A few words from Spooks below. Track list and download link after the jump.

WAOOOW!!!! Its Feb 28th….The day you’ve been waiting for is finally here!!! We spent a lot of time making sure that this project was gonna be great, and we wern’t gonna put it out until it was just right…..That time is now.

This project is dedicated to EVERYONE who supported me since the “Hood Sophistication” mixtapes (T.N.B All Day), EVERYONE who supported Waffles and Beatz since the ‘Spooks Invasion Sampler’ and ‘Previous Unheard’…and EVERYONE who now supports us and/or has promoted what we do via Twitter/Facebook/Real Life….We love you all and nothing you do or say goes unnoticed. For real-for real.

If i’ve ever interacted with you in my entire life , thank you for being an influence on this mixtape. I write my shit about life and try to make it sound good ; )…its that simple.

Special thanks to Dusty Loops (who would have prolly written this better)…we had countless real-ass discussions, arguments, and jokes during the making of this project and look what we made my nigg!!! This whole thing would not exist if it wasn’t for you.

Prezzy, L.Ment, Nabob aka Starbuxxx, Tre, J. Parks, Nav, Shiv, Aakarsh, Jonathan, Amrit, Kyle, Wong….I SEE YOU…even with my glasses off hahah….we’re going places…f*ck em if they disagree : )

with out further aideu here are 14 Tracks (possibly more?) of heart, honesty, hillarity, hardcore, and of course Hip Hop….its ready…its MUSIC…its what YOU deserve…. we present G.I.F.T.S

(my grade 12 english teacher is gonna have my ass fer this…pause)  

P.S. Thank you to everyone who came through with their witty G.I.F.T.S acronyms, and encouraging facebook messages yall know who you are….#realcoolshit

….as cliche as it sounds, for the record, this IS just the beginning ; )

(more…)

T-Minus what? Haha! Don’t mind our lame inside joke. I was just bumping the instrumentals for G.I.F.T.S. and thought I’d share my thoughts via Facebook/Twitter but the characters limit is a true beach. Moving along, I’m super excited for all my close friends and family to hear our new project. We’ve been working on this quietly for the past 2-3 months and building piece by piece. This is Spooks’ second project since The Previous and Unheard, but technically it would be his first official mixtape. This project consists of 14 records with plenty of hidden goodies within. The bulk of the production was handled by myself, along with L.Ment, The Prezident Jeff and Spooks.

As gifted individuals (so we think or have been told!), it’s our responsibility to give back to the people who have been supporting us from the get-go.  And this project here is our gift to them for their patience and unconditional love/support. Everyone’s been eager to figure out what exactly does G.I.F.T.S. stands for and I assure you that the answer is in the “Intro” record. It’s something very obvious and I’m sure everyone from all walks of life can relate to. However, we’re loving all the guesses on Twitter. My favorite two were: Great Individuals Fight To Survive and Giddy Innocent Fat Titty Sluts. LAWL!

The sound of the whole all project varies, but there are several elements which keep it together. I believe Spooks’ subject matter keeps the project grounded and steady. The production is at its finest and certain beats were selected to emulate the energy of other records on the project. Records like “Dodge Ball” and “Nothing To Wait For” will surprise a lot of folks. I couldn’t help but switch it up. I still find it funny when Nav was asking who produced them. Haha! I can’t wait for everyone to hear my production on G.I.F.T.S. I’ve been taught by the best, just ask MagicFinnga Wong, the wizard! Everyone’s been on my ass about why I’ve been away, MIA and what not, and this tape is my answer for all. You’re gonna hear a much mature and sharper Spooks on this project (not that he wasn’t always killing em!). You’ll definitely see the growth as the project unfolds. If you weren’t convinced before, this will definitely make you a believer! Also, he produced 2 records on the tape. Straight bananas! Ya’ll need to start bugging him for beats, real shxt! I also think people are going to have a new level of respect for L.Ment when they hear his production, artwork and the monster video he just cut for “Next Up/Dodge Ball”. Much love to The Prezident Jeff for blessing the team with 3 joints + a skit on the project. Expect more in the future!

