MURS 3:16 IN ASSOCIATION WITH GUERILLA UNION PRESENT 4th ANNUAL "PAID DUES" INDEPENDENT HIP-HOP FESTIVAL CONFIRM ADDITION OF NEWLY FORMED RAP SUPERGROUP SLAUGHTERHOUSE
The "PAID DUES" INDEPENDENT HIP-HOP FESTIVAL--presented by MURS 3:16 in association with Guerilla Union (Rock The Bells, Cypress Hill Smoke Out)—have announced the addition of the buzz-worthy supergroup, Slaughterhouse, which consists of lyricists Joe Budden, Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Crooked I. For the first time, the audience at PAID DUES will witness the exclusive West Coast premiere performance of Slaughterhouse.
"We're honored to be joining this year's Paid Dues Festival and look forward to giving the fans a great show. Joe, Crooked, Joell and myself are very excited to bring Slaughterhouse to such a prestigious event and we look forward to becoming a part of hip-hop history," states Royce Da 5'9". Joe Budden adds, "We're all equally excited about this opportunity and we're going to tear that stage down. It's our first west coast performance so needless to say we value the chance...and we're going to perform as such!"
The four-man collective recently released a track titled "Onslaught" which has received a lot of hype over internet blogs and discussion boards. Building from the excitement and overwhelming response, the idea of forming a group and producing an album was born. On January 22nd, Slaughterhouse held their first live performance in front of a sold-out crowd at S.O.B.'s in NY. A feature on XXLmag.com, has tabbed the group as the "The Fantastic Four of Rap."
Murs shares his excitement, "Now the world is in trouble! I feel that with the addition of Slaughterhouse to the Paid Dues line up, we have the greatest hip-hop show of the year and quite possibly our best line up since year one. Definitely the most exciting! Slaughterhouse is comprised of 4 MC's who are Paid Dues artists to the core. They have amassed an astounding buzz and built a very impressive following by using their raw talent and maintaining a healthy relationship with their fanbase. They are real MC's, lyricists who refuse to 'dumb it down' in order to gain the favor of the mainstream. Instead they have used the wonders of modern technology to tap into their "core" and expand their empire. Making this group one of the most talked about collectives since...well it's been a long time since I've heard so many real hip-hop heads so excited about anything. That's why we had to reach out and grab them for Paid Dues even though it was last minute and it put us over budget. We said, ‘screw it!' In these difficult financial times I feel that our fans deserve the best show/party possible."
PAID DUES is an all-ages show. Tickets are available now for $40 and limited VIP tickets for $100. VIP package include festival backpack, t-shirt, artist meet & greet and much more.
This year's installment of PAID DUES follows the festival's third sold-out annual Southern California event in 2008 which featured artists such as Sage Francis, Little Brother, Hieroglyphics, Buckshot of the Boot Camp Clik and Yak Ballz. 2008 also saw the festival make stops in New York, NY, Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Denver, CO. In 2006 the first PAID DUES festival--with a line-up featuring Felt, Aesop Rock, Living Legends, El-P, Hangar 18 and more--sold out with over 5,000 concert goers packing the Shrine Expo Center in Los Angeles. The following year MURS and Guerilla Union, along with performers Felt, Living Legends, Sage Francis, Brother Ali and others--teamed up again for the PAID DUES festival tour for over ten dates across the country.
MORE ABOUT SLAUGHTERHOUSE: Slaughterhouse features four respected underground hip-hop MC's that span from coast to coast who each have individual albums coming out in 2009.
Joe Budden hails from New Jersey and is known for his mixtapes and 2003 hit "Pump It Up." He is set to release his upcoming album, Padded Room, on February 24th, 2009 through Amalgam Digital. As a prequel to the album, Budden released a digital-only album, Halfway House, in October. It was the first digital-only hip-hop release utilizing both traditional marketing method and new media viral marketing initiatives.
Royce Da 5'9" is a West Side Detroit rapper who was associated with Eminem early in his career. For his solo projects, he has worked with DJ Premiere, DJ Green Lantern and 9th Wonder. He has also written tracks for Diddy and Dr. Dre. Coming in March 2009, Royce will release his Premiere-assisted album, Street Hop, by M.I.C. Recordings
Brooklyn-born Joell Ortiz was featured in the "Unsigned Hype" column of the March 2004 issue of The Source and was also selected as Chairman's Choice in XXL. During the same time Ortiz also went on to win the 2004 EA Sports Battle which earned his song, "Mean Business," a spot on the NBA Live 2005 soundtrack. He is said to be dropping his new album on Koch Records called The Free Agent later in 2009.
Long Beach lyricist Crooked I is currently the CEO of his label, Dynasty Entertainment. Prior to Dynasty, Crooked I was signed to Death Row Records, where he released a few mixtapes and compilations but was never able to release his own album. In 2008, he released 3 mixtapes titled St. Valentine's Day Bossacre, The Block Obama: Hood Politics and Block Obama II. Crooked I's debut album, B.O.S.S. (Beginning of Something Serious), will be released some time in 2009.
For more information, Go to:
www.guerillaunion.com
