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NEW MUSIC: Pisces Preview – The Flavr Blue

Photo via artist’s website.

If you’re a frequent and obsessive Twitter user who is also a frequent and obsessive follower of all things Seattle hip-hop, you may have noticed a mysterious Twitter handle mentioned for the last month or so by members of the local rap community. @TheFlavrBlue is the moniker and — up until a few hours ago — when the accompanying URL was clicked, it directed you to a simple picture of three familiar SEA artists vamping stylishly on a dock somewhere in front of Lake Washington.

Nothing more was revealed, however. No music or other information to speak of other than the pictured identities of the principles at play: Lace Cadence, Hollis Wong-Wear and Parker Joe. Nary a tweet from the cryptic account was present, either.

Finally, all curiosity is quelled, as today the trio have released a musical preview of Pisces, the debut album from The Flavr Blue. Due July 31, the ten-track album is a departure from what you’ve come to expect from its participants. It’s an expertly produced and self-assured collection of electro-pop and dance tracks that range from undeniably body-moving to zoned-out meditative. There’s no hip-hop here to speak of, but all three members of the group have found natural lanes for themselves within a different genre that still takes a few cues from more familiar territory. Lace and Hollis meld easily with lush vocals that are emotive but unforced, and Parker expands his musical repertoire with electronic panache that compares favorably with more well known producers in the field.

Stay tuned next week for a video for “F x F,” visualized by local director extraordinaire Jon Augustavo.

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VIDEO: “Keeping The Dream Alive” – GMK

From the Golden Mic King’s latest, Say Anything, which can be procured here. “Keeping The Dream Alive” is the newest video.

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NEW MUSIC: Declaration of Dopeness – Q Dot

South Sound MC/producer Q Dot makes a grand regional statement on “State of the Union,” the opening track on his new LP, Declaration of Dopeness. You might remember the song, which was released way back in January 2011, as a call-to-arms of sorts for hip-hop artists in the Pacific Northwest. As Q tells it, the machinations of industry politics occurring even here (albeit on a relatively microscopic scale) prevent the region from garnering greater success on a national level.

I’m not sure if Q is suggesting the abandonment of Seattle-Tacoma hip-hop’s competitive ethos altogether, or if he’s just encouraging more artists to get out and represent their national/global brand. However he meant it, it’s a nice sentiment. I just wish he’d offered more concrete ways of elevating the region’s game. For example, a show-and-prove in the form of some high level local collaborations would have been welcome, a move which would also have made for a greater listening experience on the whole.

On songs like “State of the Union” and the title track, Q settles into a relaxed conversational flow and consequently connects with resolute statements. Unfortunately missteps elsewhere drag Declaration into painfully derivative territory, as on the swag rap snoozer “I’m On,” the inane club joint “Groupie Girls,” and the requisite soul-infused love jam “Ijuswannaluvya 2.0.” The expertly touched pop sway of “There She Go” shows why Q Dot was Grammy-nominated and the lean piano ballad “Indivisible 2.0” brims with confidence and individuality and ends the album on good terms. It’s too little too late though, as the majority of Declaration of Dopeness succumbs to formulaic type.

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VIDEO: “Bully” – Fearce & Bean

When I was like ten years old, two kids in the class above mine used to snatch my backpack every day right when school let out. They’d grab it off my shoulder, throw it down on the ground, and take turns kicking it all the way to the parking lot where the buses were waiting to take us all home. I was one of the lucky kids because these bullies never got physical with me. Some of my peers weren’t as fortunate.

Fearce and BeanOne go in for a good cause on “Bully,” a new track from the Yuk The World cohorts. Thanks fellas for making this one.

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REVIEW: Attractive Sin – Del The Funky Homosapien & Parallel Thought

Del The Funky Homosapien & Parallel Thought
Attractive Sin; 2012

Score (Potholes In My Blog scale): 2.5 / 5.0

Del has already secured an esteemed place in hip-hop, so that Attractive Sin doesn’t deliver the top-notch goods fans hope for will leave a relatively miniscule smudge on the MC’s accomplished resume. Click here to read my review over at Potholes In My Blog.

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VIDEO: “Farewell Sol: The Concert” – Sol & Friends

Girls in wedges and dudes in Chucks showed up for Sol’s “farewell show” at The Showbox on June 16th, an event that, in the course of selling out, placed the MC in good company with a handful of other SEA hip-hop artists (Macklemore and Blue Scholars included) who have done the same.

Dude is now traversing the globe for the next year or so on a post-graduate grant. To be sure, that’s a hefty period of time in music years but a duration that I’m sure will pass in the blink of an eye for the man doing the actual traveling. I’m curious to hear what new directions Sol’s music will take as a result of his trip. Until his return, the rapper can rest assured his peers in the SEA rap community will keep a seat at the table nice and warm for him.

Happy travels from 206UP.

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NEW MUSIC: “We Be On” – Brainstorm (prod. by Chase N. Cashe)

When you Google image search “chasing cash” this nugget is returned.

Brainstorm bides his time over a Chase N. Cashe beat off the New Orleans producer’s LOVEnd.

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