Tagged: chaz van queen

A Smile, For You

Chaz Van Queen is an indie rapper and singer from New York by way of Baltimore.We here at What’s Protocol? have been fans of Chaz Van Queen for quite some time now. We’ve even had various opportunities to work with him as well as watch him work.

Since we’ve been following him, there have been various teases of the release of his second full length album, A :) 4 U, but the date always seemed to get pushed back due to various complications. Chaz has finally cleared all of the hurdles and managed to release the album for the public, and we must thank God/Supreme Being/Random Chance for that.

I had heard about half of the tracks on the album previously so I was aware that he was sitting on a handful of extremely solid singles, but upon listening to the album in its entirety it is apparent that it is much more than a collection of singles. Chaz has managed to hone his voice and create a signature sound that, to me, is reminiscent of the feel good hip hop of the early to mid-90s. A perfect example of the 90′s feel is his track “Summer Girlfriends” which I previously described as perfect for a backyard bbq.

Chaz’ talents are not confined to simply rapping, either. On the back to back tracks “Bring Your Smile” and “Think Twice” he shows of his skills as a singer. I’ve loved “Bring Your Smile” since I first heard it last summer and I was immediately wowed today upon my first listening of “Think Twice.”

Despite the rapping and singing, the most impressive thing about this album may be that Chaz produced, composed, and arranged it all. He truly shows off his chops as a musician/producer on each track.

Overall this album can be taken as announcement of Chaz’ musical genius. It could be said that he is showing off here were it not for the fact that we benefit so much by him sharing his talents. This album was definitely worth the wait and I am glad he took his time with it. You can stream/download the album below. Enjoy!

BONUS:

Chaz also just got some press from Prefix Mag as he was featured on a track by Toothpaste. Listen to the track below and checkout the full Prefix Mag writeup.

For more info about Chaz Van Queen,  please visit his website

Kiddie Pool Music

A couple weeks ago while writing about Soft Lighting I used the term “Grotto Music” in order to describe his sound.

I’m back with another Sea Isle inspired descriptor in this post as I bring you some “Kiddie Pool Music.” Now, these tracks can be enjoyed in any setting but I believe that in order to achieve maximum listening pleasure you should crank both of these as you chill out at a backyard beach bbq in the friendly confines of a kiddie pool.

First up we have “Summer Girlfriends (I reminisce)” by Chaz Van Queen featuring Jinesis. It sounds like the laid back party hip hop of the early to mid 90s and its nostalgic verses fit the vibe perfectly. Chaz shows off his range during the track, rapping some parts then breaking out his singing voice to enhance his story.

Next  is “Full Retard,” the first single off of El-P‘s upcoming album Cancer for Cure. This one is heavier on the bass than the previous tune and a little bit more aggressive. Still perfect for the kiddie pool as well as a night time drive to the beach. I guess it could work if we brought a boombox to the basketball courts, too. We need to bring a boombox to the basketball courts.

I’d like to end this post by saying shout out to Doctor Urbas. He likes rap music. He’s a doctor.

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Is there a cover? Yes.

Earlier last year we posted a beautiful cover of the Bob Dylan song “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”. We knew it was going to be part of a bigger Dylan covers project from Rokbox, but it was unclear when it would come. Well, this compilation finally exists in its entirety and it is just lovely. It’s titled Dylan 70:Philadelphia Pays Tribute To a Legend and features 13 songs all done by artists or bands hailing from the “City of Brotherly Love”.

Stream it below, then buy it and then rock out to it on your iPod.

While on the subject of covers, we should mention that our friend Chaz Van Queen recently recorded a cover of New Edition’s “Can You Stand The Rain”. It’s a stripped down version using only a piano and Chaz’s voice. I enjoy it particularly as it helps to display Chaz’s range as an artist. Not only is the guy a talented rapper and producer, he is also a very skilled piano player and singer.

While on the subject of Chaz, I should mention that he has a show coming up at Pianos in NYC this Saturday, check out the details here. The show is free, and so is his cover. Check it out below.

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300 Black Turtlenecks Like Steve Jobs

Ohene tweeted this at us yesterday and I didn’t get around to watching it until this morning. It’s an instant share. It’s so off the wall that I love it.

