from Emcee Lab presents: Project 2 Product, track released December 7, 2013
CHAPEL HILL, NC. The 2013-2014 school year marks UNC-CH’s first offering of Emcee Lab, a course focusing on the musical and cultural history of hip hop. The class is taught by Pierce Freelon, the activist frontman of jazz/hip hop collective The Beast, and emcee Median of Justus League and Jamla fame. In the course, students have studied the historical, social, and musical constitution of hip hop culture in lecture, film, and discussion. Throughout the course of this winter semester, the aspiring emcees (the preferred term for one who participates in and produces hip hop lyricism) have been required to complete lyrical writing assignments in the form of verses or songs, and as a result, the class has accumulated a body of work from which it will produce a full-length album.

Emcee Lab x Thrill City Presents: P2P- Product to Project will, as the name suggests, be centered around UNC’s most beloved public transportation service and the experiences of student patrons on and off the bus. The album will feature all-original compositions from the class roster, drawing from their in-class exposure to lyrical and storytelling techniques, as well as beats from various local producers, including members of UNC's Beat Making Lab and the Durty Durham Collective. The LP’s lyrics cover the gamut from love to partying and everything in between, authentically chronicling the lives of the college students who have worked throughout the semester and have contributed to the class’s final product/project.

The album was executive produced by Freelon and Median, who recorded or assembled vocals from the students. Verse-by-verse, they produced a coherent, entertaining collection of songs reminiscent of Frankenstein’s monster. The monster will be released on Saturday, December 7 on the Emcee Lab Bandcamp page at emceelab.bandcamp.com. An album release party for P2P- Product to Project is scheduled for December 7 at Thrill City [422 A W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC 27514].

The first single off the album is a track called "Nobody" feat. Topiq the Smooth Prophet and June, of Emcee Lab, as well as Cayso - a member of No9to5 Music and alumnus of UNC's Beat Making Lab. Emcee/vocalists Patricia and Mad Hatter are featured on the chorus. “Like” Emcee Lab on Facebook to stay updated and peep the album promo video on YouTube. Also, check out PierceFreelon.com and follow Median at twitter.com/medianjl to keep up with the professors’ own artistic endeavors.

Links:
Bandcamp: emceelab.bandcamp.com
Youtube (promo): youtu.be/7wihNEI62s8
Facebook: www.facebook.com/emceelab
Twitter: @emceelab

ABOUT EMCEE LAB
Emcee Lab [Music 286 - section 003] is a course on the art of emceeing in the music department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Co-taught by emcees, Professor Pierce Freelon and Median the course is part of the Carolina Beat Academy (also including Beat Making Lab and DJ Lab) and will be offered during the Fall 2013 semester.

Course description:
An emcee is known by many names - MC, master of ceremonies, microphone controller, poet, griot, lyricist, rapper ["(some) people thinking MC is shorthand for misconception" - Talib Kewli]. With roots in the West African oral tradition and a foundation in the Black Arts Movement; emceeing is a core element of Hip Hop culture and one of the most significant art-forms in the history of American music. In this class we will explore the art of emceeing from several perspectives. Students will engage in a rigorous lyricism curriculum, learning to develop an authentic voice, and to write, recite (spit), and improvise (freestyle) lyrics both in a live and recorded setting ["if you study lyrical flows and stay on your toes you will be - who am I? The MC!" - KRS-One]. Students will also explore a history of Hip Hip culture, and critically analyze the delivery, flows, content and aesthetics of emcees from around the world. Because most successful emcees have been self-taught and self-made, this course will also act as a case study in entrepreneurship, one that provides a window into the modern music industry ["so fly on my entrepreneur ship they call me caption of the enterprise" -Pierce Freelon]. Through the community Beat Making Lab on Franklin St. students will collaborate and connect with local musicians, visiting artists and youth from the community ["spread the truth to the youth, the ghetto Joan of Arc" - MC Lyte]. There are no prerequisites for this course.