Mane Rok

Last Night ... The Pirate Signal, Digitata, Sims, and Mel Gibson and The Pants

Friday Rap-Up: The BoomBox, Lil Wayne, Young Buck, 50 Cent and Queen Latifah

Rearview: The Week in Review (7/12/08-7/18/08)

Friday Rap-Up: ManeLine, Hip-Hop Stars React to Obama win, Shakir Stewart Suicide, Mos Def

Rap-Up: The Pirate Signal offering up mixtape for download

The Pirate Signal are finishing up their nationwide tour with 3OH!3, along with own shows, and will be heading home in a week or two. In the meantime, the group has made their new mixtape, "Of Gods and Gangsters" available for download on Datpiff.com.All you have to do is register and download the m ... More >>

Rap-Up: 3 the Hardway drops new single featuring Defari

When buddies A.V.I.U.S., Es-Nine and DJ Cysko Rokwel formed 3 the Hardway last year, fans knew that this hip-hop collective would be putting out some hot music. And for good reason: With A.V.I.U.S. on the mike, Es-Nine on the beats and Cysko on the wheels of steel, how could the music be anything bu ... More >>

Sometimes finding fans requires crossing over

Last night, I threw back some drinks and bounced some ideas around with Mane Rok. In addition to being the MC for Denver's ManeLine, Mane Rok is also one of the masterminds (and de facto reluctant leader) of L.I.F.E. Crew, a community of like-minded Denver hip-hop heads that includes Ichiban, t ... More >>

Over the weekend: 3 the Hardway at the Marquis Theater

3 the HardwayFebruary 28, 2009The Marquis TheatreBetter than: The Talib Kweli show the night before at Club Vinyl where you could have had your jaw tapped.Diamond BoizIn celebration of the release of their debut album, Set in Stone, rapper A.V.I.U.S., producer Es-Nine, and DJ Cysko Rokwel, collectiv ... More >>

Over the Weekend: The Pirate Signal at the Marquis Theater

Photo by Chad FahnestockDJ Beretta, D. Allie, Dante, Air Dubai, Mane Rok and the Pirate SignalMarch 13, 2009Marquis TheaterBetter Than: Puking up green beer outside Scruffy Murphy'sEntering the Marquis Theater on Larimer Street on Saturday night was like stepping into a warm, dry bungalow after bein ... More >>

A useless apology to the Pirate Signal

Chad Fahnestock A brief story: Our Best of Denver issue came out this week, and among the winners was the Pirate Signal, for their hip-hop mixtape Of Gods and Gangsters, Vol. 1. So as the lowly web editor, I included their photo in a slideshow I put together of the arts and entertainment winners. H ... More >>

3 the Hardway earns Denver hip-hop a second look

Chad Fahnestock A brief story: Our Best of Denver issue came out this week, and among the winners was the Pirate Signal, for their hip-hop mixtape Of Gods and Gangsters, Vol. 1. So as the lowly web editor, I included their photo in a slideshow I put together of the arts and entertainment winners. H ... More >>

ManeLine

...& Sew Its Seams
Self-released

Moovers and Shakers 2007

Backbeat scribes sound off on their favorite local releases of the year.

Moovers and Shakers 2007

Backbeat scribes sound off on their favorite local releases of the year.

Maneline

This crew delivers a straight shot of hip-hop.

Grazing

There was something for every musical appetite at the Westword Music Showcase.

Life Crew

The Life Crew Compilation: Volume 1 (Self-released)

ManeLine breaks in the Deuce's live stage as first local hip-hop act

During the morning and night newscasts on Channel 2, the station has been showcasing local acts on their Guitar Center-sponsored stage. All of the acts thus far have been rock-oriented with nary a hip-hop artist -- until last week. On Friday morning, the Deuce reached out to ManeLine and asked the c ... More >>

'Catch the Buzz 3' Mixtape features Spoke-In-Wordz, Playalitical, DJ Chonz

Just in time for the Westword Music Showcase, Spoke-In-Wordz and his folks put the finishing touches on his newest mixtape Catch the Buzz 3. The mix is a collection of freestyles, collaborations and unreleased material from the last few years. Mixed entirely by DJ Chonz, Spoke-In-Wordz and Playaliti ... More >>

Westword Music Showcase reviewed: Vinyl

Brian Landis FolkinsFresh Breath Committee kicked things off at Vinyl. See more photos from Vinyl at westword.com/slideshow. Fresh Breath Committee, 12:00 p.m. The day started off nice and sunny and Club Vinyl's rooftop, but I was a bit late in catching the set from the Fresh Breath Committee. The ... More >>

ManeLine performing on The Deuce tonight. Again.

