Poised to become the next break out artist from the Bay Area, Ise Lyfe is one of the nation’s premier spoken word artists and emcees. Ise's ability to rap about change and empowerment without being preachy or corny have landed him spots on Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam and on stages with Dave Chappelle, Lauryn Hill, Talib Kweli, and dead prez. His sophomore album, Prince Cometh, is a welcome blend of substance and potent music. On Prince Cometh, Ise hits the nerve right at the core, offering a fly, socially aware, yet personal record that offers a visionary outlook at the world we live in.<br /><br />Fusing spoken word and hip-hop, Ise's unique style of delivery and powerful content grasps his audiences, deconstructing the façade of dominant narratives. Rising from the streets of Oakland, California, Ise is no stranger to challenging the status quo. In the midst of an ever-growing culture of "Going Dumb" and Hyphyness, Ise chooses to spin off of that energy, using that same force to empower and uplift via his vocal and lyrical artillery. "Our communities are full of beautiful people that can’t see their own beauty. People look outside of themselves for anything to make them feel good about themselves, or just good period. Before all of this is over, I'd like to play a roll in influencing people to see the answer within."<br /><br />Inspired by Langston Hughes as a child, Ise began writing his own work as a teenager, interpreting the world as he saw it through poetry and rhymes, gaining popularity by traveling to local schools, battling other emcees and entering youth poetry slams, winning consistently. As he grew into his teenage years he became more and more distracted by the same negative elements that many young men fall victim to when growing up in poor communities. He stopped writing and lost interest not only in art, but also his future. Despite losing friends and family members to drug abuse, incarceration, and violence, Ise says that it wasn’t until he witnessed a murder at a concert that his outlook on life changed for the better. "I realized that I had become numb to the violence and had somehow accepted the idea of dying young. I never wanted to be that way." It was this life altering experience that would return him to his rhyme books and journals, finding validation and encouragement in teen poetry slams.<br /><br />Ise first gained national recognition in 2000 competing in the annual Youth Speaks Poetry Slam Finals. In 2001 he would go on to represent the San Francisco Bay Area at the Youth Speaks National Poetry Slam. Soon, Ise was in high demand for his theatrical street-smart spoken word performance pieces that depicted the daily struggles of common people. His performances started out in small coffee houses and open mics, but soon graduated to clubs, auditoriums, and over 60 universities all over the country and abroad reaching as far as the United Kingdom and Ghana.<br /><br />Ise has been featured on Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on HBO. He has also shared the stage with Dave Chappelle, Lauryn Hill, Talib Kweli, dead prez, E-40, Harry Belafonte, KRS-One, Martin Luther, Saul Williams, Ben Harper, Erykah Badu, Zion I, and The Coup to name a few.<br />In 2004, Ise was featured on the cover of City Flight Magazine where he was profiled as one of the "Top 25 Under 35 in The Bay Area." During that year Ise co-wrote and performed in "CAUSE," a hip-hop theater piece that fused spoken word with modern dance to address the legacy of hate in the world. Internationally renowned choreographer Robert Moses directed the dance sequences.<br /><br />Ise's impact goes beyond the stage and studio. Striving to prevent youth from following the same destructive cycle of violence that almost caught up with him, Ise co-founded the P.O.W.E.R. Movement, a multi-faceted Oakland-based organization that addresses the educational, social, and political needs of young people. He then led the youth component at Leadership Excellence in Oakland; a non-profit organization committed to educating black youth in the areas of social justice and cultural awareness. Ise also served as Senior Arts-in-Education Associate at Youth Speaks (San Francisco, CA), the leading literary arts agency in the US. There, Lyfe molded curriculum that blended literacy and performance art in urban classroom environments by partnering with teachers to relate the text that students are assigned to their actual real life experiences. <br /><br />Ise penned "Who’s Krazy?," a one-man theater piece that debuted at the 2007 National Black Theater Festival in North Carolina to a sold-out