Highlights of CTR2, Part 6: Caleb & Chyna

Check The Recipe 2 is my latest mixtape which features 18 musical talents from the 781 area and beyond. I'll be giving some background info on some of the people involved in CTR2 in this entry. Sit back and take in some insight on the Recipe.

Chyna appeared on CTR 2 on Still Raw, holding her own as the only female emcee on the song. Chyna brings a style that's allows her to bring more of a hardcore style to her delivery, while still being able to use wordplay in a clever way. I've had the privilege of working with Chyna while she was still developing and discovering what her sound was, as she worked on mixtapes and other hip-hop projects.

Many of you know Caleb from the music group Fame or Juliet. The group has taken the underground hip-hop world and turned it upside down with the meaningful messages and eclectic rhythms in their music. Caleb made two appearances on CTR 2. He was featured on Still Raw as a part of the Elite Eight, along with Chyna. Caleb also released a track, a duet with Thright Hook, entitled Pot of Gold, which also saw a collaboration with Seth Chaos and I on the production side of things.

Both Chyna and Caleb have been featured on BET's 106 & Park; Chyna, as a participant of the Freestyle Friday rap battles, and Caleb, with Fame or Juliet, on the Wild Out Wednesday talent competition. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work alongside both acts, and hope to do so again in the future.

REEEEE-MIIIIX!

When someone screams that out at the beginning of a song, you get hyped, right? What are you expecting when you hear that? Do you expect the same beat and lyrics, but with an added verse somewhere in the song? Or maybe the same song with a completely different beat? A "remix" can mean different things.

In the original song Where Did She Go?, the song is driven by heavy drums with a guitar to help fill out the "body" of the song. The remix version contains strong synth chords and also has changes in the lyric layout and delivery (due to different notes in the beat). The song layout between the two songs are clearly different as well.

Original

Remix

Yum Yummz will make you dance no matter which version you listen to. The initial version gives a strong dancehall/island vibe that's comparable to R. Kelly's "Fiesta." Seth Chaos, who has worked alongside Sunspot for years, took the idea of the song and flipped it. Chaos created a more hip-hop based remix by adding a simplified guitar riff and a bass-heavy drum pattern. The lyrics for this remix are rearranged as well. Seth Chaos has also remixed the title track to the Morning After album. It is available only through an ALBUM download of Check The Recipe 2, which is free.

Original

Remix

As of this writing, Raw and it's evolved counterpart have the most plays on our Bandcamp site combined. That may be due to the type of remix that it embodies. The original song had 4 emcees on the track while the remix doubles that number of lyricists. Eight different emcees means eight different fan bases the song possibly reached. The second version also keeps the same tempo and feel of the original, which is late 80s/early 90s hip-hop. The hook is gone in the latter track to make room for the Elite Eight - which is a moniker not only for the number of the emcees in the song, but the amount of bars each one delivers.

Original, Raw

Remix, Still Raw

Every remix on this list is unique from the others, but Nobody Has To Know is a remix, but could also be considered a remake. The original song, Caught Red Handed, presents as a jazz/hip-hop/R&B hybrid, written and performed by Thright Hook. The idea for restyled version was to give the melody a more pronounced bass presence. Part of the hook of the original is reworked into the new hook and performed by G. Jonz. Finally, the song becomes more of a hip-hop version of "Trapped In The Closet" as POES lays down lyrics to a similar story to Caught Red Handed. [Didn't think I'd have two different paragraphs referencing R. Kelly... craziness.]

Original, Caught Red Handed

Remix, Nobody Has To Know

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, this happened:

July 16, 2011 - A Night Out With Sunspot:

Since then, we released The Morning After and now, we're getting ready for the next evolution in G. Jonz production. A new mixtape compilation: Check The Recipe 2.

We're bringing hip-hop. We're bringing R&B. We're bringing pop. We're bringing new material from artists like The Right Hook, Runna, P.O.E.S. and The In$idaz. We're bringing artists that are working with Sunspot for the first time such as Balán Braxton and Mara Bettencourt.
Also, we got surprises... PLENTY OF SURPRISES!!

Tuesday, July 31st is the date - GET READY FOR A HOTTER SUMMER!!

When No One's Looking, I Be Doin Some Thangs...

...like this. GoAnimate.com: CTR2+promo1 by GJonz


Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

For more singles from Check The Recipe 2, click below or click this link and press play! Free downloads too! Tell the WORLD!

Still Raw

WARNING: Some lyrics may be TOO raw for some to handle.



The Elite Eight (in order of appearance): Walnut, J-Dub, Caleb, Blak C, Shizzy, C.Luk, Chyna, Right Hook


Get ready...