Last month, ManeLine was the first hip-hop act to hit Channel 2 The Deuce's Guitar Center Stage and now we're getting an encore tonight. The group's first appearance was early the morning while people were getting up and getting ready for work, but Mane Rok, Inkline and DJ tense have been asked back ... More >>

Mane Rok and DJ A-What prepping mixtape

Even though ManeLine is continually doing shows around town and the Pirate Signal is hard at work on its new album, rapper Mane Rok and DJ A-What have found time to connect and put together a mixtape project called Mane Rok and DJ AWHAT! Present Rok Stars Mixtape. The project will feature appearance ... More >>

Last night: Put Yo Money Where Ya Mouth Is preliminary

The art of freestyle can be ugly and difficult for even the most seasoned rappers. A necessary evil for street cred, if not lyrical exercise, it's the easiest way to separate the the Pros from the Joes. The battle that took place last night at the Walnut Room emphasized the ugly, the difficult and ... More >>

Mane Rok's The Ugly Truth: Backbeat presents an exclusive advance listen (CD release party tonight!)

​ This Friday night at Cervantes' Other Side with his ManeLine co-hort Deejay Tense, Mane Rok is set to drop The Ugly Truth, his eagerly anticipated solo debut. Recorded, engineered and mixed by 3 the Hardway's Es Nine over the course of the past six months at his House of Waxx Studios, the a ... More >>

Solar Bear's Captain's of Industry: Backbeat presents an exclusive advance listen (CD release party tomorrow!)

​ Call us homers if you must, but sometimes we just can't get over how unbelievably badass the music scene is in this town. Sure, like any other place, we have a seemingly endless supply of crappy also rans and probably-never-will-be's, but for every five of those, we have a Solar Bear, an ac ... More >>

As promised, Hip-Hop Congress kept the spirit of hip-hop alive in La Raza park

Rachel Romero​ Record high temperatures had nothing on the heat being generated by the b-boys/b-girls, MCs, DJs and graffiti artist gathered at La Raza park yesterday for the Spirit of Hip-Hop Park Jam, hosted by Hip-Hop Congress -- a multi-collegiate college group geared towards bringing hip ... More >>

Freeway and Jake One at the Bluebird

Rachel Romero​ Freeway & Jake One • Mane Rok 07.22.10 | Bluebird Theater The evening began with a soulful performance by longtime LIFE Crew ambassadors, Mane Rok and DJ Tense, who performed tracks off of Mane's first solo effort, The Ugly Truth, as well as a few throwback tracks from his e ... More >>

Meet Nathan Reid, studio wiz extraordinare

​Many people in Denver may not know Nathan Reid by name. Just the same, over the course of his career, which spans three decades, he's had the chance to work with a host of prominent acts from Ghostface to Damien and Stephen Marley. Currently operating out of Mercury Sauce, his private produ ... More >>

Strange Powers on Armageddon and what he's been up to since returning to the Mile High City

​ Known to early local hip-hop heads as Shag One and, more recently, as Strange Powers, Josh Powers doesn't fit into the mold of a typical hip-hop cat. He embraces his individuality and honors his own unique global view of music and ideology through his creative endeavors - from more traditio ... More >>

Download two tracks from Molina's forthcoming album, Name & Town, due out next week

​Molina is an MC, lecturer and artist who is rooted and steeped in hip-hop from a purist and cultural point of view. Having spent most of the year touring and building his brand from his many multi-faceted projects, including a poetry/hip-hop fusion project with female voice and artistic pheno ... More >>

George Strait & Reba, Sleigh Bells, Cypress Hill shows announced. Tix on sale this weekend.