crowd and received rave reviews. He is an innovative businessman; he is the owner, founder, and executive director of Lyfe Productives. His company is invested in creating a popular culture of consciousness by partnering with agencies, companies, and institutions to connect the services that these entities provide with the people who can benefit from them the most. <br /><br /><br />Says Ise, "I chose the title Prince Cometh for this album for a couple of reasons. This record is a lot more personal than my last album, spreadtheWORD, (2006 Hardknock Records) and I feel like at this particular time in my life I’m really coming into myself, hence, Prince Cometh. At the same time the title reflects what I’ve been seeing as I travel and witness the current state of the world. People everywhere are coming into themselves and choosing to demand what they feel is right and good for them. That’s the theme of this project."<br /><br />Ise Lyfe joined forces with Bay Area producer Nick James to co-executive produce Prince Cometh and the talented young producer brought his fair share of musical production to the table as well, producing 13 of the album’s 21 tracks. Tracks like "Thighbone," featuring West Coast heavyweight Zion-I, have a commercial appeal and is a whip smart ode to every girl on any dance floor. Songs like "Yes, No, Maybe," "Him," "Greatest Problem Ever," and "Time Comes" give a very personal glimpse into the usually guarded and private Ise Lyfe. Of course the album stays in line with Ise’s focus, offering socially aware content on top of banging beats. "The Blowout", anchors the top of the album, a chorus wailing:<br />"I’m not stupid, I’m not dumb / I’m not your bitch or nigga<br />Yes I’m fine super sexy / I wanna live right but you won’t let me<br />Nah Nah Nah them days is done / You feel it too I’m not the only one<br />Yes we high but lets go HIGHER / HIGHER HIGHER HIGHER"<br />"Whitey’s In Iraq" is a timely remake of Gil- Scott Heron’s 1970’s critique of America’s neglect of poor people titled "Whitey’s on the Moon". Lyfe continues to touch on topics that peers in his genre of music tend to avoid, as "Get off the Corner Girl" brings up the plight of teenage prostitution and young women who sell drugs. As icing on the cake, Ise Lyfe gives the listener some spoken word poetry cuts that confirm him as an amazing writer and rapper.<br /><br />Prince Cometh will be available digitally on July 15th and will be in stores August 19th. http://www.imeem.com/iselyfe Delta 0 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Ise Lyfe http://www.imeem.com/iselyfe/video/pfHNfgK4/ise-lyfe-bad-word-bounce-music-video/ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:48:43 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/iselyfe/video/pfHNfgK4/ise-lyfe-bad-word-bounce-music-video/"><img width="100" height="75" border="0" src="http://srv0204-07.sjc3.imeem.com/g/v/635ef81906b0bc296f92e4732bfdaeaf_00010.jpg" title="Click to play this video"/></a></div> gHmrpR9hm- Ise Lyfe http://www.imeem.com/iselyfe/music/GZgPIPcr/ise-lyfe-bad-word-bounce/ Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:36:24 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/iselyfe/music/GZgPIPcr/ise-lyfe-bad-word-bounce/"><img border="0" src="http://resources-p2.imeem.com/resources/versioned/2/graphics/icons/no_album_art_100x100.png" title="Click to play this song"/></a></div> xu0bqixd4c Ise Lyfe http://www.imeem.com/iselyfe/music/1wnc3c7R/ise-lyfe-thigh-bone-featuring-zion-i/ Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:35:23 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/iselyfe/music/1wnc3c7R/ise-lyfe-thigh-bone-featuring-zion-i/"><img border="0" src="http://resources-p2.imeem.com/resources/versioned/2/graphics/icons/no_album_art_100x100.png" title="Click to play this song"/></a></div> ZKD5UBasNW Ise Lyfe http://www.imeem.com/iselyfe/music/e1cgXCOw/ise-lyfe-the-blow-out/ Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:46:05 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/iselyfe/music/e1cgXCOw/ise-lyfe-the-blow-out/"><img border="0" src="http://resources-p2.imeem.com/resources/versioned/2/graphics/icons/no_album_art_100x100.png" title="Click to play this song"/></a></div> o8AUEELvbZ Ise Lyfe http://www.imeem.com/iselyfe/music/Jh8bbZ5v/ise-lyfe-the-blow-out/ Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:39:38 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/iselyfe/music/Jh8bbZ5v/ise-lyfe-the-blow-out/"><img border="0" src="http://resources-p2.imeem.com/resources/versioned/2/graphics/icons/no_album_art_100x100.png" title="Click to play this song"/></a></div> GcpYWQ9liJ