slated for May. The Southern rapper came over to SMC, after labelmate Pastor Troy encouraged him to head to the Bay for business after releasing two albums through the label.
"Kicking off 2008 with Killer Mike and I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II is f**ing perfect for SMC,” said the label's A&R, Will Bronson. "We like to approach projects from a fan perspective, and this is an artist with a potent connection to his audience. Mike's delivery is in your face, you cannot ignore him. He's an incredibly skilled rapper with the intelligence and charisma to be in politics. He's lethal."
As for Pastor Troy, his upcoming as-yet-untitled release will be his third with SMC, following up his 2007 debut for the label, Tool Musiq, which outsold his previous two releases, and plan to do their same with his new album, due out in the summer.
"We laid the foundation with Tool Musiq," says Bronson, "and we're just going to continue hitting people over the head with crazy Pastor Troy records until they submit!"
Not much is known yet about the long awaited return of Capone-N-Noreaga, but it is being tentatively titled, Report The War, and is expected to drop in July.
"CNN made their biggest impact on an indie and during a time when New York hip-hop was at its quietest. All the pieces are in place and the album speaks for itself -- we getting that f***ing excitement back," said Bronson.
SMC Recordings has made a name for themselves over the years, and with new projects on the horizon, they seem poised for much more in the future. Their potential was seen in Billboard, when last year, they were included in the magazine's list of "Indies On The Verge – Little Labels, Poised For the Big Time."
"We have the best of both worlds -- the flexibility and connection to the streets of an independent label and the ability to reach the masses that major label distribution affords," said promotions guru and SMC co-founder Ralph Tashjian. For more info and updates on the aforementioned release, visit SMCRecordings.com.
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