You know that scowl face you make when a track’s so mean it can’t possibly make you smile? Yeah, this track right here did that to me. #GoWest. #OutOfTownMovement
VIDEO: “Maintain” – Steezie Nasa (dir. by Detooz Films)
New clip from BadAssYellowBoy, Steezie Nasa. John Harry Baluran (aka. Gfunkology) of Detooz Films on his grind again.
VIDEO: “LittleManBigCity” – Sam Lachow
There are no children to this blogger’s name, but if there were, best believe I would have a very hard time raising them in a city like New York. This place is big, bad, hungry, and deigns not to the weak of heart. Seattle son and current New York City resident Sam Lachow understands this and “LittleManBigCity” is his cautionary tale/proverbial slug to the arm of his little brother, Charlie, who finds himself young and bright-eyed in a town known for making and destroying the dreams of its residents, age notwithstanding. Be that as it may, I wouldn’t trade the last four years living in this city for anything, and I would wager that Sam and Charlie feel exactly the same way.
Check out more about MC/producer/director Sam Lachow and his new LP, Brand New Bike, here.
REVIEW: Relax – Das Racist
The primary goal of those truly astute comedians who center their acts around observations on on race and racism is to extract some degree of deeper understanding from their audiences. For them, there is no greater offense than crowd ambivalence. The disappointment in audiences’ failings is the reason Dave Chappelle divorced a fifty million dollar contract and fled to Africa to save his sanity. It’s the reason Chris Rock’s early stand-up routines were philosophically based in a contemptuous rage for the world and many of the people sitting before him. And it’s the same reason Das Racist (composed of three well-educated men of color) allow themselves to fall into lackadaisical stage performances at shows where, it’s important to add, the audience is typically composed of white, college-aged males who are all too eager to repeatedly chant the chorus to “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell” but not consider why the song is so devastatingly funny. If Das Racist concerts were frequented in the majority by folks of color, it’s certain you would see an entirely different display of the trio’s very substantial rap skills rather than the lampooning they derive from the attendant status quo.
DOWNLOAD: Coffee and Beats – John Crown
Click album cover for D/L link.
Tacoma’s blue collar rhymer John Crown presents Coffee and Beats, the MC’s first full-length album. Bits and pieces of the record in the form of impressive one-offs have been released scattershot for the last few months. The most impressive was “Like This,” a collab with the Bronx’s favorite underground son, Action Bronson. The track appears again here along with 11 other joints of rugged Red Wing boot goodness. More thoughts later.
DOWNLOAD: “Monster’s Lib” – Khingz (prod. by REL!G!ON)
Click image to D/L.
Khingz explores his inner demons on “Monster’s Lib” the first drop from the MC’s upcoming Liberation Of The Monster. Vancouver producer REL!G!ON provides a soulful but icy electronic backdrop for the rapper’s deep introspection. So many dimensions to the dude known as Khalil, every time out it feels like we’re getting to know another part of him. This is self-expression maximized through music, Khingz making art work for him.
DOWNLOAD: Brownouts, Vol. 1 – Prometheus Brown
Click photo to D/L.
Fresh from his Brownouts blog, Prometheus Brown (you know him also as Geo) just posted for your downloading pleasure, a compilation of “calabs, b-sides, rough drafts, photos.” For the rarities aficionados there are also some unreleased Blue Scholars tracks. Click on over for a tracklist and to download, here.
“LIKE” 206UP.COM on Facebook
"iPhoneography365 Day 206 Up Chucks" photo by Apolinar Fonseca
206UP.COM has a Facebook presence now. In addition to the Twitter and RSS feeds, you can also get your daily dose of all things Seattle hip-hop injected intravenously into your Facebook feed. Lots of feeds, I know, but if you’re already looking at this website then presumably you can’t get enough of that Town goodness. Please go “Like” it by clicking here or on the little button on the right side of the website. You know what it is.
A little about the photo: If you do a Google image search for “206up” the above picture is the first totally unrelated image that appears. I thought that was really dope so I went ahead and used the photo without the photographer’s permission. Hopefully that’s cool with him. His name is Apolinar Fonseca and he’s based in Cali. Dude has a lot of cool shots over at this blog (here) so please pay a visit.
Someday soon 206UP.COM will have its own legitimate branding, but until that day I’m’a have to keep jacking images and banners from folks who are far more talented artists than myself. Here’s to open source computing in the cloud.
DOWNLOAD: “No” – The BreakLites
Click track art to D/L.
First drop from The BreakLites’ next project, Space, Time, and Mojo Too. The Tacoma crew’s last project, Robots & Daytons, was a hip-hop/disco fusion album strictly blended for setting off parties. “No” finds the trio in an easy tropical-style mood, but no less breezy and soulful.
DOWNLOAD: Fuck Your Collab – Chev
Click album cover to D/L.
Here’s a nice little collection of tracks on which local spitter Chev (one of the most able MCs currently flying under Town folk’s radars) spits all-important guest bars. Highlight: it includes a couple of joints from what I can only assume is the elusive sampler mixtape from the now-defunct Massline record label. Enjoy for free above and below and watch for the MC’s debut album, Charles, coming soon.
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