Avatar Darko’s string of album releases has traced a near cartoonish-like gangster life to the current level-headed — in comparison, anyway — grimy glamour brio of the recent college graduate living it up in Southern California. The video for his “Sushi Boats” (produced by V Don and directed by Yaroslav Altunin) is a seemingly candid look into a day-in-Av’s-life, less of course the Russian mafioso bit at the end — because it can’t all be blunts and sunshine, right?
For our money, Seattle’s most exciting lyricist of the moment might be Moor Gang’s Gifted Gab. From out the blue, she dropped a new mixtape yesterday: Girl Rap. It features a grip of the usual Moor suspects but Gabby outshines — and outpaces — them all.
Grieves has carried a fervent fan base now over the course of four strong albums. Tepid tastemaker reviews aside, I don’t think there’s any doubt that his new LP, Winter & The Wolves, will be received with anything but rabid support by those who consistently ride for him. 206UP has always appreciated Grieves’ skill and purported love for the art of hip hop music, but often times his self-confessional style makes for laborious listening. Unfortunately, W&TW is probably the heaviest of all his albums, likely by design. Thank goodness Spring feels just around the corner, I suppose.
For his latest LP release, Kubi Zoo, Kublakai reached into his back catalog — remixing, remastering and producing new music videos for previously released songs. The MC describes the fruits of this labor as therapeutic and liberating. In the process, he also created five new tracks that fit in well with the old; one of those is “Daybreak” for which an accompanying video is featured below.
Moor Gang’s Mackned with a bleak new clip off the rapper/producer’s Alice Gla$$. Parker Joe (of State Of The Artist and The Flavr Blue) hops on this one, along with producer Prfct Storm and HD maestro Stephan Gray.
Ripynt and the L.A.C.O.S.A. clique are acting up in the former’s new video for “Red Cup Affair” (directed with hedonistic flourish by Dyllyn Greenwood and produced by Produktive). Expect more antics on Ripynt’s upcoming A Beautiful Funeral.
Bellevue’s Akrish returns with a new video for his track “Walk On By”, featuring guest vocals by Malice and Mario Sweet. Jason Chen conceived and directed this clip which follows the romantic lives and times of a group of couples. It’s affecting and sweet.
Minority Report (Genk and Matt The Dude) are former winners of 206UP’s The TrackMeet competition and they just dropped a new video: “Dreams” is a jazz-infused, Golden Era-inspired track featuring vocalist Alla. Download the joint here.
Check the latest video from Bellingham/Seattle unit The Bad Tenants. “Paint By Numbers” is like a boom-bap fever dream. Congratulations to the crew on their nomination for an Independent Music Award for Eloquent Scoundrels Vol. 2.
The video for Raz’s “Natural Resources” was filmed over the course of the rapper’s trip to SxSW, both at officially sanctioned festival performances and a series of pop-up/guerilla-style shows in the streets of downtown Austin. Given the heavy subject matter of the track — the get-busy-living-or-die-from-exposure industriousness of this country’s marginalized people — at first glance the concept for the video doesn’t seem to fit the lyrics. But given the rapper’s own diligence and perseverance within the amalgam of humanity and cultural free-for-all that is SxSW, the backdrop for the video comes into greater focus. There’s nothing more natural here than Raz’s own charisma, and few things as resourceful as his live band, PA System, setting up their gear in the middle of the street.
Get Raz’s Cognitive Dissonance: Part One for free, here.
A SEATTLE HIP-HOP BLOG 