For the second time in recent weeks we were delighted to learn that another of our releases had been picked by online store Bandcamp to feature on their front page’s “New and Notable” spotlight section.
“Urban Testimony” by Brooklyn rapper Justo the MC and Edinburgh lo fi hip hop producer Brelstaffis an exceptional piece of work. Lyrically, the narrative reads like a booktelling the story of a pivotal time in Justo’s life before during and after his curtailed and turbulent attendance at Clark Atlanta University some years ago.
The underlying themes of potential opportunities presented by the escape route of academia being missed as a conflicted mind strayed on the path of hedonism is a brutally honest accountof events as they unfolded.However, the story ends on a more optimistic note of survival and progression with lessons learned.
The accompanying soundtrack by Brelstaff perfectly captures each mood perfectly. The blend of lo fi hip hop beats, jazz fusion and soul acts almost like a film score, the instrumental versions of several having been broadcast by BBC Radio 1’s ‘Focus Beats’ programme earlier in the year.
Both the vocal version of the album and instrumental version are available on Bandcamp
You can learn more about Justo and Brelstaff in their specially designated Artist Page on this website.
We are very pleased to announce today the release of the new AA side single “Falling” / “Satan’s Grip” by Brooklyn rapper Justo the MC and Edinburgh hip hop producer Brelstaff.
This is the second taken from their album “Urban Testimony” out on November 3rd, and follows on from last month’s “High”. This is the latest chapter from the album’s overall theme, a narrative documenting Justo’s curtailed and traumatic experience studying at Clark Atlanta University several years ago.
Carrying the weight of expectations from a household of faith, the essence of the story is that of a conflicted mind on a potential escape route through academia which strays on a path of hedonism in a brutally honest account of events and consequences.
A chilled soundtrack is the backdrop for the post-traumatic “Falling”, a remorseful narrative reflecting on the mental and physical impacts incurred, while the gritty menacing strains of “Satan’s Grip” fuel a metaphorical conversation on the risks of dancing with the devil.
All international press, media and DJ enquiries and requests about any of our releases can be directed to our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR. Their contact details are HERE
You can find out more about Justo and Brelstaff on their dedicated Artist Page HERE which also includes all their Social Media platform information.
Enjoy the new music & as ever we appreciate the support.
New Dawn Records are pleased to announce the release today of the single “High” by prolific Brooklyn rapper Justo the MC and Edinburgh hip hop producer Brelstaff.
This is the first to be taken from their new album “Urban Testimony” out on November 3rd 2023, the entire theme of which is centred around events leading up to and including Justo’s curtailed time studying at Clark Atlanta University.It represents a fascinating insight depicted in a deeply personal narrative documenting the trials and tribulations he encountered there which ultimately led him to a turning point in life.
The instrumental version of the album was released earlier in the year, with tracks having featured recently on “Focus Beats”, broadcast by the world renowned BBC Radio 1 and Radio 6.
You can stream and download “High” on all digital platforms including APPLE, AMAZON, TIDAL and below on BANDCAMP & SPOTIFY
OFFICIAL VIDEO ON YOUTUBE
You can connect with Justo and Brelstaff directly on social media, all their details are included in their specially designated artist page HERE
All press, radio DJ and multimedia enquiries regarding any of our releases can be addressed to our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR. Their contact details are HERE
New Dawn Records are pleased to announce the release of the new single “Make It Rain” today by award winning rapper Anthony Kannon from Ithaca NY State, and producer Frost Gamble.
This is the second taken from the album “Cautionary Tales” out on October 20th, and follows on from last month’s “Pitfalls” which among other things was featured by Chuck D on his Rapstation radio show.
The pair are currently working on arranging two album launch events to take place in Canada and upstate New York from late October into early November, and we will have further news on that shortly.
Meanwhile, you can stream and download the new single from all major digital platforms including APPLE, TIDAL, AMAZON and below on Bandcamp and Spotify
The official visuals for “Make It Rain” are now playing on our Youtube Channel
All international media and radio DJ enquiries regarding any of our releases can be directed to our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR HERE
You can keep up to date with the artists’ news via their various Social Media Platforms
New Dawn Records are proud to announce the upcoming release of the new album “Urban Testimony” by Brooklyn rapper Justo the MC and Edinburgh producer Brelstaff on November 3rd 2023 distributed digitally by Ingrooves / Universal.
Justo first emerged in 2010 while working with his cousin and producer DJ Vic Black of Gangstarr Foundation. The video for their joint “It’s Our Year” released in 2011 featured DJ Premier, and after several years of mixtape releases, the pair would hook up again in 2017 on Justo’s album “Black Ops” produced entirely by DITC’s Showbiz, executively produced and curated by Vic assisted by DJ Premier.
