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Thursday, 25 June 2009 13:58 |
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Joe Flizzow is definitely enjoying his time in Taichung. Here's a picture of him having mango ice-cream at a night market. |
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DJ Cza & Joe Flizzow Taiwan Tour 2009 |
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Tuesday, 16 June 2009 18:37 |
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The boys are heading out to Taiwan end of this June. |
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President review by Voize.my |
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Monday, 15 June 2009 04:37 |
Joe Flizzow’s The President
By Voize on 23 Mar 2009 at 4:53am
Review by Gavaskar Brian Raj Cause I m too phat baby, enough said . Sounds familiar? To some of us who are fans of the local Hip Hop industry, we will always remember the likes of Too Phat, their songs, vocal talents as well as Joe and Malique themselves. We turned a dark chapter in 2005 when the dynamic duo announced their solo careers. All has been quiet on the home front till now. Joe Flizzow, born Johan Ishak and also known as The President, has just released his first solo album titled appropriately, The President . Some would say Asian Hip Hop is nothing compared to the western stuff that is dished out daily, but our own Hip Hop star has just taken one step for himself and one huge step for the Asean Hip Hop genre with this album. As an individual, he is without a doubt a talented writer, lyricist and producer which are clearly proven in this current release. Listening to the album for the first time and looking at the album itself, I got the feeling of their 2005’s Rebirth Into Reality album or rather I should say the same mood. Flizzow sticks with almost all English lyrics and generally gives us the Godfather theme first explored with Too Phat’s 2005 release. It’s a far cry from the good old days (spanning 10 years) when it was pretty much Malaysian styled rap, where by now we can see the western element intertwined with his work. There are some exciting if not interesting collaborations here with the likes of KRS- One, Phlowtron and Thailand’s power house of Hip Hop, Thaitanium. One particular interesting track was where Flizzow sampled the classic Search song Isabella . On the whole, this is a pretty good album, with a ghetto coolness to it. I m sure fans of The President would enjoy the album. As for me, it’s good with a capital G. The album and its collaborations are awards enough for Joe Flizzow to still call himself the Hip Hop mogul of South East Asia. Reproduced from: Voize.my |
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President feature on NST Online |
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Sunday, 14 June 2009 02:30 |
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Reproduced from: The New Straits Times Online President Joe Flizzow 2009/03/10 By : RADIN SRI GHAZALI
AFTER a decade of experience with Malaysia’s most famous hip hop duo Too Phat, Joe Flizzow has finally released his debut solo album President.
The rapping businessman seems set to soar with a new sound in his new role.
“I’ve been performing alone for quite some time; most of the songs were written while I was travelling on my own,” said Joe in a recent interview.
Joe started off his career as one half of hip hop power house, Too Phat, that also consists of Malique (who is also currently pursuing a solo career with his debut album Ok).
Too Phat broke into the local music scene in 1999 and later produced numerous hits including Dua Dunia (feat. Datuk Siti Nurhaliza), Anak Ayam, Too Phat Baby and Alhamdulilah (featuring Yasin).
Despite busy pursuing solo careers, both rappers have not departed ways.
Moreover, the timing was right as the rapper has no projects with Too Phat.
“Malique has his own album out and is prepping himself to be a dad.
All said and done, President, he said, has taught him everything about producing an album.
“I was there from scratch; I observed the production, and was in charge of the recording and even made frequent visits to the factory that produced my CD. I was there when the first copy came out,” he said.
The album is being distributed by his own label, Kartel Records.
“It’s my baby and I want the best for it,” he said.
Why use “President” as its title?
“It was an election year (2008). Pakistan, Palestine and even Malaysia had elections,” he said. “I felt the impact of the elections through the news every day. It was something inescapable and I was inspired,” he said.
“Being president indicates how one man has power to be heard and I want it!” he admitted.
“I want people to listen to my music and be influenced by the message.”
The 30-year-old, however, almost changed the title after Barack Obama became the first black president of the United States.
“I didn’t want people to think I did it because he won. I came out with the title way before he became president,” he said.
Joe credits the strong rock influences on the first single, Isabella, to the genre’s heyday in the ‘80s.
“When I was 10, I had to be admitted to hospital — and subsequently was bored to death,” he laughed, reminiscing.
My mother bought me a Walkman and Search’s Fenomena album,” he said. “I fell in love with the group’s song Isabella immediately. There was something about the song that was so magical.”
“Why must we sample foreign tracks when we have great local ones? I’ve always liked local tunes like Anak Ayam,” he said.
Joe suggested the idea to Amy of Search and the rocker gave his blessings to sample the legendary song.
“I am going to record another version of the song with him singing rather than sampling it,” he said, adding that the recording of President took two years.
“I had about 100 songs to choose from. It was hard to finalise the final 14. I wanted a particular sound that best described me and hopefully I chose right.”
The album has been tailored to have a more urban feel, like MTV’s Top 40.
“Many might say that Malay hip hop is different from English ones, but I just want to make my music appeal to everyone no matter what the language,” he said.
Joe has also used President to feature many new faces including Hady Miza (who sings Complicated) before the Singaporean lad won Asian Idol.
“Complicated took place long before he won the competition and became huge,” he said.
The rapper also featured new faces in his album including terrytylee on All Around My World, KRS-One in Get It Done, Joeniar Arief on Bersamamu and Jinj on Out of This World.
The album also has an international touch, having been mastered at Hollywood’s SoundCubed Studios where American rap mogul Dr Dre recorded his albums.
“It is all about working smart. I opted for the concept of e-mastering that saved me a lot of money. I just emailed my songs and they mastered them,” he explained.
Nevertheless, there is talk of a reunion with Malique.
“We have discussed it. Maybe a year from now, after establishing our solo projects, we may hit the studio and record a single together,” he said. |
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