Okay, this is running way longer than I expect it to be. I want to thank our administrative staff for keeping us on track and helping us complete this project on time and spread awareness. A million thanks to Johnny K for recording/mixing/mastering this project (BTW, these guys are running the final masters right now!). Shout outs to all the media outlets who reached out and gave us an opportunity to spread our Art and connect with the fans. G.I.F.T.S. will be available for (FREE) download on February 28th, along with the “Next Up/Dodgeball” video. Also, join the Spooks and the Waffles and Beatz fan page on Facebook. Stay tuned for info on tangible copies, performances, interviews and much more. I hope you enjoy the project as much as we enjoyed building it and I hope you share it with all your people. I’ll see you all on Monday! Have a good one and enjoy your Friday/weekend.

2 fingers!

–
Dusty Loops

Hello World,

It’s been a hot minute but I promise you that we’ve been working super hard for the past couple months. The 2nd mixtape by Spooks titled G.I.F.T.S. will be dropping on Feb 28th. The zip file will include a bunch of goodies for your iPod and etc (more details to follow). We’re also dropping the video for “Next Up/Dodge Ball” the same day so look out for that. The bulk of the production was handled by Dusty Loops, along with L. Ment, Spooks and The Prezident Jeff. Note to the skeptics: this WILL make you a believer! We’ll post the album art and track list in a couple of days. Stay tuned. 2 fingers!

The Jarritos Flavor City Art Contest: “Drink Out Loud” is looking for innovative Angelenos to describe what Jarritos means to you. We are looking for artists of all ages to develop eye-catching works of art in any medium to express the flavor and experience of Jarritos. Each art submission must incorporate the “Drink Out Loud” slogan logo and at least one of the eleven Jarritos flavors. (fruit punch, grapefruit, guava, hibiscus, lime, mandarin, pineapple, strawberry, tamarind, mango, lemon-lime).

The judge panel is assembled by Los Angeles residents prominent within the art community: Estevan Oriol of SA Studios, Raymond Roker of URB Magazine, Roger Gastman of R. Rock Enterprises, Stephan Malbon of Frank 151, Amir Fallah of Beautiful Decay, Casey Zoltan of The Seventh Letter and Known Gallery, Mark The Cobra Snake, Retna, Brandy Flower of Hit and Run, Chris Grosso of GuerillaOne.com.

The winner of the Jarritos Flavor City Art Contest: “Drink Out Loud” will have their work published amongst our partner media outlets and formally displayed at the LA Downtown art walk on July 8, 2010. The recognition of your talents amongst the robust Angeleno art community will allow you to maximize your network and artistic exposure to thousands of people.
http://www.JarritosFlavorCity.com

The visuals are stunning. Possibly the greatest music game yet. Let’s not lose our minds and start creating/purchasing those lame rap/hip-hop games. Some things just don’t work.

“Inside you’ll find the regular columns, new Ask Yasi (with DJ AM (RIP), Dom Kennedy, and Dave Choe), A Day in the Life of… ynoT?, Umi Says, Ben’s food reviews, and my (somewhat questionable) music reviews. There’s a comic strip, fashion editorial, previews of our Holiday 2009 range, etc…. The editorial consists of interviews with artists Lance Montoya and Jun Cha, actor Bryan Greenberg, and of course, our cover story with the lovely Olivia Munn. Plus, you get some free The Hundreds shoelaces out of the whole deal.”

Via: The Hundreds

I wanted to write all sorts of things about this team, I really did. I wanted to write a poem or something funny, something stupid as shit, but kind of profound too. But really I find myself sitting here and realizing I am truly disappointed as a fan and once loyal supporter. So much so I can’t even really articulate my feelings towards this organization, what the fuck? What happened? Like we used to be not great, but not this bad, I think we’re never going to win a game again at this pace, it seems all they do is lose, and they aren’t even cool losses, hard fought losses or losing with style, no, these are just some why bother, maybe we should of stayed on the plane losses. We used to have some degree of respect in the league, but it seems we are now on the road to becoming a total NBA punchline….

ex: What did the Clippers say to the Wizards? At least we ain’t those Raptors eh?! (Okay that was awful, but I’m sure more witty and emotionally scaring jokes will be made up as time goes on.)

With that said  I’m gonna throw this one to you loyal readers: Why do the Raptors suck?