A couple weeks back, I used < “Show Me Change,” a cut off ArtOfficial’s “Payback” street album, as an excuse to delve into the genius that was Just Blaze’s “Show Me What You Got” instrumental. Well, this week, the Miami ensemble stepped into the Booth again, this time to put their own spin on “Don’t Sweat the Technique,” title track and minor hit off Eric B. and Rakim’s final full-length as a duo. And, as we all know, I’m not one to pass up the opportunity to dissect a hip-hop classic of this caliber. Read More/Watch…

After the disappointment that was the latest edition of “Beamer, Benz or Bentley”, I thought it was only right to give remixes a good name again with K. Sparks’ new “Blue Swing (Remix)”. Here, the almost impossibly productive emcee Sparks recruits fellow RefinedHype favorites Beyond Belief and Logics (of ArtOfficial fame), in addition to newcomers Gripz and Jabee. Listen and download…

Oftentimes, the truest strokes of brilliance are the subtlest, and thus the easiest to pass over without noticing. Well, OK – I have no idea how accurate that statement is. I just sorta felt like beginning with a sweeping generalization. At second glance, though, I just might have been onto something, at least when it comes to sampled hip-hop production. Flipping an instantly-recognizable riff is one thing, but actually working diverse musical elements into a coherent whole is another – and when the results come together too well, few people notice just how impressive a feat you accomplished. Read More/Watch Video…

Following the success of their “The Payback” mixtape, Miami-based live instrument crew ArtOfficial is now pushing one of the project’s top track, “Show Me Change”. Built around a live version of Jay’s “Show Me What You Got”, the horn sample of which I’m convinced is from the classic “Rumpshaker”, “Show Me Change” also brings in lyrical firepower from frequent rhyme collaborator QuEST and the fantastically named Swamburger (of Sollilaquists of Sound). Listen and download…

Miami hip-hop ensemble ArtOfficial have linked up with DJBooth.net, RefinedHype.com, illroots and Kevin Nottingham to drop a free project entitled “The Payback.” The 12-track street album finds emcees Newsense and Logics performing over the live backing of bandmates Danny Perez, Manny Patino, Ralf Valencia and Keith Cooper, who recreate classic instrumentals by everyone from rock legend Jimi Hendrix to jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood. Listen/Download…

We already know that ArtOfficial have a taste for the rock classics, and it doesn’t get more classic than Led Zeppelin. In a new video, the Miami-based live-band hip-hop ensemble hook up with ¡Mayday!‘s Wrekonize and guitarist Sonny East to rework two of the rock legends’ best-loved tracks: “The Ocean” and “Black Dog.” Watch…

ArtOfficial, the live hip-hop crew that first took us on a tour of their native Miami, is gearing up to drop their new album “The Payback” and what better way to build some well-deserved hype than by dropping the project’s title track? Featuring RefinedHype favorite K. Sparks, who here spits yet another missile precise flow, ‘The Payback” is first and foremost a musical beat; goddamn that bass line is sick. Listen and download…

Why don’t more crews make live instrument hip-hop? Actually, that question’s pretty easy to figure out. It’s rare to get that many talented musicians together in one group, a rarity that lives and breathes in Miami-based crew ArtOfficial. Fresh off taking us behind the scenes of their upcoming “The Payback” album, ArtOfficial is releasing the the first single off the album today with “Doing Things Wrong”. A track that seamlessly combines the group’s hip-hop, jazz and rock sensibilities, “Doing Things Wrong” does everything right. Listen and download…

ArtOfficial, the live instrument hip-hop crew that so kindly took us on a tour of their native Miami, are busy in the studio banging out their upcoming “The Payback” project, but they recently took a break from recording to get down on an improvised jam with rapper QuEST. Real musicians making real music, imagine that. See more…

Nothing beats the sound of live hip-hop, especially when you’ve got a line-up consisting of drums, keys, bass, saxophone, and vocals provided by two emcees. That’s exactly the case for Miami based group ArtOfficial, a jazz/hip-hop collective that sounds like Soulive with a harder edge or The Roots, but jazzier, with more depth, and wildly spontaneous. In this edition of My City, Art Official emcee Logics reveals the real side his Miami home, a place were international cultures meet and live music can be heard on seemingly every street.