Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
Frydae Killasmoke and Lady-A Da Lyristarr have been rapping together for almost 20 years, since 2004, as UNDISPUTED, the house group of their own record label, Champ Records Music Production.
Now, they are taking their group, their label and their signature Hood Crunk sound to the world beyond their native home town, Houston. Their vehicle is “Dope,” a single, and the album that includes it, called Gain on My Level.
“In the hoods where we grew up, they do hood music,” said Frydae, “but no one does the crunk sound. So, that’s why we added the crunkness into it. Even if we did something mellow, it’s always gonna have a crunk vibe to it. So when people hear from UNDISPUTED, they can always know that they’re going to receive a crunkness in the sound because we like for people to really vibe to our music more than just sitting there listening.”
“It’s actually the energy,” said Lady-A, talking about Hood Crunk and “Dope” and the album.
“It’s like good energy, good vibes on everything we do. Everything we do is legit. It’s cool. It’s fly. It’s all those kind of words. Anything that we do, we put all our energy into it.”
“Dope” and Gain on My Level first came out in 2020, the heavy duty promotion delayed, like so much else, by the pandemic and associated consequences across the music industry.
“With that being said, we never gave this project a chance, so here we are,” said Frydae.
The hook to “Dope” is like a statement of purpose, a mission statement, a manifesto, or all of those rolled into one:
Hay we still gone make it, we ain’t bout the faken,
ain’t no use to hatin’,
(everything we do is dope).
Out the hood we made it, so we keep Parlayin’,
you can keep the hatin’,
(everything we do is dope).
The crunk in the sound, said Frydae, is in “the trebles, the hi-hats, the multiple bass lines, the kicks, and how they come back to back,” and when you listen to UNDISPUTED, “when you listen to the tones, the tone of each sound is always a different crunk sound.”
Lady-A added, “It’s also when we bring it to life with our lyrics. Each one of us writes our own lyrics, and that’s when we bring it all together with the track.”
In their music, the beats mostly come first, but sometimes it’s the lyrics that kick off the track.
“I’m a producer that pretty much plays it by ear,” said Frydae. “So, I can hear a person spit a rap or sing a song and I can make the beat right there on site.”
Lady-A illustrates: “Sometimes, I can just be thinking of something, and I may come up with a hook. Then I’ll come to him and say, ‘You know, this would be a great hook.’ And then he’ll say, ‘Just rap it out to me,’ and I’ll rap out what I’m thinking, and then he’ll make the track. Next thing you know, we’ll come in, we’ll sit together, and then Frydae writes his part, and then he records us, and it just becomes a song.”
The 22 tracks of Gain on My Level are mostly Frydae and Lady-A together, nine tracks of the 22, each with their own parts. Eight other tracks are solos by Frydae (including “Shine on a Beat,” “Six 57,” and “Physics”), and five solos by Lady-A (including “Born Alone,” “Lady Nawfside,” “Still Me”).
The subject matter, like the beats, is a mix of styles, from club to life.
“We got the party songs, where we talk about turning up in a club and dancing and things like that, and then we got the realistic songs, the true-life issues.”
Sometimes, the lyrics have a personal vibe.
“I have a song called ‘Still Me,’ and, since we’ve been in the industry for a long time, some people know us from when we used to perform back in the day,” said Lady-A. “So ‘Still Me’ was kind of just letting everybody know, like, I’m still here, but better.”
“I got one called ‘Six 57,’” said Frydae, “and it’s the overall bar-for-bar type of song. I’m just spitting bars back to back, trying to give people a vision of the real Frydae Killasmoke.”
Next for UNDISPUTED, after the promotion for “Dope” and Gain on My Level, is another album, sometime around the holidays. Several more singles and videos, including more from the tracks on Gain, will lead up to it.
“And once we build up enough, we’re going to start getting our own venues down here in Houston and surrounding areas,” said Frydae.
“And we want to go from there and see what the future brings with it,” he said.
By any measure, the future should be bright for UNDISPUTED, their unique Hood Crunk sound, and Champ Records Music Production. To be part of that future, stay connected on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
Websites:
Gain on My Level
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Canadian producer and musician Arcade — the creative mind behind the electronic project Arcade Knights — returns with a new synthwave single, “Redline Rival.” Blending cinematic electronic textures with a cyberpunk edge, the track is a pulse-pounding ride through neon-lit streets and high-stakes tension. Built like a midnight car chase at full throttle, the track fuses thunderous basslines, syncopated rhythms, and razor-sharp synths into a high-octane blend of retro-futuristic grit and cinematic flair.
“Redline Rival” isn’t just a song — it’s a statement in speed, style, and sonic storytelling. It isn’t just about cars — it’s about the unrelenting push to outpace betrayal, outrun the law, and stay alive long enough to see the city lights fade in the rearview mirror.
