Some of my favorite people in the world came together recently to try to inject a bit of dopeness and positive energy into what is otherwise probably the most dreary holiday season most of us have ever experienced. I mean fuck the holidays, but usually this time of year is fun, it just happens to be that this year we are all sitting here praying that holy hell doesn’t break loose before Obama can get in there and make it right. No pressure homey.
Anyway, equally fed up with the over consumerated bullshit and general fucked upness of it all, the design collective known as LeDeux has joined forces with the Teamworks and Thisish brands to present a series of free music downloads from Marshall Law. Known for his beatmaking mastery as well as work with Large Professor, the X-Ecutioners, Julez Santana, B-Real, and more, Marshall Law has been hoarding joint after joint after joint for just this occasion. With the launch of Thisish.com, he presents his full length masterpiece, Drugs Made Me Do It, as well as the mixtapes Testing the Waters Vol 1 and 2, Teamworks, and Deep Huh completely free. Not content to stop there, the plan is to release a new free download each month for the next four months. Far from a regular mixtape, Marshall’s mixes feature production work out the ass, super eclectic song selection, and flips and bounces that only a drugged out lunatic could come up with. On the eve of the site launch I linked with Marshall to hear why he felt compelled to give in to the season of giving when the rest of us are staying on some real Scrooge McDuck shit. This is what he had to say:
What gave you the idea to launch this free download site?
There are 50,000 ways to buy and sell music, from iTunes to the “do you like hip hop” kids slinging cd’s to tourists in Union Square. The industry is flooded with people with their hands out, that’s not really my steez. We’re in an economic crisis dammit!! People need to save their money for bomb shelters and flat screen tv’s.
What can people expect to get?
A bunch of shit at once. First a record entitled Drugs Made Me Do It. I did this in 2005, its inspired by the “escapades of controlled substance people” and was made during a quite interesting time in my life. Also there are four completely produced so-called mash up mixes. I will be releasing everything I got on stash in the next four months. Three more instrumental albums and at least one more mixtape as well as some features and random stuff I got.
Nothing in life is free, what’s the catch?
No catch. you don’t even have to enter your email, just click download. No tricks or bullshit. If you feel like supporting come to a show or buy me a coffee.
Both sonically and biz wise - what are your next moves?
I’m emptying out the stash to clean my slate and start fresh. I’ve been doing some beats for some people and am feeling ambitious to get more creative in the producer role as well as putting together tracks for a new record. For this album I’ve been trying to push my capabilities farther, I started playing drums and am working that into tunes,trying to mesh the analog and digital worlds. I figure if I give more physically to tracks it will translate to the listener.
Who is your team and how do they fit into your collective plans? Thisish, Teamworks, LeDeux?
Every one in that circle is really one fam, we each got a hustle and somehow manage to collaborate on crazy amounts of work. Collectively we can all offer something to the other and we all want to see the next succeed so we actually work to see that.
Any other random thoughts or shoutouts holla!
With all the bullshit outside your headphones try to relax, don’t be fooled into hysteria, if all else fails take drugs.
Thanks Marshall!
