HHDX News Bits (Nicolay & Kay And 9th & Buckshot)

In a campaign to promote the new album TIME:LINE, Nicolay & Kay are releasing a four-part video guide to the disc.
The videos have the Houston emcee breaking down the concepts of each song on the album at his home studio and various landmarks throughout the city. Video One [click here] has him expanding on "TIME:LINE", "The Blizzard" and "The Lights,” while Video Two [click here] talks about “Through The Wind", "What We Live" and" I’ve Seen Rivers." The second video also gives a preview of the song "Tight Eyes." The latter half of the video guide is coming closer to the album’s release, which is on February 12th.
Nicolay is mostly known for his work as half of Foreign Exchange, his group with Phonte Coleman of Little Brother. The duo released Connected in 2005, after famously recording the entire disc via Internet, with Phonte living in North Carolina and Nicolay living overseas in the Netherlands. The producer later moved to North Carolina himself, and has since produced for the likes of Masta Ace, Strange Fruit Project and Zion I, while remixing tracks for Bob James, Roy Ayers and others. Kay is part of a group called The Foundation.
After establishing their Chemistry in 2005, 9th Wonder and Buckshot are set to release another full-length collaborative LP in the next couple months.
The Formula, their second album as a duo, is set for an April 15, 2008 release date. The first single, “Go All Out,” has a guest spot from frequent Justus League collaborator Carlitta Durand, and the subsequent music video will feature Charlie Murphy in a series of skits with Buckshot.
“Every song is dealing with a topic. Each track specifically has a formula, hence where the title of the album came from,” Buckshot says. “…I’ve always had a certain sound within hip-hop and 9th Wonder helps bring out my unique style. We share a comfort level that allows me to be at ease when it comes to recording and that natural sound translates into great music."
This release date announcement comes at a time when each of the artists are breathing new life into their careers.
While 2007 saw 9th Wonder leave the group Little Brother, it also finally saw the oft-delayed release of his album, Dream Merchant Vol. 2. This year, he has produced Erykah Badu’s new single, “Honey,” and has his next solo disc, The Wonder Years, in the works as well. Buckshot has made music for ESPN’s 2008 College Basketball Programming, and he rhymes on the theme song for The History Channel’s “Gangland” Series. A remake of “Who Got The Props” with Lil Wayne will appear on an upcoming Wayne mixtape, as well.