BREAKDOWN: Social Studies

Breakdown

Social Studies

© 2006 Jonathan R McGown (837101199384)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

SPECIAL: 20% discount if you buy more than one copy of it today!

(About MP3 downloads at CD Baby)

Take Native Tongue style rhyme schemes, soulful Boom Bap beats, and a fine line between humility and conceit and what do you have? Breakdown's Social Studies. A bright album with a broad sound and an even broader range of topics.

notes

Ryan "Breakdown" McGown was born just outside of St. Louis, Missouri on January 13, 1978. His father was in the military, which led to him spending a large portion of his childhood in Japan. While in Japan, Breakdown became fascinated with hip hop culture, breakdancing in particular, at the age of eight. The next year his family moved to Rapid City, South Dakota, where they lived for a little over a year, after which they then moved to Alexandria, Louisiana. Two years later, in June of 1990, they moved to Tampa, Florida where Breakdown has lived ever since.

During this time, and the next five or six years as well, he spent countless hours trying to imitate the dance moves he would see in hip hop videos (which later led to his moniker). After a friend convinced him to freestyle during a lunch break at work in September of 1995, he realized that he could rap. Breakdown had been writing poems and short stories since he was very young, so writing came very naturally to him. From that point on he began writing on a constant basis drawing inspiration from artists ranging from Snoop Dogg to Common to Outkast. After several years of writing and making mix-tapes for friends, he began attending local open-mic nights in late '99. For the next year and a half he made a very small name for himself, then in March of 2001 he formed the group "Verbal Diverzion" with another local emcee. They recorded numerous songs together and performed at many local shows. Then after creating a small buzz locally, the two parted ways in January of 2003. Around the same time, Breakdown sought out the production talents of local emcee/producer Surreal and began working on solo material. With the help of Surreal's production, he took on a very soulful type of sound which blended well with his articulate, and often personal, choice of words.

In May of 2003 Breakdown began performing on his own. Then, in January of 2005, he teamed up with dj/producer Ranmecca and they've been performing regularly in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area, and all accross Florida. In the past year, the two have shared the bill with many, many artists including Guru, Common, Blackalicious, Butta Verses, Hangar 18, and One Be Lo. Breakdown released his debut e.p. in March of 2005 with production done by Surreal and Ranmecca, which he has been selling at the countless live performances he and Ranmecca have done. In June of 2006 he released his debut L.P. "Social Studies" on his own independent label Saving Grace Records. The album features production by Marco Polo, SlopFunkDust, Surreal, Ranmecca, Breakdown, DutchMassive, and Mudd Buddah.

Since it's release, "Social Studies" has been recieving a very positive response from local music and entertainment publications, underground web-sites, and independent radio shows.

reviews

Please log in to review this album.

  • Breakdown "Ryan Mcgown" Is nothing short of A true lyrical hero
    author: Michelle Cooper

    Breakdown has a way with his words and he doesn't hold back. You will find yourself hearing some of the most personal, intimate and painful moments of his life which most any person will be able to relate too. You can tell by the way he flows with his music that he has a lot of soul and a lot of experience that he has learned from. Some painful experiences and some good but he took each experience as a lesson and understands all he has been through has helped him become the Man he is. Overall I'm a HUGE fan of this guy and recommend the CD to anyone who likes music.

  • ill
    author: thadoc

    this cd is excellent. jazzy beats, killer flow, and lyricism, a MUST have for any conscious hip hop head

  • Exerpt from Hip Hop Linguistics Review
    author: Hip Hop Linguistics

    ...the best underground lyricist of the year thus far resides in none other than the city of Tampa. Breakdown’s “Social Studies” displays a keen lyrical wit that is unlike most of what you hear coming out of the South. His slow yet articulate flow lays the backdrop for an exciting combination of heartfelt storytelling, imparted common wisdom and clever yet battle-ish verbal wordplay. And the album, though dedicated to and revolving around the oft-discussed tragedy of his mother’s untimely passing, maintains a vibe of uplifting positivity and motivation. It is easily among the best underground releases of the year, and has the potential to put the city of Tampa and the newly-formed Saving Grace Records on the map... But what I liked most about Breakdown was the humble nature with which he presents himself as an MC and as a person. Verses like “I don’t want fame, I just wanna elevate my game,” “I ain’t trying to take life; I’m laying down the soundtrack,” and “I’m more than content with these gifts I’ve been given” display the thoughts of a person not looking to supplement low self esteem with money, dramatic fame or greed.

email

Please log in to email this artist.