Part pep talk, part denunciation, Raz Simone’s video for “That Nigga” — a previously released single soon to be found on the rapper’s upcoming Trap Spirituals (due Nov. 3) — is more fodder for haters and rumor-mongers.
VIDEO: “Funk With Us” – Brothers From Another (dir. by Noah Porter)
Breezy. Brothers From Another with a video counterpart to the lead single, “Funk With Us,” from their recent This Summer LP.
AUDIO: The First Ride – John Crown
Tacoma’s John Crown is one of the best rappers from the South Sound, an MC with equal parts swagger and substance. The First Ride is the latest new music from him in a minute. It dropped earlier this month and 206UP is just now catching wind. You should too.
AUDIO: “Seattle Sweeties” – Draze (prod. by Vitamin D)
Ah yes, the so-called hip-hop “female empowerment anthem:” Generally well-intentioned, but hardly ever well-executed. Seattle rap OG Draze falls into the same institutionalized pit of chauvinism that our favorite of-the-moment rappers like Drake happily occupy. “Seattle Sweeties” gets it wrong from the very start (see: song title), but has its heart in the right place (it’s a vehicle for raising funds for survivors of domestic violence).
Here’s the thing, fellas (and mind you this word to the wise is coming straight from the horse’s mouth: a heterosexual male who trades in misogyny by virtue of my very existence on planet earth): Women don’t need men to affirm their beauty and intelligence.
The best part of the current wave of feminism — at least as it’s manifesting itself in popular culture — is that it reinforces the notion that there is truly no wrong way to be feminine (see: Adele, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer, Mindy Kaling, et al). Just as there’s no wrong way to be Black, Asian, Latino, gay, straight, or transgender.
The marginalized — and I’m counting myself and Draze among those — need allies in the fight against our oppressors.
Men: We need to stop projecting our values of worth (particularly as it pertains to physical beauty) onto the people we’ve traditionally held power over — that shit is tired and reductive. We need to start taking up arms alongside them. Teach your sons and daughters how to be feminists, not the bankrupt game of respectability politics.
VIDEO: “Red Apple” – Khingz
Rapper Khingz revives his conscious, emotive roots with the emotionally bare “Red Apple.” This track recalls Abyssinian Creole — the musical love child of Khingz and Gabriel Teodros — in that duo’s ability to never let hate win even in the face of insurmountable odds. “Red Apple” sounds so soft, but its truth cuts like diamonds.
AUDIO: “Viam Lacteam” – Astro King Phoenix (prod. by Luna God)
Astro King Phoenix and producer Luna God smoke galaxy-laced spliffs on their new track “Via Lacteam.” I’m not sure what that means either, but it’s worth a spin to try and find out. From the duo’s collaborative project Aurum Silentium.
AUDIO: “Rotten Fruit” – Araless
“Am I free to go, or am I being detained?” is a question with macroscopic implications even though it gets asked in singular occurrences across the country. Black Magic Noize affiliate Araless peels back the layers and finds nothing but “Rotten Fruit” on his latest track.
AUDIO: “Talkin Shit? Okay” – SassyBlack
A musical sideways glance from THEESatisfaction’s SassyBlack. Just because it’s velvety don’t mean it ain’t venomous.
AUDIO: Evol – Avatar Darko
The Central District’s Avatar Darko has never been afraid of embracing his emo. But it’s the L-word particularly that got him stuck on the rapper’s latest album, Evol (word to the dyslexics). No matter which way you flip it love will fuck you in some way or another, and Av covers this in his trademark hardcore, honest manner.
AUDIO: The Rise: White Summer – Thaddeus David (prod. by Aviel Ben Yamin)
Rapper Thaddeus David and producer Aviel Ben Yamin set out to craft a cohesive, singular statement with their latest five-song release The Rise: White Summer. Check for yourself below to see if the duo met their creative goal. In any case, much of this bumps quite satisfyingly.
A SEATTLE HIP-HOP BLOG 