I started my label Mid-South Entertainment which is now Black Rain Entertainment with Lord Infamous of Three 6 Mafia” - J. Ramirez

Memphis Voyager

 

Da Crime-Click's Cult Classic Debut Album Will Be Released On Black Rain Entertainment 

by BWW News Desk Nov. 24, 2019   

 

     

Black Rain Entertainment has announced that they will be releasing Da Crime-Click's cult classic debut hip-hop album A Million Ways 2 Murda on cassette, CD, and, for the first time, vinyl. Originally released in the mid-90s, A Million Wayz 2 Murda started as a self-distributed cassette that the group would sell to local stereo shops around their hometown of Memphis. Through word of mouth the cassette sold out week after week and the group developed a rabid following around town. As Crime-Click member Il Tone explained, "it was strange because we was (sic) just having fun and it turned into something big." 

The group, consisting of members II Tone, Lil 187, Yung Madness, Big Cheese, K-D, and K. Redd, relocated to California and began work on a follow-up album Block Bleeders which they finished in 2005. However, due to personal issues in the group including the incarceration of some members, Block Bleeders was never released and remains shelved to this day. 

A Million Wayz 2 Murda is available to pre-order now at the Black Rain Store online store and will be available to purchase online at Black Rain Entertainment and retailers internationally on January 10, 2020.

 

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Tha Club House song featured on "King Of The Road" tv series Season 2 ep 7.  The Return of the Butt Chug WATCH By clicking the Here.”

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INDEPENDENT ALBUMS How it works  JUNE 3, 2017 Search the Chart Archives. Try entering a birthday or anniversary.ARCHIVESEARCH  GONew1Last Week: --Thankful (EP)New Kids On The Block CHART HIGHLIGHTS Greatest Gainer3Hardwired...To Self-DestructMetallica Hot Shot Debut1Thankful (EP)New Kids On The BlockNew2Last Week: --The Bob's Burgers Music AlbumSoundtrack3Last Week: 6Hardwired...To Self-DestructMetallicaNew4Last Week: --Back 2 LifeLeToya Luckett VideoNew5Last Week: --White KnightTodd RundgrenNew6Last Week: --Chicken TalkII Tone & Mr. 4Twenty7Last Week: 1This Old DogMac DeMarco8Last Week: 10BEL HommagePatti LaBelle9Last Week: 3SlowdiveSlowdive Full TrackLAST WEEK3PEAK POSITION3WKS ON CHART210Last Week: 20They Don't KnowJason AldeanTHIS ”

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Episode 329 – II-Tone’s New Direction »« Episode 328 – Sticky Fingaz of ONYXReviews – II Tone – New Direction-My World OvercomethPublished January 4, 2017 | By prezII Tone is back with a brand new solo album in 2017! Black Rain Entertainment and II Tone have been puttin’ it down for years, and always represents Memphis Tennessee to the fullest! This album is crunk as fuck to start off with! The production is done by different producers including Jack Daniels, DJ Cree and St. Kittz but the majority of this dope production was done by Cuttoffurmind! It captures that classic M-Town Get-Buck sound, so if you are a fan of dope Memphis rap then this is a must! One of the songs I cant stop bumpin’ is Water Off featuring Mac Montese and T-Rock because it is about how people change when you quit doing shit for them. Basically goin’ in on them snakes that lay around waiting for your downfall! Another one I’m feeling is Different because he opens up about alot on here including having Vitiligo which is the same condition that Krizz Kalico of Strange Music has. The album is packed full of heat, including the fire track Take A Puff featuring Mr. 4Twenty and Mac Montese, this one is a real smoker’s anthem! I’m feeling at least 90% of this album, even the couple songs I’m not into are bumpin’, but then again I’ve never known II Tone or Black Rain to put out anything wack. He even has Lord Infamous(RIP) on here whom was a huge part of Black Rain Entertainment.I love the beats, the dope rhymes, but also the quality. This is the first II-Tone solo I’ve heard in a minute and I strongly recommend it to anyone who is into hard street shit. Definitely a breathe of fresh air for the new year! Make sure to hit up Itunes and cop this album!also check out II Tone on Facebook And Twitter” - Prez