The song, produced by Chaz Van Queen, manages to be hype but also laid back at the same time, and the video is a collection of the internet. I especially appreciate the Mr. Perfect cameo in there as pro wrestling is the best thing ever. Enjoy “5″ by Ohene Cornelius. Also, grab his whole new album “Cycle of Fifths” here.

Click Click Download.

WARNING: NSFW

5 from ohenecornelius on Vimeo.

BONUS: There were clips from this music video in Ohene’s vid, so I figured I’d repost it in case you weren’t aware that it exists.

Lakutis Lakutis Lakutis Lakutis

Hi everybody! Lakutis dropped his mixtape yesterday the other day. It’s free so you should probably download the whole thing, it’s pretty good.

Highlights:

“Lakutis in the House”

This track was produced by friend of the blog, Chaz Van Queen, and is uptempo with a pretty nice synth line. As I am jumping into the world of DJing this song will most definitely be included in my sets.

“Swann Gangg”

Another tight synth line, another tight song. Lakutis fucks our favorite everything here and rapper/excellent-Twitter guy DVS lends a verse.

“I’m Better Than Everybody”

Hip hop culture is about being the best, right? Lakutis gets straight to the point here with the hook. Kool A.D. from Das Racist has a guest verse on this song and I was actually on hand when it was recorded. That makes me feel super cool. It happened at Chaz’s apartment after we filmed the “Do You Like It?” music video. There were latency issues, but it all got worked out.

The rest of the songs are good, too. I’m not gonna write about them all. That’s boring. Also I’m lazy. Just listen:

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Chaz Van Thursday: Bring Your Smile

Chaz Van Thursday is upon us ladies and gentlemen and with it comes joy. Chaz has released his song “Bring Your Smile” on iTunes. Ever since I first heard the song over the summer I have been a fan.

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Music Videos

Alexa from Little Anchor celebrates Fannypack Friday and hits the Scaf pose.

Little Anchor. Fannypack Friday. Scaff pose. Pose a question. Do you like it? Music video. Cameo in a music video. Starring in a music video. My cousins. MC Skat Kat. Cat. Feline. Lion. Tiger. Puma. Pregame Puma. Puma Pounce. Pounce and bounce. Bounce. Jump jump. White guys. Kriss Kross Jump. Black guys. Opposites. Opposites attract. Paula Abdul.

Paula Abdul + a bunch of my cousins + music video = THIS!!!!

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Chaz Van Wednesday

Today our boy Chaz Van Queen releases his newest video for his single, “Do You Like It?”

Special thanks to our cinematographer bros at RGB Productions. 

For more fun check the behind-the-scenes footage we posted a couple of weeks ago!

 

Bonus:  Chaz would also like to announce that his single “Bring Your Smile” will be available via iTunes this Monday and will include remixes by Knifeshow, Kalae All Day, Steel Tipped Dove, Gordon Voidwell, Tecla, Alfred Jenkins, and Fat Tony. Preview the track below:

Wrestling is Cool. Zombies are Dumb. Shutup.

The Undertaker gets paid in real money to pretend to be a zombie.

The other day Lindsey wrote a post in which she expressed a bit of disgust at the subject of professional wrestling, but praised those crazy kids dressing up like zombies and occupying Wall Street. This implies that those kids are better than professional wrestlers, in her opinion. In my opinion there CAN be wrong opinions.

Lindsey’s opinion on pro wrestling is an prime example of this type of occurrence. Of course, this should be expected. She is a girl and was born south of the Mason-Dixon line, and everybody knows that women and southerners are the biggest morons in the world!!!#badguywrestlerswag

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Fade into the sol.

It’s been a funny past couple of days here at What’s Protocol?

All we want to do is just want dance, dance, dance..

sol – Mausi

And if you’re in the DC area (you know who you are), you better be making your way down to the 9:30 Club to check out our boy Chaz Van Queen (he’s known to give out free hugs) opening for the ever-entertaining hip-hop group, Das Racist.

Get your tickets, follow @whatsprotocol tonight, and try to see if you can find Daryl and I at the show…maybe there’s a prize for the winner?