DOWNLOAD: “Hammer” – Eighty4 Fly (feat. Royce The Choice & Logics)

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Fresh track from Eighty4 Fly, off his upcoming Colors mixtape. Fellow Puget Sounders Royce The Choice and Logics swing through for some swagged-out pillow talk. Click above or here to download.

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DOWNLOAD: Taco Tuesday EP – Brothers From Another

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Brothers From Another manage to achieve a rare depth of connection with their listeners through a relatively simple hip-hop formula. It’s the best thing about the duo Tiglo and Cole who continue to belie their young age with a brand of hip-hop that roots itself in the easy-going tradition of mid-90s West Coast underground while remaining true to the themes and challenges posed to the generation to which they belong: a tech-savvy peer group with a set of post-college dreams that seem downright mythical compared to the reality that awaits them.

No matter. BFA lives and works in the hip-hop moment. With the aforementioned reality summarily placed on hiatus while the two attend college in California, it’s enough for Tiglo and Cole to spin rhymes about what confront them on the daily. Taco Tuesday‘s six tracks are spent celebrating — and lamenting — the travails of an active romantic life (good to know these dudes aren’t wasting away their healthy years on Saturday night Call of Duty sessions), summarizing the musical inspiration found within their own hometown’s rap scene (“Sonic Boom”), and counting their blessings while soberly memorializing those who find themselves in less fortunate situations (“5th Of May”).

There’s one track here that’s absolutely bananas from a production standpoint: Sabzi’s “Roxy” is all off-kilter tropical drums and playfully screwed vocals. Elsewhere, BFA willfully place their semi-charmed life lyrics over medium-paced grooves heavy on soul and Pacific Coast boom-bap.

Brothers From Another make this rap shit look easy. The plague of appearing as though they’re trying too hard is unknown to them, as is the dreaded rap pitfall of attempting to be something they’re not. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now: hip-hop inside the 21st century is in good hands as long as BFA continue to have their precocious say.

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VIDEO: “Dreams To Make It” – Antbeezy (dir. by Avi Loud)

Antbeezy got that first hi-def (along with a gang of 206 cameos) courtesy of director Avi Loud. Everything looks and sounds lovely on this clip for “Dreams To Make It.” Go get ’em young lion.

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NEW MUSIC: “May Day” – Prometheus Brown (prod. by Sabzi)

 

Hopefully by now you’ve seen Pro Brown’s spoken word commentary in the Seattle Times on the recent (and not so recent) gun violence plaguing Seattle.

It’s unsettling to see how regional (cough! *socioeconomic* cough! cough! *racial*) delineations in the city contribute to the imbalance in news coverage of identical acts of violence. But I don’t have to tell you that ’cause you already know, right? RIGHT? Here’s Geo acting as the much-needed voice of reason over a Sabzi beat you might find familiar. And if you have an extra moment in your day, make sure to check the Comments section of the Times piece. Some of the shit on there is abhorrent. These are our neighbors, fam. SMH.

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DOWNLOAD: Audio D’Oeuvres – Yirim Seck

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Man, it’s great to hear Yirim Seck hop on a fresh set of tracks. Audio D’Oeuvres is a three-song preview of the MC’s upcoming Good Eats and Sound Bites. “Crescendo” (produced by Marcus D) is the high point here (stream it below). I’ve written before that rapping comes as naturally as breathing to Yirim, and his everyman, world-weary point-of-view on 2010’s Hear Me Out made for fresh and relatable listening fare. Get Audio D’Oeuvres for free here, and make sure to keep dude on your radar.

“Crescendo” – Yirim Seck (prod. by Marcus D).

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NEW MUSIC: “Inception” – Fleeta Partee (prod. by Vitamin D)

Click track art to purchase at iTunes.

The Central District’s Fleeta Partee is an OG of the Seattle rap game. His upcoming LifeMuzik EP features production by Vitamin D and Jake One. “Inception” is the new single. SEA street knowledge exemplified, it’s worth the 99 pennies.

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NEW MUSIC: Bossalona – Fresh Espresso

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I was recently vacationing in Spain for the first time but intentionally skipped Barcelona because, as my girl tells it, “It’s too obvious a city.” We chose to gallivant around Madrid instead. I’m not sure what this has to do with the new Fresh Espresso album other than the title, Bossalona, sounds a whole lot like a play on Barcelona. Also there’s the bullfighter on the cover.

Anyways, with P Smoov relocated to his home state of Michigan and Rik Rude under the perpetual influence of his own swag rap psychedelia in the Town, I was worried we might not see a Fresh Espresso sophomore album in the near future. That’s the last time I count these two hard working rap guys out. Bossalona dropped today (for a price), and hipsters who pretend to like rap have a reason to start behaving badly in the club again.

Those of us that really like rap are happy, too.

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DOWNLOAD: “Can’t Help Myself” – Carl Roe (feat. Peta Tosh)

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Carl Roe and Peta Tosh talk some smooth shit over a Slimm Gemm beat. These two MCs have chosen to make Seattle the center of their rap hustle and I believe the scene is better for it. Check out PT’s The Takeoff Part 2 here, and CR’s The Broken Time Machine at this location.

“Can’t Help Myself” – Carl Roe (feat. Peta Tosh)

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DOWNLOAD: Pootey Brown Is… – Sax G

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Producer/MC and Cloud Nice team member Sax G has been dropping small hints recently — in the form of preview tracks — for his solo outing Pootey Brown Is… The full album is here now and you can download it for free, as is the general custom in underground/indie rap these days. It’s eight songs of spacious, blissed-out electronica that has no problem dipping into both rap and soul territory (with a lot of help from the CN crew). Something for those cool summer nights on the patio.

Stay safe, Seattle, and take care of each other for crying out loud.

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