​Country superstars George Strait and Reba McEntire have sold close to 125 million records. combined. In his career, which spans more than three decades, Strait has had more number-one singles than Elvis, and his latest effort, Twang, debuted at the number-one slot on Billboard's Top Country A ... More >>

Spoke in Wordz

Power of Wordz
Self-released

True Love

Power of Wordz
Self-released

Weekend Dance Card: Unified Field, Whomp Truck and more

Lexi Fey.​Looking for somewhere to shake your ass this weekend? We've got you covered with events in both the mainstream and underground dance worlds. Tonight, several old-schoolers -- including LL Bishop, Smyl:E, Om, Lexi Fey and Chris Irvin -- man the DJ decks at Chances Grill. Late night f ... More >>

DJ Vajra wins Denver DMC DJ battle at Casselman's, 4/30/11

Brandice RobinsonDJ Vajra proving his prowess on the wheels of steel DMC DENVER World DJ Championship 4.30.11 | Casselman's Bar & Venue The DMC's went down last night at Casselman's, and DJ Vajra won after enduring massive attacks from underling DJs with lesser talents and a gripping face-off with ... More >>

Sneak peek of For Better or Worse, the new solo album by A.V.I.U.S. from Prime Element

​A.V.I.U.S., the MC frontman for Prime Element, is set to release his highly anticipated sophomore solo effort, For Better or Worse, on Thursday, June 23, as part of a dual release party with Mane Rok and Esnine, who are releasing En Stereo. We've got two brand new tracks from A.V.I.U.S.'s new ... More >>

Westword Music Showcase 2011

The Westword Music Showcase celebrates seventeen years, a lifetime for some of 2011's performers

Dual release party at Cervantes' tonight featuring A.V.I.U.S., Mane Rok and Es-Nine

Tonight at Cervantes' A.V.I.U.S. is releasing his sophomore solo effort, For Better or Worse, in a dual release party with Mane Rok and Es-Nine, who are dropping En Stereo -- a tribute to the deejay and MC collaboration. We already gave you a sneak peek of A.V.I.U.S.'s new joint, now we've got an ex ... More >>

Mane Rok tackles police brutality from a different angle on the video for "This One's"

Make up by the GeneralUpdate (7/25/11): Full video added below in its entirety. Taking one of the most compelling cuts from his album The Ugly Truth, Mane Rok enlisted a small army to help him create a video for the song "This One's," a track dealing with the timely and incendiary topic of police ... More >>

A sneak peek of "This One's" by Mane Rok

​ Earlier this week, we posted an item about Mane Rok releasing a provacative video for "This One's" on Saturday at Casselmans, and now, as promised, we have a sneak peek of the joint for your viewing pleasure. The version of "This One's" featured in the video is Time Line's remix of the origi ... More >>

New Music from the One Eyed Kings featuring Molina, Akir, Big Samir of the ReMINDers

​Inspired by Philip Bailey's song of the same name, One Eyed Kings, the MC/producer duo of Bravo One and Mr. Bostic, have produced a new track called "Children of the Ghetto," which is built around a sample of the Bailey tune and features Molina, Akir, and Big Samir. The outfit will be debutin ... More >>

ILL Se7en of Isolated Generation on his first solo release and removing labels from his music

Today is ILL Se7en's School Daze mixtape release party at Red & Jerry's​Mike Acuña is a hip-hop OG. Better known on stage as ILL Se7en, he's been in the game for more than a decade. The MC got his start as one-half of the group Isolated Generations with Ben "Opt Won" Chavez back in the day, a ... More >>

Photos: Es-Nine and Mane Rok immortalized on a train by pair of industrious local graffiti artists

​If you're a rapper, what's better than being on the cover of XXL? Um, yeah, not much, actually. Well, maybe being the centerpiece of a mural -- and still being around to appreciate it -- that has to come pretty close, right? Ask Mane Rok and Es-Nine, whose mugs were recently immortalized on t ... More >>

Mane Rok and Dyalekt of Diamond Boiz present Santanamation, a tribute to Carlos Santana

​When Mane Rok released The Ugly Truth last year, his goal was to follow up that full-length album with a series of EPs and shorter pieces, working with each different producer who worked on the project. Fresh on the heels of going head to head with authorities in his provocative video for "Th ... More >>

Jonny 5 of Flobots reflects on the Occupy Movement and talks about the act's new album

Emily Crenshaw, Mary Grace Legg, Sole

Denver's best music releases of 2011

Emily Crenshaw, Mary Grace Legg, Sole

Beyond Occupy: An MLK Dialogue for 2012 set for 3 p.m. today at Redline Denver

​Today as the country honors Dr. Martin Luther King, a consortium of local hip-hop artists and community activists is getting together this afternoon at 3 p.m. at RedLine Denver (2350 Arapahoe Street) for Beyond Occupy: An MLK Dialogue for 2012, to engage in dialogue about the bigger picture o ... More >>