“All Eye No,” a track from Fearce Vill and BeanOne‘s excellent Let It Be, is a glorious wall of sound. The accompanying video goes for the jugular with a barrage of images exhibiting various forms of social unrest. The rap equivalent of just trying to keep your head above water.
Tacoma’s Rockwell Powers (MC) and DJ Phinisey (producer) highlight the Tacoma Murals Project — a grassroots art endeavor that seeks to nurture and cultivate the skills of adult artists in order to “transform public spaces, neighborhood identities and individual lives” — in their new video for “True (Heart Into It)” off their excellent album, Build. Good folks doing good things.
Black Magic Noize’s Araless and Bronx MC Mike Larry Draw turn down for contemplation in their new video “Cloudcatchers.” Watch for Ara’s Symbiosis dropping October 5.
Ricky and Mark are Ricky Pharoe and Mark Gajadhar (of Art Vandelay and Champagne Champagne, respectively). Their new EP, Get A Real Job You Fucking Losers, dropped last week and it’s a real peach of an album — a half-eaten, partially-bruised, disco ball-encrusted peach. Ricky called it “accessible” in an email to me which is true: it’s easily the most danceable collection of tracks he’s ever been a part of (see the new wave-ish “In The City” and thrashing pop of “Round n Round”). Luckily he also takes time out to rap hard (“Family Matters”) in his trademark half-empty beer glass pathos. Mark’s production is on point and displays his wide range of influences and far-flung methods of meshing different sounds into something resembling pop music. If you’re a “struggling artist” trying to convince your unimpressed parents that you indeed have a future career in music, maybe Get A Real Job will finally make them see the light.
Preview the EP below and check out Ricky and Mark’s latest video for “Round n Round” below that.
Under the best conditions, life is simpler in the summer. Who better to tell it than Brothers From Another?
Shabazz Palaces talked about “survival with style” on their “Chuch.” Well, “Guns Around” is stylized violence by Jarv Dee and Cam the Mac, but you’d have to be a motherfucking fool to think it’s just a game. This is not entertainment; you and I just have the luxury of thinking it is.
Thaddeus David and director Car-2-Nice apply the rarely-used Hella Filter to the clip for “On One” from the rapper’s Lost & Found Features tape.
Budget video, budget grill, budget swimming pool; but the track rings true and so do the Honor Roll affiliates who rap on it. Bryce Bowden (that’s the dude on the roof) is one untied shoelace away from a Jackass video. I can dig it, tho. AK Romero behind the lens.
It’s too early for this where I live. But I suppose it’s the right time somewhere in the world. Do they call hundred dollar bills “Benjamins” in Canada? Probably not. Ask Vancouver’s HeatWave the next time you see him. Also starring Spaceman and Ill Chris (fka Logics).
A timely video from the Nu Era crew from their brief but assertive A Start 2 The Beginning EP.
A SEATTLE HIP-HOP BLOG 