Channeling the meanest of the Death Row-era SoCal rap artists, Tri-Cities MC and producer C. Ray conjures the anti-hero we need in these trying times in “Smoke Part 1.” Thanks to Shao Sosa for putting 206UP onto C. Ray. The Tri is a little outside the perimeter, but then again so am I. Ha.
The final episode (number 11 if you’re counting) in Raz Simone’s lead-up to the release of his Cognitive Dissonance: Part 2, is a quiet moment. “The Lights” reminds me of Wyclef Jean’s best ballads: half sung, half rapped, with a spiritual heaviness and weary resilience that conjures rap music’s mighty forebear, the blues.
Def Dee, producer extraordinaire, shows off his lyrical gifts in “The Guide” (directed by 96). Also: #WardrobeMalfunction.
Profoundly weird and exceptionally profane, Moor Gang foot soldier Steezie Nasa’s new album, Trap Alien, is a buzzing obelisk hovering over the Six. Steezie’s vocals are unabashedly auto-tuned, which makes for a cold sense of isolation throughout the record. That is, until the final track where he finally shouts out “My Dogs.”
Kevin Lavitt is a Seattle-based singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. His debut EP Planets will arrive shortly we’re told. “Night Is Over” is the first drop and it features frequent collaborator Sam Lachow. Kevin reminds me of ’90s R&B crooner Jon B — do with that assessment what you will. In any case, blue-eyed soul is here to stay.
The LACOSA camp’s JASN (formerly Mack-E) and D-Sea dropped this collaborative EP called Faded. The on trend production by Radical Kid is a sharp turn away from the duo’s typical backpack stylings (rolling high hats abound here) and the two rappers go in with a harder lyrical sensibility. Check the dope threats on “Forty7” (featuring 206UP favorite Language Arts) for a good sampling.
Episode 10 in Raz Simone’s lead-up to his Cognitive Dissonance: Part II release (due Wednesday, January 28) is “Shoes On,” a banger that draws parallels between your nine-to-five office job and the grind of a hustler. The lesson here? There is no additional glory in the street life other than the false romantic notions that get attached to it. It’s one shoe at a time for all of us, Raz says.
Something to shake your body to in the depths of the Seattle winter: Malice and Mario Sweet present the first single from their upcoming album SMS. “Superstar (Twenty9 Remix)” is the re-glossed version of the as-yet unreleased original which will (presumably) appear on SMS. Parisian DJ Twenty9 applied the synth touches and vocal swirls to this club gem.
Theoretics cooked up a mean beat for this month’s edition of their One-A-Month Series. “Exit Signs” features the dramatic vocals of Maiah Manser aimed for the after hours. Catch the band at Nectar on January 22 for the release of their new EP, Fugue State.
LakeHouse Entertainment’s main man BenadriLL has released, by far, his best project to date. The album is called Under The Table and it features the kind of low-key, everyman struggle bars and braggadocio that the rapper has always traded in. The beats shine here, too, with equal parts turnt party flair and G-Funk inspired riding music. Worth your time.
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