Since then there has been prolific output through worldwide collaborations including Canadian production team The Lost Info, Brooklyn’s Maticulous, Italy’s Bboy Enea, Nova Scotian DK, the UK’s Remulak and for the first time in 2021 with Brelstaff on their joint “Swagu”.
In 2014 while performing under his born name Daryl Donald, Brel released his debut EP “Kept” and the collaborative album “The Clockwork” with south London emcee Cutta Chase. The release of his instrumental album “Solitude” in 2017 followed in 2019 by “Behold the Spirit” and “Full Circle” built up his reputation as one of the most respected new emerging underground lo fi hip hop producers from these shores, attracting a total of 450,000 listeners and a million streams on Spotify.
Subsequently having adopted the new pseudonym, he released the self titled “Brelstaff” in 2020, and returned to the public arena in February 2023 with the new joint “Cursive” featuring the legendary Fashawn, followed in April by the release of the instrumental version of the “Urban Testimony” through New Dawn, securing play on the BBC Radio 1 & Radio 6 show “Focus Beats” in the process.
The new album documents what Justo describes as the “arrival at a crossroads from a life defining year”. A deeply personal narrative which provides a fascinating insight depicting events leading up to and during his curtailed stay at Clark Atlanta University, and he has again turned to Brelstaff to accompany him on his journey. Beautifully crafted, fuelled by skilful lyricism addressing the core messages of mental health, hedonism, loss of faith, redemption and renewed focus all set to the perfect musical score. The perfect partnership.
The album can be pre-ordered from various store with effect from September 8th HERE
A series of singles will precede the album release beginning on August 1st with “High”. All will be available to download and stream from major digital platforms including Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon. Videos for all tracks will appear on our official Youtube channel @newdawnrecords where you can now watch the video trailer.
All international press and DJ enquiries can be addressed to our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR. Their contact details are HERE and the full official album press release can be read HERE
Again we’d encourage everyone to connect with the artists directly on their social media platforms. Just like everyone we work with, they always got a lot going on & they’ll holla back!
As someone pointed out to us the other day, 2022 marks the twentieth anniversary of some of our original single releases which at the time enjoyed healthy support, often appearing in DJ Magazine’s hip hop club charts, reviews in UK & US publications and notable for the airplay afforded to them by among others, Steve Lamacq who hosted BBC Radio 1’s flagship Evening Sessions show.
Time flies indeed !
They were all by the crew Belles in Monica and included a number of remixes, all released on 12″ & CD formats. We in fact still have a very limited amount of original stock available of both formats, details at our STORE.
“Y’All Under Surveillance” with remixes by G-Sharp (including cuts by DJ Devestator), DJ Nappa of Phil Life Cypher and The Runaways. Originally released on February 4th 2002
“Meltdown” with remixes by Krash Slaughta, Gripper and Phi Life Cypher’s DJ Nappa including cuts by DJ Mr Thing. Originally released May 6th 2002
What D’Ya Need with remixes by DJ Krash Slaughta and Unsung Heroes. Originally released September 23rd 2002
All of these together with most of our original back catalogue were of course made available in digital formats since we re-launched the label in 2019, streaming on Spotify, Tidal, Apple, Amazon and many more including on our Youtube channel.We have included some versions on our Youtube channel’s Singles Playlist
Included in the 18 track playlist are our most recent singles released over the past couple of years, taken from albums by London’s Ramson Badbonez, Phoenix da Icefire & Husky Brown and New Jersey’s Tru Trilla.
They include features by heavyweight names from both sides of the Atlantic including Reks, Skyzoo, Ruste Juxx, Recognize Ali, Genesis Elijah, Micall Parknsun, Jehst, Kashmere, Sleep Sinatra, Johaz of Dag Savage, MysDiggi, Truemendous, Juxx Diamondz, Justo the MC and the late, great Blacastan and Primo Brown of legendary Italian crew Cor Veleno.
Also added are the two singles from this summer, Qadir’s remix of “Bismillah” and Shahin’s re-working of “Lame Duck”.Dope rhymes, bangin’ beats and serious turntablist skillz from then and now as a soundtrack for your day – enjoy !
We’ll have news of new forthcoming joints and albums currently cooking in various kitchens shortly, so keep ’em peeled.
It will have appeared a little quiet over here at NDR towers recently, mainly because we’ve been busy behind the scenes assisting with the development of brand new projects, news of which will likely be published late 2022 / early 2023.
Meantime, we’ve also been re-connecting and catching up “post Covid” with some of our long time affiliated producer friends, the result being that we now have rare special releases to present, beginning today.
“Bismillah” originally appeared on the album “Lead by Example” we released last year, the phenomenal debut producer album by London’s Ramson Badbonez. This new remix by Qadir featuring Brooklyn’s Justo the MC, San Diego’s Johaz of Dag Savage and Deeprooted, and prolific Nebraskan Sleep Sinatra blends cool groove funk with soulful beats, fused together with a mix of heavy bass, guitar licks, brass and Arabian strings. A perfect joint to add to your heatwave summer 2022 soundtrack.