“This single was the first track I wrote, and I knew it had to be fast-paced and punchy — like you never quite know what's coming next. There’s a moment where the drums drop out and you just get this crash — it’s in 4/4 time, then shifts into a kind of 5-count rhythm. It felt like scoring an action sequence — like that point in a movie where everything hangs in the balance, and you're just waiting to see what happens next,” shared Arcade.
“Redline Rival” is just the beginning. The track serves as a pulse-check for Neon Vice, the forthcoming album from Arcade Knights, dropping September 19 — a date intentionally chosen to mark the 41st anniversary of the TV series, Miami Vice. To celebrate the release, Arcade is also unveiling a short, two-minute visual — an 80s-inspired montage video that brings the world of “Redline Rival” to life. Drawing inspiration from iconic '80s television and soaked in a nostalgic synthwave atmosphere, Neon Vice captures the raw adrenaline of speed and danger — the sound of engines screaming down highways where pride, power, and survival are all on the line.
It’s a pulse-pounding duel between cops and cartel racers, a midnight chase where every gear shift feels like a gamble with fate. At its core, Neon Vice explores the tension between temptation and risk: the glowing pull of nostalgia wrapped around something darker. The neon light may look inviting, but there’s danger lurking in the shadows — and beneath every shimmering surface lies a decision you can’t take back.
“The whole album was inspired by watching Miami Vice — the fast cars, the danger, the neon lights — but also that romantic tension underneath it all,” says Arcade. “This record is me going back to everything that shaped me, that raised me: Terminator, The Lost Boys, RoboCop, Rambo, Lethal Weapon. Each track is its own story — following an undercover cop trying to do good in a city that doesn’t care. It’s a hard life. He’s up all night, fighting the good fight, and when the sun rises, he disappears; he rests. At night, he gears up and gets right back to it.”
Arcade’s commitment to detail and storytelling runs deep throughout Neon Vice. Every element — from the synth textures to the rhythm shifts — was carefully crafted by hand, with Arcade writing and tuning each instrument himself. The album came together quickly in its raw form, with the base tracks written in just three weeks, followed by months of fine-tuning, long nights, and a steady rotation of '80s films playing in the background for inspiration.
“When I write, I start with a concept in my head — like a full narrative arc,” explains Arcade. “Then I build out eight to eleven tracks that tell that story start to finish. I choose the right key, the mode, the tempo — everything down to the sound design — to make sure it all fits together like scenes in a film.”
The journey begins with the title track, “Neon Vice,” which opens on a cinematic monologue that sets the tone: a crumbling city, a fading sense of order, and a cop still fighting to pull things back from the brink. “This is our war,” the voice declares. “And in this city... wars are won by going deep undercover…into the neon.” It’s a world of blurred lines, constant pressure, and the kind of quiet heroism that never sees the sunlight.
“I wanted to capture something permanent — a record of the sounds and memories I grew up with, like what Jan Hammer did on Miami Vice or John Carpenter in Halloween,” said Arcade.
To fully realize the world of Neon Vice, Arcade abandoned modern production tools in favor of the vintage hardware that gave the '80s its signature grit and warmth. Sourcing the same instruments used to score the soundtracks that inspired him, he built the album using authentic tones from gear like the Roland Juno, Yamaha DX7, Prophet, Oberheim, LinnDrum, and the TR-707 and TR-808 drum machines, along with '80s electric guitars, E pianos, and keytars. Each element was selected not as an imitation, but for full immersion into the era’s sonic palette.
“I almost felt like I was done writing because I couldn’t develop that nostalgic sound that I love. Until I thought, ‘Why not switch to the hardware from the 80s?’ Now, with the knobs, buttons, dials - I have that tactile feel, that romantic grit,” enthused Arcade.
Neon Vice marks the fifth full-length release from Arcade Knights in just two years, with each album expanding the project’s retro-futuristic universe. The debut, Justice, introduced a sound steeped in ’80s action cinema, paired with a companion graphic novel. High Score followed, drawing inspiration from Tron, while Dark Fate explored moodier territory via Stranger Things, with a graphic novel dropping November 6 — officially “Stranger Things Day.” Cyber Hack, the fourth release, dives into the dystopian worlds of Blade Runner and Cyberpunk 2077.
Looking ahead, Arcade is set to headline the Halloween Show at Avalon Expo in Newfoundland on October 31 and November 1, performing the full Dark Fate album live. Fans of ’80s film and TV, high-energy music, all things synthwave, and cyberpunk won’t want to miss it. To stay up-to-date on upcoming releases, including lore-driven content like graphic novels and other narrative expansions, follow Arcade Knights on social media and be sure to check out “Redline Rival” and the full Neon Vice album — available now on all major streaming platforms.
“‘Arcade’ represents me growing up in the ’80s, while ‘Knights’ symbolizes being the hero of my own story — taking control and owning my narrative. With this album, I wanted to capture the energy of that era, and with ‘Redline Rival,’ I hope listeners feel that rush, the chase, the pursuit, and ultimately, that justice wins in the end,” shared Arcade.
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