Critical
Praise for Finale:
"Finale's latest... shows his perseverance paying creative dividends.
Grand Finale." - Chairman's Choice Feature, XXL
"Abrasive, impassioned, and heartfelt" and: "A Pipe
Dream And A Promise is a solid first effort not to be denied. Motor music
indeed." - URB.com
"Finale's debut album may be the rap fan's rap scene fan's rap
record: really, really unflashy, and really, really good." - CokeMachineGlow.com
"Finale's mic presence channels Rakim... You would be hard-pressed
to find a more inspiring artist in 2009 than this talented and righteous
emcee right here." - HipHopDX.com
"Finale is clearly running Detroit where rhymes are concerned." - Frank151.com
"He brings the best of the city (Detroit) on wax, with an old
school mindset and plenty of originality to match. Finale does what the
name suggests, providing hard-hitting wit, optimal word play and nimble
ability to ride a beat like a Yamaha." - AllHIpHop.com
The
Video:
Detroit emcee Finale has drawn inspiration from another rust belt city for his newest video, "The Senator," from his spring-released, highly acclaimed A Pipe Dream And A Promise. Both the song and video are based largely on David Simon and HBO's Baltimore epic The Wire. The Senator in question is State Senator Clay Davis, not one of the show's main characters but certainly one of its most fascinating and divisive. Davis is an exploitative figure that acts as an intermediary between drug dealers and real estate developers, pocketing cash from both sides all the while. Finale uses Davis as a means of getting the point of the song across: calling out liars who are fronting as something they aren't. The song opens with the line "I heard a lot of y'all talkin' / A lot of you not walkin'." Finale even manages to make Davis' trademark exclamation "sheeeeeiiiiittttt" a centerpiece of the song's chorus. The video seamlessly blends Finale's Detroit with The Wire's Baltimore and employs key scenes and lines from the show to carry across Finale's punchlines.
The video is directed by Roy Miles Jr., who developed the vide concept along with Interdependent Media General Manager/A&R, iD. On working together to create the video, Finale says, "I shot the footage of myself rapping while I was on the west coast doing interviews and press runs with Interdependent Media. When I left town I told iD and Roy what season's clip I used from The Wire. Roy and his assistant took the time to go through episodes of the show and find clips that synced up with various lines in the song. It's kind of dope that they were able to find specific scenes that matched up with what i was saying in the song."
The track, from Finale's debut A Pipe Dream And A Promise, features production by Waajeed. Finale pulls off an impressive tightrope walk in the song's lyrics. "The Senator" serves as a powerful call-out to those fronting as something they're not while incorporating the themes and action of the world of The Wire. "We climbin' up ladders and goin' through the suits / It ain't a game where the rappers hug and make up in order to take your books Iif it ain't truth I don't want it." Finale couples a smooth flow with impressively dense lyricism that will have the listener appreciating a new line with each progressive listen.
Warning! This video should come with a spoiler alert. If you haven't seen the entirety of The Wire and plan to watch it some day, DO NOT watch the video. It contains key plot moments and spoilers.
The Video:
http://www.vimeo.com/6520549
Please post buy links if you can! http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=310552492&s=143441
Finale recently released Super Finale, an innovative, Super
Mario Bros-themed video game, starring Finale as the main character, in which
fans can win track the track "One Man Show" from the
album upon completion of the game. A Pipe Dream And A Promise features
production from J Dilla as well as Nottz, Flying Lotus,
Oddisee, MPhazes, and Black Milk, who produced the
album's lead single "Motor Music."
Play
Super Finale: http://www.imculture.com/_superfinale
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The
Background:
Before
making his entrance into hip-hop, Finale worked as an automotive
engineer promising to one day follow his dream of becoming a rapper. Making
the rounds at local Detroit open mics and emcee battles, Finale began to mingle
with local talents like Guilty Simpson and One.Be.Lo. After
emailing some joints back and forth with J Dilla, Finale finally
met him backstage at the DEMF (Detroit Electronic Music Festival), where Dilla
introduced him to Madlib, saying that he was one
of the best in the game. “It was an honor and definitely a defining moment," says
Finale. After realizing his passion and talent for hip-hop, Finale decided
to finally quit his day job, follow his true passion, and make music a full-time
career. After a handful of Fat Beats released singles, an album released with
European producer Spier 1200 as a part of The Rawkus 50, and
numerous appearances on independent releases from Invincible, eLZhi and
others, Finale's official debut LP, A Pipe Dream & A Promise,
is available in stores and online everywhere via Interdependent
Media.
Web editors contact Dan for interview requests. Print editors contact Michelle.
About
Interdependent Media:
Founded in 2006 in the Bay Area by Evan Phillips, Interdependent
Media has built unique strengths in the development, production, and
marketing of recorded music via new methods of marketing and promotion. Armed
with a comprehensive understanding of both traditional and emerging methods of
marketing, iM has successfully created multi-faceted methods
of raising awareness and interest in their projects. Industry veterans Ian "ID" Davis and Dominic
Del Bene head operations at iM and are credited with discovering and/or
developing artists such as 9th Wonder, Little Brother, Tanya Morgan,
Blackalicious, Del the Funky Homosapien, the Hieroglyphics and more.
In 2009, iM will be releasing multi-media projects from artists Finale,
Canibus, K'naan, Truthlive, and Tanya Morgan. For more information,
please visit http://www.imculture.com
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