UGS4LIFE

 II Tone :: New Direction: My World Overcometh :: Black Rain Entertainment as reviewed by Matt Jost Although the course of history forces many a popular artist to confirm to prevalent tastes, established genres like blues, rock or jazz offer a career option that lets artists do what they're best known for and hopefully best at. Playing into their hands is the fact that their fanbase advances with them in years, people who love them for what they do and are grateful that they haven't abandoned it yet. They play in a league of their own and even calling it the senior divison won't diminish their standing. And if they're truly lucky bastards, what they do is so compelling, genuine and timeless that they continue to garner new fans, some born long after their initial breakthrough.American rap acts have had a hard time prolonging their careers substantially. It remains to be seen whether some rappers will be able to succeed the likes of Duke Ellington, Tony Bennett, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Cash, or the Rolling Stones in terms of extended longevity. Gang Starr would have been viable candidates, before unfortunate and then tragic circumstances befell the duo. A Tribe Called Quest just recently took a shot at it with promising prospects despite or because of Phife's death. A few others seem to have a somewhat stable future ahead of them which a chance of rejuvenating their fanbase.But while individual careers don't last particularly long, the musical movements they are part of often endure. This is quite obvious in rap music's East Coast branch, where chopped samples are still a common sound. Other regions developped their own characteristic sonic styles. Houston, New Orleans and Atlanta all have a rich history that ultimately propelled southern rap to the top, and so does Memphis, via seminal groups Three 6 Mafia and Eightball & MJG. II Tone has been a visible part of the Memphis scene for over 15 years, his most pivotal role being that of co-founder of Black Rain Entertainment together with the late Mafia member Lord Infamous. His solo debut dates back to 2000 ("In Too Deep"), and he executive-produced all Lord Infamous releases on their label. You wouldn't be wrong to expect a certain sound from II Tone, but what you might not expect is such a straightforward old fashioned album. "New Direction: My World Overcometh" is sure to remind listeners of rap from the south circa 2005-2010.Which is potentially good news for II Tone. Despite there being seemingly fewer variety in the proud genre of hip-hop, the fans of yesterday haven't simply vanished. And they have their own expectations. If someone specifically yearns for that Hypnotize Minds sound, II Tone has got them at least partially covered. Echoing, spooky mid-tempo synths open the album while II Tone offers insight into his biography and philosophy with the pace of a shaman and the tone of a pitchman. "Hangin' in Da Hood" comes equipped with enough menace to match threats like "I'm masked up, super crunk, smokin' chunks, I'm through with blunts / Ridin' round town with your body in the fuckin' trunk." "Ridin' in Da Black Rain" hits the right notes for an epic, melancholic track (altough the effect is diluted once the rhythm section sets in). And plus "Frosty" is a posthumous Lord Infamous feature. The sample for "Criminal Mind" is well chosen and converted and contrasts the rapper's relentless (but not breathless) rapping. The superbly programmed percussion of "Cut Your Water Off" alone is worth paying attention to the song, early on solidifying the album's musical diversity, further verified by the rhythmically stuttering, musically stunting "Top Back." The type of classic soul interpolation behind "Ain't No Dope Like I Got" can almost be called a southern staple, while "Can You Stand the Rain" is the uncorrupted '80s quiet storm cover that harks back to '90s rap. Speaking of, "Take Ah Puff" makes sure to include Muggs-type shrieks for some proper Cypress Hill allusions.So yes, "New Direction" is musically solid - if resistant to newer trends. Tone's problem is that he's not a classic artist. He's as generic as they come. He can keep a sound alive, perhaps even an attitude. But he lacks any feature that would make him stand out in the supraregional music scene that he's part of. It is a typical case of shooting yourself in the foot when you name an album "New Direction" and open it with a song called "Different" but don't do anything to substantiate those terms. When you instead fill said album with rhymes from the phraseology of a million and one street rap albums. Any rapper approching a 16 with the building block method has to expect that certain lines don't fit. It is not our intent to lambast well meaning artists, so let's just say that II Tone's rhymes don't always add up. And when they do you'll very rarely think you've witnessed something worth remembering. For the sake of it, let's pick out "You can gossip 'bout my lifestyle, you hate it and you're bitter / but the shit I'm goin' through, I wouldn't wish it on you, nigga" or "Money getters, wig splitters - Martin Luther had a dream / Not that fuck shit you be doin' leadin' to a crime scene." Interesting lyrical impulses that unfortunately go absolutely nowhere.A classic artist can make these things work, including contradictions and clichées. In "Criminal Mind" II Tone references the legendary Scarface with the arbitrary line "This the diary of a madman, money and the power." Not so long ago Scarface summed up Tone's basic configuration which he fails to verbalize in one rhyme: "Greatest ever done it, you can learn from it / Dope game - ran it, rap game - run it." II Tone says it himself - there's levels to this shit. You can take every one of his attributes (defiance, intimidation, ignorance, swag, insight, empathy) and think of another artist who took it to whole 'nother level. That's why II Tone can, like so many hidebound hip-hoppers, cater to your nostalgia only for so long.Music Vibes: 5 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 3 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 4 of 10Originally posted: February 14, 2017source: www.RapReviews.com” - Matt Jost

