Artist description In 1999, lyricist and producer Paradigm (Mark Petras) dropped his "Leverage" single. Available on vinyl only, the single was snatched up and spun by deejays around the globe. Now, in the year 2000, Paradigm has blessed the digital heads of planet earth by releasing his first CD. Titled "The Progress Report," this album contains seventeen of Paradigm's tightest joints. Coming off of Freshchest Records, this album will please those who value intricate word play and thoughtful lyrics. Those who feel out the vibe Paradigm is on will see that he has informally divided the CD into five different sections. First, he starts off with humor with the introduction and his songs "Mainstream Garbage" and "Phone Balls." Next, he displays clever similes and punchlines with "Symphonic" and "The Battle Joint." After that, he moves into a contemplative, dark mindstate with songs such as "42 Dimensional," "Life and Death," and "Gates of Eternity." From there he mellows out on a calm, positive note in "Vibrations," "Late Night" and "Changing of the Seasons." He then sets off "Formulate a Cipher" to indicate that the remaining songs on the CD will contain lyrical appearances by his affiliates Mr. X, Mr. Sin Que, and MC Sick from Xtracts of Slang. With most of the production done by Paradigm himself, "The Progress Report" features original, homemade beats containing a wide range of obscure samples and sounds. Breakbeats, pianos, violins, horns, chimes, xylophones, telephone rings, and even Gregorian chants build the soundscape of the album. The production is definitely tight, but the main goal here is lyrics. Paradigm's purpose is to put your mind to work; to make you listen more closely to lyrics than you ever have before. By doing so, you ultimately will understand the vibe Paradigm is on. It is a vibe that contains, but yet goes far beyond, humor, punchline cleverness, melancholy darkness, and mellow ease. It is a complex, multi-dimensional vibe that envelopes all human thoughts and emotions. It is a force that enables us to live, think and grow. Darwin called it "evolution." Enlightenment thinkers called it "reason." Many call it "religion." Paradigm calls it progress.

Music Style Hip Hop

Musical Influences AesopROCK, Scienz of Life, and Virtuoso.

Similar Artists Jimmy and the Green Bay Fudgepackers.

Artist History Worked as a towelboy for the Green Bay Fudgepackers. Served 5 years in Prison for rapingMC Hammer. Groomed elephants for Hannibal. Sold waterguns to Salvadoran leftists. Arnold Jackson's stunt double on Different Strokes.

Group Members Paradigm.

Instruments MPC 2000

Albums The Progress Report

Press Reviews Mr. Blunt (July 2000) - The Progress Report - Gold is where you find it. And sometimes gold is hard to find. Fortunately I was able to find the debut CD from the underground NY MC Paradigm. This CD is filled with an excellent collection of raw beats and intricate lyrics. Paradigm may not bring a new style to Hip Hop but he does bring a solid dose of verbal viscosity that screams to be heard. Track after track will have those who love lyrics keeping their fingers on the rewind button. Paradigm's vocal delivery ranges from hard battle attacks to mellow thought provoking moods to pure freestyle sounding vibes. Not content to approach the typical subjects or constantly attack the commercial side of the culture, he gives is outlook on things like life, culture and religion. There are a few guest appearances by his affiliates but for the most part Paradigm more than holds his own on the mic. There are several cuts that are noteworthy and my favorite has to be the anthem Leverage. The laid-back beat and vocal samples are a perfect background for the lyrics and the chorus' chant of "Westchester New York City we don't f*ck around/Put your hands high to the sky for the underground/" is highly infectious. The Slang Is On featuring Xtracts of Slang) is another strong tracks with tinkling effects and a nice back beat. Lyrics like "now we're tighter than gums and Polident" and "I tried to catch up but that's a condiment" are examples of lyrics with some thought put into them. The smooth vibe of Vibrations is perfect for the middle of the CD. Paradigm goes from his love of rhyming to his love for his family. The first verse is very nice as he drops "to all the unsigned cats with four-tracks and DATs in their packs/with stacks of raps and black artifacts/on a wheel/since labels only deal with appeal/just do what you feel and that's for real". There is also some pretty good humor on cuts like Mainstream Garbage and Phone Balls. Paradigm shows his battle skills on The Battle Joint and not to be forgotten is Formulate A Cipher where he strings together a virtual shopping cart of words with my favorite line "with my lyrical documentation I seek consultation and exoneration/from this abomination in this nation of western civilization/". This is a perfect CD for those who like lyrics, beats and listening to someone do Hip Hop for the sake of Hip Hop. The Progress Report shows that Paradigm is definitely making some and the future should only get better. Try getting a copy of this if you can. Knowledge (May 2000) - The Progress Report - Supa dupa value from this NY native, 24 tracks of life, abstract thought and perspective, covering topics from every angle imaginable. This is one for diehards and emcees, sparse breaks, futurist soundscapes yet never pretentious. The humour from this man is always evident and that keeps him ahead of competitors. You really get a picture of the character at work here, the uptempo rhymes are tightly constructed and roll off like me when I'm done wit' yo' mama. This fella has lyrics for days, you can bet this ain't the last we'll hear from Paradigm. Scum (April 2000) - The Progress Report - Overall, this album is a reasonably impressive debut, especially considering Paradigm pretty much produced and rhymed it himself. I reckon most people into hip-hop would feel this, and Paradigm could be quite successful if he received enough exposure. Throughout he shows many different styles of flow - from half singing reminiscient of De La Soul, to the rhyming-every-line style that reminds me of the great Rakim. I'd never heard of Freshchest or Paradigm before this, but I'd be quite willing to take in some more of their joints. Hip Hop Inifinity (April 2000) - The Progress Report - Coming out of Westchester, NY is an emcee named Paradigm. Digm uses his debut album, "The Progress Report," to focus on his strength: multi-syllabic rhyme structures. It's quite possible that never in the history of Hip Hop has an emcee twisted so many vowels so eloquently, making this album an indisputable lyrical masterpiece. Hip Hop Canada (April 2000) - The Progress Report - The MC named Paradigm takes great pride in his lyrics. You can tell by now the wordplay keeps you listening for the next twist in finely created verses of his CD, "The Progress Report." The lyrics are very well thought out and Paradigm really takes care of the cerebral portion of the experience.URB Magazine (April 1999) - Leverage 12" - "On this release you are hit with lyrics for the strong-minded. The gem is easily Leverage, where Paradigm flips complex rhymes over a steady bassline and laces the hook with ill Gregorian chants." On The Down Low: Underground Hip-Hop (April 1999) - Leverage 12" - "Give a holla for 'ol New York. At any given time, there is always a new emcee that is trying to push the envelope a little bit further. This time it's Paradigm. Paradigm is definitely on some old word play type ish. If that's your style, then this is a record to check out. There is definite potential and the instrumental tracks are good for scratching or placing on the open mic."Undergroundhiphop.com (January 1999) - Leverage 12" - "Us journalists are great ones for making up categories, aren't we? We were the ones who labeled Gang Starr - Jazz rap, NWA - Gangsta rap, and Gravediggaz - Horror rap. Here's a new one for you, Science rap. Some of the groups and solo artists that should be sorted under this are Dr. Octagon, Alliance of Droppin Science, Sir Menelik, Canibus and Paradigm. I like this new genre and this single is no exception." 4th-District (November 1999) - Leverage 12" - "Leverage" is truly fantastic, combining wonderful production with Paradigm's intelligent lyrics. Accompanied by magnificently dark production, Paradigm's off-and-on flow wraps around the music well. "Leverage" is easily a winner.

Additional Info Leverage 12"

Location New York, NY - USA

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