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DOWNLOAD: Altered State EP – State Of The Artist

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State Of The Artist dropped their new FREE EP today, Altered State. It’s a seven-track collection of anthemic electro-infused hip-hop. The title of the EP is appropriate as the album represents a shift in sound, away from the easy-going party rap of their debut LP, SeaCal, toward a moodier synth-heavy club aesthetic.

With all in-house production by group member Parker Joe, Altered State mostly rejects hip-hop’s traditional norms, so from that standpoint it doesn’t please the way SeaCal did. You can’t knock a group for growing, however, and there is plenty new to appreciate on AS.

SOTA will be heading out on tour with Mad Rad. Check the flyer below for your town:

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DOWNLOAD: “Alive” – State Of The Artist

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You’ve never heard State Of The Artist (SOTA) quite like this before. The second leak from the group’s upcoming EP, Altered State (scheduled for a May 10 release), “Alive” finds Young TH, Hyphen8d and Parker Joe spitting rap-life lessons learned over heavily processed industrialized hip-hop. Shaprece Renee lends impassioned vocals on the anthemic hook. This is grand arena rap, more suited for venues like the Key than the Showbox.

(Click here to continue reading at SSG Music.)

 

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DOWNLOAD: “Given” (The Good Sin f/Hyphen8d & Sean Symphony)

The Good Sin is often a forgotten emcee in the 2-0-6. He’s an everyman rapper; a totally relatable dude who spits on regular life sh-t (as he does on “Given,” the track featured here). And, while it doesn’t get any realer than that, it’s not exactly a recipe for fast success. No matter, slow and steady (usually) wins the race, and rappers like Sin are poised to do just that.

“Given” (The Good Sin f/Hyphen8d & Sean Symphony)

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REVIEW: Seattlecalifragilisticextrahelladopeness (State of the Artist)

Seattle hip-hop still hasn’t found its definitive “sound.” Artists over the last two years have, for the most part, taken a get-in-where-ya-fit-in attitude toward determining their particular place in the 2-0-6 hip-hop sphere. The closest Seattle has come to forming its own unique rap persona was the so-called “conscious boom-bap” stylings of Blue Scholars, Common Market and Abyssinian Creole way back in the mid-aughts. (And yes, I say “way back” with tongue planted firmly in-cheek. The South Bronx, Seattle is not.)

(Click here to continue reading at Seattle Show Gal…)

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