The 808 and 206 share familiar vibes and split-life living rappers like basement smoke sessioners share joints. That is to say: often and easily. Resident selector and hip hop activist EarDr.Umz was the latest to make a trip out the Pacific and he came back with this collection of tunes on his mind. Some of it is familiar, some not so, but it all adds up to a nice listen.
Malice and Mario Sweet, the indispensable back-up vocalists for The Physics, recently dropped their second excursion into hip hop/R&B/soul territory: Enjoy : Like : Love. The record takes its cues mainly from the ’80s, with big hooks and heaping amounts of danceable pop-funk. I commented to Malice the other day on Twitter that Enjoy : Like : Love is the type of music I listen to every day, the type that fits in any occasion, and always leaves the soul smiling.
Yirim Seck finally finished off his Audio D’oeuvres project that was promised a while back. You can grab the eight song EP on iTunes here. Yirim’s is a voice in the Town who I wish we heard more from. He has one of the most effortless yet engaging flows around. When we talk about an MC who “breathes raps” this is what we’re referring to.
“Crescendo” by Yirim Seck
Royce The Choice selected some (ahem) choice production partners for his latest EP, Talk Ain’t Cheap. Vitamin D, Kuddie Fresh and GMK all lend beats, and this blog’s favorite Town rapper of the moment, Porter Ray, shows up on “For The Jeeps”. You can also catch Royce getting a bit of national burn on DJ Mustard’s Ketchup mixtape.
Peta Tosh, the man with the very different MC name, recently dropped an album confirming as such: Still Different. Preview and download it below. And check out a video of his interview on KUBE’S Sunday Night Sound Sessions with DJ Hyphen and J. Moore.
You already know MADlines as one half of Canary Sing, and soon you will know her as a solo artist. “Blocka (Don’t Block My Shine)” is the first single from the (now) Oakland-based singer/MC’s upcoming Love Child EP. BeanOne on the beat and Gigante with the cameo.
Ka.lil recently dropped off “Say So”, a new track featuring Jills Laxamana and the production work of Magic Mouth, the most recent addition to the Wandering Worx team. If you missed Ka.lil’s latest, Between Saturday Night And Sunday Morning, shame on you (and here’s a chance to redeem yourself).
Romaro Franceswa is the latest member of BeanOne’s Yuk The World team. The worthy Federal Way spitter displays a far-ranging skill set on his self-titled debut album. From a highly acrobatic flow on “Prodigy”, to a club oriented swagger on “Bounce”, to the soul-tinged “Bella URLovd”, Romaro sets himself up to be next in a long line of talented young MCs jostling for position in the Town.
Def Dee’s production acumen caters to that nebulous and finicky cluster of hip hop heads otherwise known as “true schoolers.” It’s an audience that favors the production stylistics defined by their arenose breaks, abrupt sample flips, and dexterous record scratches. I’m speaking of the Golden Era apologists, of course, and Seattle area producer (and Mello Music Group recording artist) Def Dee lives and breathes that “revival.”
33 And A Third is the producer’s first full-length album for the other MMG. It’s a work in continuity from his last full-bodied collection, Gravity, this blog’s favorite local rap album of 2010. 33 is yet more refined in the ways of traditional boom-bap and it’s clear Def hasn’t run out of ideas. He’s similar to our region’s other like-minded producers such as Jake One, Vitamin D and BeanOne in that all are virtuosos in the fine art of extracting fresh ideas from well-tilled soil. 33 is intended for a national audience but features local stalwarts like Grynch, Mic Phenom, Chev, and La. (Also, dig the Cortez jersey Def Dee is rocking on the album cover.)
Sportn’ Life’s Larry Hawkins (fka. SK) and Davey Jones with a breezy summer time anthem for Seattle. “This Way That Way” is the first from the duo’s Butterfly Sauce due in August.
A SEATTLE HIP-HOP BLOG 