ECKS   (August 2006) | Written By: Rud

      Washington DC is an area that often escapes mention in the higher echelons of Hip-Hop however as always there are artists out there who put out material that is always going to get noticed; the solo MC we are featuring here called Ecks is no exception.

Having been dubbed by KRS-One to be “The Future of Hip-Hop” early in his career, the child of 1960’s revolutionaries and the rugged streets of Washington DC, has been out to get his unique combination a hard hitting street poetry, and raw lyrics exposed to the masses.

With an already strong track record, an innovative production style and street stories that do indeed reflect his life and what he has witnessed Ecks is ensuring he is in the best position to become a name that the rap industry does not quickly forget.

Having made his debut at the age of 16, under the moniker of Professor Ecks, he opened for notable acts including The Roots, Fugazi and Good Charlotte. His talent was soon discovered by Roots member Scratch, who introduced Ecks to KRS One. Ecks from there went on to make his solo debut on KRS-One’s "Spiritual Minded" album. His skills we're now fully equipped with what could only be described as jaw-dropping word play - which The Source noted as being "hard hitting and no-frills." In respect to this we asked Ecks what makes him not afraid of being himself;

"Lets get one thing straight, these rappers ain't that tuff...so many of these rappers whole marketing, they whole strategy is based on fear. They afraid of if I make this record people won’t think i’m street or if I don’t talk about sellin’ crack, people won’t respect me, That’s not gangsta that’s fear man! I’m an artist without fear i'm gonna make the records I feel, and i'm not gonna worry about if my shit fits in a box or not. Conscious rappers say my music isn't positive enough, cause I talk about violence and the streets, some people might say I ain't gangsta enough because every other line ain’t about crack, but that’s the fuckin’ problem! You either gotta be a prophet or a heartless killer, you gotta be Al Capone or Malcolm X, but i’m neither, i'm somewhere in the middle i’m Detroit red”

Following this debut, Ecks went on to further establish himself as a force in the ever popular mixtape scene. He quickly became a staple on the mixtapes of Dow Jones, Mick Boogie, The Streetsweepers and DJ 730. The success and acclaim he garnered from the mixtape scene enabled him to tour including doing shows with Talib Kweli and the Campus Invasion tour, as well as opening for 50 Cent, Ashanti and Dead Prez. No mean feat for a predominantly mixtape featured MC.

The talent, voice and charisma that Ecks exuded quickly caught ther ear of industry insiders as well as mixtape Moguls including Big Mike and DJ Lt. Dan. Both have since tabbed Ecks as the next big thing in hip-hop music, and both preparing collaborative efforts with the DC street poet, some of which is set to include new studio material with Royce Da 5’9, Scram Jones and D-Block. When we asked him about the pressure he feels about this having been in the game a relatively short time he explained;

"I’m a winner man, its obvious I got a lot of pressure on my shoulders, with my own label and just trying to make my way in the game; but I live for the pressure. Ever since I came up people put a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, I've had DC on my back since I was 16. Then Krs-One went an added to that by tellin me I was future of hip-hop so now I got that on my back, plus I have obligation to the streets to the culture to represent. Haters don’t get too happy though this pressure is what makes a diamond in the ruff into a diamond.”

Ecks has become a hot name in the industry with talk ranging from courtships by high powered labels to comparison to legendary rappers to whispers of beef and rivalry. However the truth about Ecks still shines through loud and clear in his music, it would appear the youngster has a bright future ahead of him.

Dubcnn are also proud to accompany this feature with the free download of his latest mixtape "Rebuilding: The Mixtape" which is hosted by DJ LT. Dan and was released in July on New Regime Records. The tracklist is below as well as the link to download. Dubcnn asked Ecks the reason he was allowing us to release this for him for free;

"I’m offering this music for free, a lot of dudes may be like its crazy do that., but I got so much confidence in the music, that once people get a taste of this music, this authentic street opus, they gonna be lining’ up for my next release."
 

01. DJ Lt. Dan Speaks
02. Oh Yes (Intro)
03. Back 2 Church (feat. Royce Da 5'9") (Produced By Asar)
04. Rebuilding (Produced By Metro Beats)
05. Water To A Whale (Produced By Ecks & Beast)
06. Ski Mask Musik (Produced By Illustrious)
07. Just A Sec (Interlude) (Produced By Ecks)
08. 100 Grand (Produced By Beast)
09. New Year (feat. Psy Young)
10. Close Up Shop (Produced By ASAP)
11. The Ride (Interlude) (Produced By The Thundakatz)
12. Gat Aimed (feat. Wordsmith)
13. Summer (Produced By Hala-X)
14. Your Brains Are Now Blown (Outro)

Rebuilding : The Foundation
01. New Regime Is Forever
02. Liberals & Conservatives
03. D-Boys & B-Boys
04. I Promise
05. A Guy Called Ecks
06. We In The Building (feat. Psy Young)
07. Cocaine Music (feat. Imogen Heap)
08. Memories
09. Psy Young (Freestyle)
10. Curtis Mayfield (Freestyle)
11. Heads Up
12. Gotta Get It Remix (feat. Balance)
13. 24 Hrs & Countin
14. Linear Notes (Produced By Ecks)
15. Let it Go (Psy Young)




Free Mixtape Download Here - DJ Lt. Dan & Ecks: "Rebuilding: The Mixtape"

Ecks - Dubcnn Drop

For more on Ecks you can visit his MySpace pages or visit his official sites; New Regime Records & We In The Building - stay tuned to dubcnn for more music from Ecks.

 

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