Good humored, good natured and always down to have a good time (especially in their live presentation), the Bad Tenants have a fresh new EP called Mostly Human, produced entirely by IG88. Mixing live instrumentation with deft rap breaks and scratches, the record takes itself seriously as a piece of music but with a self-deprecating wink and a smile.
Ju-Ju Twist employs one mister Neema Khorrami for the very raw “All Up In My Feelings.”
We here at the 206UP office figured we should pull ourselves away from Compton long enough to throw you some new Shabazz Palaces. “The Mystery of Lonnie The Døn” is from the Adult Swim Singles series. “Mystery” is dark, brooding, electronic, and mysterious, everything you’d expect from the SP royalty.
AlonzoSevan (formerly Peta Tosh) and director Dyllyn Greenwood find the dark, quiet places in DT Seattle in order to get “Focused.” From the rapper’s Thanks Krit EP.
Dig the new video for Kevin Lavitt’s “The Deep End” featuring brooding vocals by Thig Nat of the Physics. At first I was like, Why the girl gotta be pink and the boy gotta be blue?, but by the end I was all, Oh they both colors now — that shit cool. #RejectPatriarchy, you know? From Kevin’s recent Planets EP.
A glistening boom-bap track from the NYC-based Inner City Kids clique which features Seattle’s own Aaron Cohen. “Rap Money” pushes along like a 4-5 Infinit on the FDR.
Cam the Mac intrudes your regularly scheduled programming with the boisterous, profane Chef Killa mixtape, in which the Moor Gang infantryman goes in on your style, your girl and your whole fucking crew over a collection of beats both new and pre-owned.
Macklemore — Seattle’s most platitudinous rapper — dropped a new song today about being a new dad. It is filled with the kind of advice that only the greatest of Hallmark card authors could pen. Guest Ed Sheeran urinates liquidized pop gold all over the thing.
Travis Thompson is an emerging rapper from the Town who fits right alongside the current wave of young, pop-oriented artists gunning for wide appeal: Think Ryan Caraveo and Shelton Harris who, incidentally, both appear as guests on Living For The Future, Thompson’s well-executed eight track EP. This debut positions Travis as the unassuming but ambitious rookie; an underdog story for the teenager (Travis himself is just 18) who’s always dreamed of rap stardom.
Check the a-day-in-the-life music video for Thaddeus David’s “Annex.” Off the Moor Gang soldier’s most recent EP, Parallels.
A SEATTLE HIP-HOP BLOG 