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SEA battle rap stalwart Mic Phenom steps off the curb and into the studio to drop this mixtape, What I’ve Been Doing. MP is an OG to the battle game, but a relative newbie to the greater local scene that includes internet hucksters and seasoned performance vets alike — should be interesting to see where he falls. One thing is certain: the skills are absolutely legit.
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Electro schlock rules the day (er, night, I mean) on “Perfect Nightmare,” the latest from Gran Rapids. Leach and Jay Battle enlist the help of rockers Striking Back and R&B princess Shaprece. I could do without this one, honestly, but here’s hoping GR’s next album, Midnight Society, offers more of the easy party vibe of its former, Saturday Mourning.
Seattle and New York affiliate Sam Lachow’s recent video and single, “Gary Payton,” isn’t exactly an adequate representation of the rest of the music on the do-everything MC/producer/director’s debut album, Brand New Bike (available now on iTunes). That’s a shame, because the somewhat amusing but mostly inane frat boy rap of “Gary Payton” might turn some heads off before giving the rest of the LP a fair shake. Don’t let the Asher Roth-lite stylings of the video turn you away.
Brand New Bike is a lighthearted, breezy ode to weed, summertime leisure, and the DIY rap lifestyle. It’s impressively capable, especially the production which features live instrumentation and a refreshing simplicity that never over-complicates matters. As for the artist, Sam Lachow will never be a threat to immobilize a competing MC (his delivery is like a more robust version of State Of The Artist’s Hyphen8d), but what he lacks in God-given aesthetic, he counters with a quick wit and above-average technical skill. BNB might just suit your needs for that Saturday night deck party, an event Lachow would be happy to crash.
Tilla V (of the District Money camp) reminds us kindly that Seattle rappers haven’t forgotten how to floss. “Up Up and Away” is enough to make any skater kid trade his North Face Hot Shot joint for those second-hand Gucci shades his cousin may or may not have acquired on the level. Visuals by The Note.
Luck-One wastes no time between his proper solo debut LP, True Theory, and his next project, the King of the Northwest mixtape. “Breakthrough” is the first single.
Here’s one for the Oddities File. King Smooth Ace left this in the 206UP.COM Inbox a couple weeks ago. Perplexing but vaguely familiar, I put ‘er into the Google Machine and was quickly reminded of this Raindrophustla post from April 2010. We live in a complex world, but King Smooth Ace’s unwavering focus on his diamond jewelry spinning rims is a refreshing reminder of what we can accomplish when staying fixated on our goals.
Similar to the tracks themselves, I have no idea what that last sentence meant. No matter. Even with a mouth on heavy anesthetic from the dentist, which is what King Smooth Ace sounds like he’s suffering from on these two “songs,” the celebration of spinning rims wins out. This post is making less and less sense the longer it goes on, so with that, I’ll sign off. (I can’t believe I spent two paragraphs on this.)
More real life talk from Tacoma Red Wing pilot John Crown. Mike Weed on the beat. Now where’s that Coffee & Beats joint?
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Central District-bred turned Cali resident Avatar Young Blaze is an imposing figure in rap, not just because he threatens to cause bodily harm if crossed, but because he seems to improve as an MC with each subsequent release. “UK Grime” sounds like East London trap music and is in advance of Av’s next project, The Iron Curtain.
“UK Grime” – Avatar Young Blaze “UK Grime” – Avatar Young Blaze
#OutOfTownShit. Weeded trap music from LA-based Dumbfoundead. Knocksteady camp keeps SoCal moving. In other news: Koreans can rap.
This is either an add for Gap clothing or footage from a party in Brooklyn I attended last weekend. I’m not entirely sure. In any case, it’s the closing track on Grieves & Budo’s recent Together/Apart, an album which represents the duo’s best work, by far.
You may hate and call this clip corny, but we’ve all had days just like this when every girl you met was your dream girl and it felt like the sun would never set.
A SEATTLE HIP-HOP BLOG 