Charon Don 'Art Of Life' album

The road to independent success is paved with obstacles, but a select few artists seem to breeze along as they develop in their careers. Pittsburgh, Philadelphia natives Charon Don and DJ Huggy are prime examples of artists who make working hard look easy. The duo, also known as Hands Down, is preparing the release of their second full-length project entitled Art Of Life. The album will be released September 4 on Good Hands Records.

After the release of their 2001 debut album Mental Combustion, Charon Don and DJ Huggy signed with Good Hands Records, and have worked on a number of projects from Charon Don's involvement on JuJu Mob's Black Candles LP to Huggy's production for various artists including Wiz Khalifa, Black Rob, Baby of Cash Money, Camp Lo and MC Eiht.

The most valuable thing the duo has attained through their work is a solid chemistry. "I've definitely learned that chemistry is very important - getting to know yourself and the creative partners around you," explains DJ Huggy. "Due to the circumstances of making this album and doing our outside projects, I realized that Charon and I definitely have that chemistry. I don't take it for granted - our project is moving on time."

Art Of Life is an 18-song journey with Charon and Huggy, as they unveil life experiences that have affected the evolution of their sound. Guest appearances on the album include Rah Digga, Lil Scrappy, Wiz Khalifa, Killah Priest, Reef The Lost Cauze, BeLove, Leymar White and Chief Kamachi, while DJ Huggy holds down all of the production. The rousing first single from the album "Up In Here" features Lil Scrappy and Rah Digga.

"Overall, I would say this album is a balance- it's half culture, half street," says Charon Don. "There are key concepts of politics and history, but we are speaking on what we see in our neighborhood. Art of Life is a freedom of expression. We're all artists, and we are just painting what we see."

biography
It sounds cliché, but many a successful crew began working together by a chance meeting during high school. That kid who made the illest beats by banging on the lunchroom table or on the beatbox teaming up with the one lyricist who always stood out in the cipher. Well, the story of Charon Don and DJ Huggy began along those lines. Both graduates of Schenley High School in Pittsburgh, PA, Charon and Huggy hooked up after initially migrating from their respective crews at the time.

Charon and Huggy self-released the Mental Combustion album in September 2001 and moved a substantial amount of units. In 2002 the duo signed with Good Hands Records and appeared on the acclaimed 12” "The Beast Within" b/w "Keystone Cops," which featured The High and Mighty’s Mr. Eon and Chief Kamachi.

After appearing on Chief Kamachi’s Cult Status (Good Hands/Eastern Conference via Caroline Distribution), Charon became a member of Chief Kamachi’s group the Juju Mob, a crew that also included up-and-coming artists Reef The Lost Cauze and State Store. In 2004, the group released the highly critically acclaimed Black Candles (Good Hands/Eastern Conference via Caroline Distribution). Meanwhile DJ Huggy was providing production for the likes of Wiz Khalifa, Black Rob, Baby of Cash Money, Camp Lo, MC Eiht and Chief Kamachi and The Juju Mob.

Recently Charon and Huggy adopted the group name "Hands Down” and have readied their album Art Of Life for September 4, 2007. The album features star-studded guest appearances from Lil Scrappy, Rah Digga, Killah Priest, Reef The Lost Cauze and Wiz Khalifa. "I think it's great that we got a different vibe overall with this album, because everyone is coming from a different city," says Charon Don. "It's all Hip Hop, but it's through different eyes and ears of the artists involved."

The duo agress that the Pittsburgh sound has yet to be truly unveiled, and the way that their sound has matured will help present their city to the world. "We intended to resurrect the DJ/MC duo thing with a classic Hip Hop album," DJ Huggy explains. "I think in the journey of that, we kind of took a more conscious route. We were trying to make a fun, classic, down-to-earth Hip Hop record, but with everything going on in the world, it kind of took a more serious route."

"Overall, I would say this album is a balance- it's half culture, half street," says Charon Don. "There are key concepts of politics and history, but we are speaking on what we see in our neighborhood. Art of Life is a freedom of expression. We're all artists, and we are just painting what we see."

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Charon Don - Art Of Life