Biography

SLIPPIN’: TEN YEARS WITH THE BLOODS, VOLUME 1

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GODFATHER OF GANGSTA RAP MOREY ALEXANDER’S FIRST KUT LABEL, IN CONJUNCTION WITH PRODUCER/ENTREPRENEUR DOUG YOUNG, RELEASES COLLECTION OF FRESH TRACKS FROM UP AND COMING RAPPERS INSPIRED BY THE POPULAR SHOWTIME DOCUMENTARY ON THE POWERFUL L.A. STREET GANG

When it comes to his passion for breaking new talent, Morey Alexander is unstoppable. Currently celebrating an incredible 50 years in the music business, the famed “Godfather of Gangsta Rap”—who launched the careers of genre pioneers N.W.A, Easy-E, Ice Cube, Mellow Man Ace, Kid Frost and Dr. Dre—has just released the explosive compilation Slippin’: Ten Years With The Bloods, Volume 1, on the First Kut imprint of his legendary company, Kent Records.

More of a musical companion piece to the powerful, critically acclaimed Showtime documentary “Slippin’: Ten Years With The Bloods” than an actual soundtrack, the collection features a cool variety of some of gangsta rap’s hottest up and coming artists: Reggie Ruckus (from Chicago), Young Rook (Los Angeles), No-More (Chicago), Oow-Wee (Inglewood, CA), the M-Lott Gang and Uno Vs. All. Napoleon Da Legend, who lives in both Washington, DC and Paris, recently received his Master’s from George Washington University, speaks seven languages and is the son of a prince from a small African nation.

The 21-track collection includes a brief “Intro” by well known rapper 45 King 9 Bar.

Key singles that will be the focus of the upcoming radio promotional campaign for Slippin’ are “Beat Go Bang” (Young Rook), “Tell Me Why You Smoke Like That” (No-More), “Unfortunate” (Napoleon Da Legend), “Home Run Hitter” (Reggie Ruckus), and “Spring” (Oow-Wee). Major stations like Power 106 in Los Angeles will be receiving the entire album.

Slippin’: Ten Years With The Bloods, Volume 1 was produced by the film’s three producers Doug Young (who began his career as a “street team” promotions director for Alexander in the 80s), Steve McIntosh and Jammin’ James Carter.

Directed by Joachim Schroeder and Tommy Sowards and co-produced by legendary rap pioneer Kurtis Blow, “Slippin’: Ten Years With The Bloods”—which has been one of the highest rated original films on Showtime since its release in 2005, frequently running several times per week—follows five members of the powerful Los Angeles street gang The Bloods over the course of ten years, revealing a life of danger, drugs, substance abuse and senseless death.

“This is one of the biggest gangs in the country, with 300,000-500,000 members,” says Alexander, whose company will soon be releasing the film on DVD for the first time, complete with several bonus tracks. “The documentary shows the lives of these five young men as they grow up, starting with their childhood and when they first started gangbanging. It tracks their lives over the period of a decade, during which time they either went to prison, got killed or became productive businessmen with stable families.”

Bucking the typical corporate distribution model, Alexander is getting down and dirty, takin’ his promotional efforts for the project where they’re sure to pay off: to the hood. He’s assembling a large street team to do a far-reaching “Snipe” campaign, pasting 12×12 placards of the album cover all over targeted areas and reaching out to influential tastemakers and neighborhood record stores in major cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas.

Alexander’s plan is to create so much excitement that customers will demand that their local outlets order Slippin’: Ten Years With The Bloods from First Kut/Kent’s distributor Super D.

“The coolest part of this project is working with these new artists and helping develop them into major players in the rap field,” says Alexander. “We’re going to work on further recordings with some of them for First Kut as well. We’re also really excited about this new promotional strategy which has never been done before and doesn’t involve the major distributors, Sony/BMG, Warner Bros. or Universal. It’s an incredible documentary and the music on the CD makes the perfect companion listening experience.”