RapReviews.com

Reviews – Club House Click – Ovaworked UndapaidPublished December 2, 2015 | By prezBlack Rain Entertainment, II Tone, Mac Montese and a whole crew of featuresmake up this new Club House Click project “Ovaworked Undapaid” and if you area true fan of that Memphis sound, this will not disappoint you. I have been bumpin II Tone’s music for years and even though the late greatLord Infamous is no longer with us, Tone and Montese keep the flame lit witha real solid album and best part is the whole thing is packed full of dopetracks and you can cop it on Itunes for only $5.99 Some of my favorite tracks include “Blow Ah N-gga Ass Off” which goes straightfor the jugular, then you gotta bump “Sacrifice” which goes in on gossipers. Ialso cant stop listening to the final track on the album “Finna.” The beats onthis album can’t be fucked with and like I said it’s only $5.99, no excuse notto get this album if you like that real shit! For 2015 I am pleased to see another real dope solid project such as this newClub House Click “Ovaworked Undapaid” If you have been listening to Black RainENT projects this is a must for your collection. Hat’s off to them for this one! Club House Click “Ovaworked Underpaid” on Itunes” - Prez

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Three 6 Mafia Founder Dies Of Heart AttackDec 22nd 2013 | 1:11pm | Staff WriterBillboard has confirmed that rapper Lord Infamous of Memphis hip hop outfit Three 6 Mafia died on Friday night.Born Ricky Dunigan in 1973, he formed rap group Three 6 Mafia in 1991 with his half-brother DJ Paul, Juicy J and Koopsta Knicca. Originally known as Backyard Posse, the band completed its line-up with Crunchy Black and Gangsta Boo ahead of their debut album Mystic Stylez in 1995.Following a stint in jail, Infamous was found in breach of contract with Sony and was forced out of the group. His departure came just after the band had won a Best Original Song Oscar for their track It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp, which was used in the 2005 film Hustle And Flow.Infamous set up his own label in 2006, issuing releases for fellow Memphis rappers Mac Montese and T-Rok.Infamous had only recently reformed Three 6 Mafia as Da Mafia 6ix. The reunited crew dropped a mixtape earlier in the year and were reported to be working on a new studio album.Gangsta Boo tweeted the news of his musical partner's death, asking that people show respect for family and friends "during this tragedy".Infamous, age 40, was found dead at his mother's home and the cause of death is as yet undetermined.[UPDATE] DJ Paul has confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Infamous died of a heart attack in his sleep. Paul told THR, " "He said he was tired, he wanted to sleep. He sat down at the kitchen table, put his head in his arms to lay down ... to get some sleep.He added that the group was getting ready for a show next week outside of Memphis, "He got a chance to see the group back together like he wanted to and be back in the studio with everybody and be back making music like he always liked to do.” - Staff Writer

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