Amor Jones - "And More" (Prod. by know:Jaunder)

I've been following this dude Jones for a little while. Nefarious! put me on to his last mixtape, which was incredible. But that was just before I head out into my dream world and completely forgot about the kid. Today I got this track slipped into my inbox. Here's a track from Amor off his upcoming tape "The Wake Up Show". The beat is crafted by someone who'll sound familiar if you follow the blog - know:Jaunder of the Cosmic Souls Collective. In fact, the whole CSC (Nefarious!, know:Jaunder, Time Travel, & Juno Complex) will handle the production on this tape! Excited? I definitely am. Ill lyrics and no-doubt amazing beats? Sign me up for a copy! For now, here's a quick flavour test of what's to come. Check it out!

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Nefarious!: Time to Shine [WFSL Interview]

So now you've heard of Nefarious!, heard his songs, and gotten to know him a little better. But there's still so much you don't know about the kid. He's talented, intelligent, and definitely has a bright future. Hell, he's been featured on more than 4 sites this week! Keep an eye on the name, you'll definitely hear a lot of it soon. Here's my chance to let you learn more about my boy Nef. Check it out!

Beatwize: What's good Nefarious! Let's start with a quick bio of you..
Nefarious!: My name is Nefarious! from Hayward, California. I'm 18 years old and one of many Bay Area beat makers representing the new generation of producers. I enjoy long walks on the beach and...

Beatwize: Lmao, yea good place to stop. Tell us about you're newest album "More Than Music" and what went behind it? (inspirations, people etc.)
Nefarious!: I was inspired to make More Than Music by people that dont understand that music is very serious to some of us. Especially beats to me. Someone who isn't a producer might see a beat as just a beat and wonder where the rapping is, and others appreciate it for what it is. So this album was for those people.

Beatwize: It seems that it has given you some great exposure, you've been getting features left and right. How does it feel to get this sudden rise in recognition?
Nefarious!: It feels good, like people are finally getting onto my shit. If no one hears your music it doesn't matter if it sounds good or not because you are just another tree falling in the forrest. Before I knew how much blogs make a difference I used to drop everything just on MySpace, but making connections with blogs and shit increased the download numbers drastically.

Beatwize: You run with a crew by the name of "Cosmic Souls Collective". How did you guys meet and how did this group come together?
Nefarious!: We basically met on the internet, know:juander sent me songs to post on my site The Soul Dojo and I liked it. Me and Juno Complex go way back to when I was still making beats on FL Studio, and Time Travel is just dope... Actually it probably didn't even go down like that. But somehow we just all decided to make a production collective.

Beatwize: Are you guys in constant competition or do you guys just appreciate each others music and success as a group?
Nefarious!: We all help promote each others music and respect what we make. I guess we all are in competition because no one wants to have the weakest beat on the beat tape or myspace or whatever. We all keep each other in check because with everyone trying to outdo each other, we will all improve.

Beatwize: Who do you like to work with at the moment? Who would you like to work with in the future?
Nefarious!: I like working with Amor Jones because our styles go great together. That dude be beggin me for beats callin me crying and shit *laughs*. In the future I'd like to work with more producers and maybe some already-established emcees.

Beatwize: You seem to have a very long catalogue. What beat that you've made is you're favorite?
Nefarious!: Man, I have a new favorite beat of mine every day. Right now it would probably be Take My Love which was also the single for More Than Music.

Beatwize: What new projects are you helping out with? It seems a lot of people are looking for that Nefarious! seal nowadays.
Nefarious!: Right now I will be dropping a project with Kris Kasanova hosted by MTRoots thanks to KNOWxONE from ManifestTheRhyme.com Hallway Jay at illRoots.com. I also am going to have production on Amor Jones's next 2 projects, and my album The Soul Dojo that seems like it will never be finished.