Just to round off the old year, we put together a special mix with some of the singles we’ve released from 2002 to 2022by artists from the US & UK, all reppin’theorigins of dope rhymes, bangin’ beats & sick turntablism.
All of our singles, EP and album releases are now available from our official BANDCAMP PAGEand of course you’ll also find them streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Tidal and many other digital platforms. For direct links to each release and digital store, visit our RELEASES PAGE where they are separated per artist.
We also have some very limited stock of vinyl and CD’s available of our original catalogue from back in the day. These are now rare collectors’ items, a couple of which are included in this new mix, and details can be viewed on our Physical Releases page.
A video of the new mix has just been uploaded to our official Youtube channel
The audio only stream is on Soundcloud
Tracks used
1 Belles in Monica – “Meltdown” [Krash Slaughta Remix] 2 Tru Trilla – “God’s Mercy” [produced by DNA Beatz] 3 Ramson Badbonez – “Black Hole Cypher” ft Kashmere, Truemendous, MysDiggi, Micall Parknsun, Joker Starr, Gee Bag, Confucius, Jehst & Phoenix da Icefire 4 Phoenix da Icefire & Husky Brown – “Dark Rainbow Light” 5 Tru Trilla – “Word of God” [produced by DNA Beatz] 6 Ramson Badbonez – “Lead by Example” ft Recognize Ali, Skyzoo & Juxx Diamondz [cuts by DJ Jazz T] 7 Belles in Monica – “Y’All Under Surveillance” [G-Sharp Remix. Cuts by DJ Devestator] 8 Tru Trilla – “God’s Sympathy” [produced by DNA Beatz] ft Fly Kwa & Confucious 9 Phoenix da Icefire & Husky Brown – “Cosmic Soul” 10 Ramson Badbonez – “Rap to the Future” ft Dizzy Dustin, Mr Hooper & Moka Only [cuts by Kompoze] 11 Ramson Badbonez – “Stay True” ft Reks, Ruste Juxx & Blacastan 12 Ramson Badbonez – “Lame Duck” ft Tru Trilla, Fly Kwa & Prince Ak
New releases for 2022 are in the works, currently at the recording stage with some serious heat being cooked up in the kitchen !!
Meantime, we know the past couple of years has been difficult for everyone, so we’d like to thank you all for the continued support, and wish you & yours a healthy and prosperous new year when it comes.
Shortly after releasing his new album “God of Barz”, Brick City rapper Tru Trilla spoke with Angelo Gingerelli for US online “The Pop Break” as part of their regular NJ Next interview series.
In the feature just published this week, the Newark native discusses his early days in hip hop, the construction of the new album which includes international production, his new upcoming projects and lists his top MCs, producers and live spots in New Jersey.
Coincidentally, Tru Trilla released the first video from the album during the week. “Real Rap”, produced by Barcelona’s Sumerio Square, also features fellow 050 Boyz group member Prince Ak and was shot in downtown Newark towards the end of 2019 and obviously prior to the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic. Check it out on Youtube
Released through New Dawn Records on May 29th, “God of Barz” is available to stream and download from all major digital platforms and stores worldwide including APPLE, TIDAL, AMAZON and SPOTIFY
New Dawn Records are very pleased to announce the release of the new AA side single “Ghetto” b/w “Crazy” by Brick City rapper and producer Az Izz, formerly of the legendary New Jersey group The Outsidaz.
Following “Gettin’ It” and “Nunya” released in April and May respectively, this is the third to be taken from the new album “Dopeliss” out on July 3rdwhich fuses the sound of hip hop through the eras.
From the classic hard edged soul infused sound of the east coast as represented here in “Ghetto” to the high octane electronica of “Nunya” and contemporary flavours of joints such as “Crazy” and “Gunz n Dice Games”, it’s a skillful blend marking the journey which both the genre and Az has travelled over the past couple of decades.
Both tracks on the new single are self produced while fellow group member D.U. joins the ride as featured artist on “Crazy”. Available to download and stream from all major platforms and digital stores including Apple / iTunes, Amazon and Tidal. Also on Spotify and Soundcloud
Connect with Az Izz on Instagram @RealAzIzz and Twitter @TheRealAzIzzwhere he has just announced some news about the upcoming album launch party next month
All media and press enquiries about Az Izz and the new album “Dopeliss” can be directed to our in house promotional division UrbanElite PR. Their contact details are available HERE
We again thank the media and public for the continued support during what has been an extraordinary and difficult year for everyone, and also offer our condolences and own support to the friends and family of George Floyd and indeed all who have suffered and continue to suffer at the hands of racial prejudice and brutality worldwide. Changes must and will come, starting at the top. The vote is the means to their demise.