Beatwize: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Nefarious!: Hopefully making a living with music. I'd be happier just getting by with a job I love than be rich and bored and shit. Taking a big chance with music right now. Ain't no Plan-B on some Tanya Morgan shit.
Beatwize: You've mentioned in the past that you used to rap? What made you stop? Will you be coming back to it anytime soon?
Nefarious!: I stopped because I wasn't really good (laughs). I took up producing full time and got better at producing than I was rapping. I do plan on making a come back, but don't expect to hear anything too soon.

Beatwize: Who's you're favorite producer? Why?
Nefarious!: J Dilla would be my favorite producer because he has made beats that are just IMPOSSIBLE to remake. I could remake a Pete Rock or 9th Wonder beat with ease, not saying they aren't dope. But listen to the sample to A Tribe Called Quest's "Find A Way" or Black Star's "Little Brother" and see what I'm talking about. Madlib is my favorite producer alive because he also composes if you are familiar with Yesterday's New Quintet. Shit's dope.

Beatwize: Thanks for your time and looking forward to more work from you!
Nefarious!: No problem man. New music soon! Be on the look out!

Nefarious! on uStream with HiTekFX

My dude Nefarious! sits down with HiTekFX on his Monday Night Mixshow. I caught the beginning of the live stream yesterday but wasn't able to finish it up. But I checked out a bit more in the morning and it's a good watch. Nef is doing big things, getting featured everywhere. He's finally getting the recognition deserved. So, here it is - Nef on uStream with HiTekFX..

Artist of the Week: Nefarious!

You've seen him before on the blog. His name is Nefarious!, yes with the exclamation. Nef is a producer from a crew known as the Cosmic Souls Collection which consists of him, know:Jaunder, Time Travel, and Juno Complex. His and his accomplices' styles really fulfill the name with their soulful, jazzy, mellow, spacey beats. But back to Nefarious!..

Nef has produced for artists like SLik d, J. Nolan, Amor Jones, and numerous others; this doesn't even include his instrumental albums. This is one of the examples of steady grind. He never stops, stays on top of things, and always gets his ishh done. He's got some heavy indie artists getting at him recently to do work as well; the dude obviously has a bright future.

This week you'll see exactly what I'm talking about if you haven't already yet. Nefarious! just dropped his latest instrumental album on Friday entitled "More Than Music". If you want a good look at his style you should definitely check it out. A lot more coming this week!

If you want more already, catch Nef on the net:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NefTheDamaja
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/nefariousprod

Would you like to be featured as Artist of the Week? Get at me! -- beatwize@gmail.com

Nefarious! - "More Than Music" Mixtape

DOWNLOAD HERE

It's finally here! The very-much anticipated Nefarious! instrumental tape was accidentally leaked on another blog early (FAIL!) and so I've been given the green light to drop it early as well. "More Than Music" consists of some amazingly constructed beats by the Cosmic Souls Collection member. After you hear this, you'll know why they call him The Soul Dojo. Kid has skills and then some. Now peep this tape, it's short but it'll stay on repeat for a very long time - it did for me. Let us know what you think!

As a side note: Nef is WFSL AOTW starting Monday, so if you like this - stay tuned for a lot more!

Nefarious! - Take My Love

Nefarious! is probably one of my favorite producers coming out of the underground right now, and this just gives you all the reasons why. This one right here is off of his upcoming realease (not a typo) "More Than Music"which comes out THIS Friday! I'm listening to the tape as I type this and trust me..it's heat! Nef is going to be AOTW next week, so if you like this and the tape, there's much more coming come Monday! And this is WFSL on an OFF week!

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SLik d - "Summer Heat" (Feat. Jarell Perry) (Prod. by Nefarious!)

Really dope track by the dude SLik d for his upcoming free-tape "Summer Vibes" which comes out Aug. 14th - coincidentally his birthday. Beat is by Nefarious!, know:Jaunder's crew-mate from the Cosmic Souls Collective. Jarell Perry sings his ishh on the hook as well, really smooth. I'm feeling it! Check it out!

DOWNLOAD HERE