Here we go again! Comin back with round 3 of the High Tide mix series with Purple Tape Pedigree (don’t forget to peep their Fresh Out The Box radio show on Thursdays from 7:30-9:30). As was the case on previous rounds we’re hittin you with our best amaglamation of recent rap releases.
Of course, we can’t cover everything, but we definitely did our best. So, roll 3 up, light one, and get the other 2 ready. *Thom Yorke Voice* Don’t worry cause we won’t leave you dry though, cause this shit is wett wett wett. Wavy tunes from Western Tink, Zelooperz, Roc Marciano, Dizzy D, Haleek Maul, and more. Tracklist after the jump.
Someone spun up James Blake‘s self-titled album last week in our office, and a number of us did a little double take. After commanding music press for a large chunk of 2011, is it just me or did James Blake disappear – the flighty English waif he is – in this, the year of our lord 2012. Where dat boy been at? Remixing this Trim song apparently, under his Harmonimix moniker.
While it’s not quite good enough to make up for what feels like a full year of absence, it is pretty fucking good, showing off Blake at his most spare and minimal but also, as the track rolls forward picking up ever louder momentum, his most overwhelming and massive. It’s a neat trick, as grime MC Trim’s repetition starts off as a mantra floating in free air and ends up a smothered chant buried under heaps of fuzz. For more Trim, look out for his upcoming single on recent Keep Watch mixerStarkey’s label.
We are very proud to present the next installment of the High Tide mix series. This is where we do our best to summarize recent hip hop releases that may not have been on everyone’s radar, but probably will be soon. Once again we’ve got Purple Tape Pedigree/Fresh Out The Box‘s own Geng Grizzly on the 1′s and 2′s. Although I guess it’s just the 1 and 2. I never realized that expression was unnecessarily pluralized, cause it’s just one set of turntables, it’s not like DJs commonly DJ on multiple sets of turntables (but it happens). Anyways this mix covers a great deal of the artists we’re into, and it’s sure to keep you vibin from the wake and bake to the day’s last puff.
On this mix you’ll get a healthy dose of Shadowrunners frontman Himself The Majestic. It is really time for people to start paying attention to this dude who happens to have a 100% success rate when it comes to being a good rapper. While none of their releases have hit big yet, the Shadowrunners have been steadily cranking out great tunes, and every single appearance that Himself makes is top notch. His material is always incredibly unique and his raps are familiar enough to strike a chord, but simultaneously puzzling enough to keep you guessing and scrambling for google. He strikes a masterful balance between making the listener feel comfortable, and forcing them to work in order to keep up. He’ll bounce around from incredibly superficial kind of status quo rap speak, to brutally honest and unguarded confessions. He’ll drop knowledge about familiar wrestlers, and obscure video games, then remind you what he likes to do in the bedroom. To Himself the things the audience knows, and the things the audience doesn’t know figure equally. His unique approach will draw you in, and then he’ll actually take you somewhere.
We’ve also got a few exclusives, courtesy of Geng’s rap world connections. So, while the country is embroiled in attempting to resolve the massive feelings of regret and trepidation that come with choosing between two egregiously unrepresentative presidential candidates, our steadily growing world of rap music continues to bang yall over the head with the antidote. It’s just a bunch of real motherfuckers livin real ass lives, and doin art at the same damn time. And don’t forget to tune into Fresh Out The Box every Thursday 7:30 – 9:30 PM EST on BBox Radio.
Woop Woop High Tide comes to life! Official news alert: We’ve got a show cookin up July 30th at SOM here in SF. And it is bound to be a rare peaceful and historic evening with Keyboard Kid, Shady Blaze, Yalls, and yours truly. Mondays are usually pretty chill, so we figured this would be a great way to start your week off. Nobody is gonna tell you to come to the front, nobody is gonna tell you to scream “hop” when they say “hip”, but you may be sublimated with the bass. But that’s the point, isn’t it?
This is gonna be a great musical exhibition with sounds to move you, but it’s also gonna be an evening when 4 young American artists who are truly in the midst of something both beautiful and cutting edge. So, come out for the music, but tune in for the little bits of future that will seep through the sounds. More info as we approach, in the meantime mark your calendars.
Monday July 30th, 9pm SOM Bar
2925 16th St.
San Francisco, CA
No Cover
OH FUCKIN BOY! Now, you probably know my brain is usually doin the talkin when I post on the blog. I put down a lot of my thoughts and observations on rap music and culture in general here. But right now, I’m really overwhelmed and excited because we are happily presenting the first monthly installment of the High Tide mix series. With the help of Purple Tape Pedigree’s (and FOTB host) Geng Grizzly we’ve put together the first entry in a series of mixes that will help depict the people and events of the incredible hip hop renaissance that we’re amidst. Now, this is by no means a total summation, it’s just a selection of the tracks that were most present at the time the mix was made.
You can expect to see a wide variety of folks turn up here, and in time we hope that these mixes will not only bring you pleasure as great sound recordings, but also create a clear indication that this isn’t just a bunch of people making music but a cohesive community of individuals who share a wealth of common interests, influences, and goals in the world. It’s music, but it’s also a bunch of people turning something imagined into something real, and connecting with one another. Voila. Magic. And be sure to tune into Fresh Out the Box every Thursday from 7:30 to 9:30 PM EST on BBox Radio to catch more of the potent selects. Tracklist after the jump!
I endure plenty bullshit in life. We all do, but I’m lucky to have things that make death threats worth it. No exagg-o Zachg catches a lot of flack for the shit he does to help promote all this music. I’m tryin’ to raise the likelihood that I die this week with this overdue and oversized High Tide. So, without further adieu peep all this shit that’s gone down recently in the good ole United States of America. First off, Zelooperz dropped this new single “JG Wentworth“. Which continues to affirm my belief that this dude is an artist to pay attention to. Catf1sh said he sounds like Big Sean, which I can hear. But where Big Sean is kinda just a wet noodle of personality behind a decent ability to rap, Zelooperz is overflowing a much more enthused rap ability and creating great art.
Over in the Southwest reaches of the country BK Beats and his homie YS dropped a new collaborative instrumental that is definitely fit for riding, smokin, chillin, and bein. The Talk is somewhere between current ambient rap sounds, and classic West Coast g-funk. It’s been really cool seein BK reach out to so many people and collaborate with other producers. It’s just another indication of the fact that we’re entering some different times. Producer collaborations are nothing new, but I have a feeling BK may be at the forefront of a whole new era in sounds. Bands of producers? Not too far-fetched. Not that I’m advocating for anything, but we may be in the midst of some very vibrant collaborative music.
Over in Washington shit is extra live! Keyboard Kid has been touring playin hella shows, and he’s got some really cool stuff in the works, including his first physical release Based Transition which is coming out May 7th on Donkey Pitch. And then Key Nyata just dropped his Phonkilation tape. The shit is a must listen for anyone interested in music or US art right now. He’s an incredibly talented dude, and given that he hasn’t even dropped a proper album yet, he’s liable to blow a lot of minds this year. And then Nacho Picasso and BSBD have been goin hard. They put on an amazing performance at the #SFRapFest, and they’ve dropped some pretty compelling videos lately. Whoever is out there in the world, Nacho Picasso and BSBD are definitely stylin on you. But I aint gon dip out from the West Coast without mentioning the homies Yarrow Slaps and Nem270 who remains on the grind, and recently dropped “Bruce Lee“, a laid back but very present banger. Get high to that shit. And no Bay recap is complete without an update from Detroit transplant Quelle Chris. He’s got a new record out, but he’s up to the same old tricks: hip hop uninhibited.
Over in Tennessee Ethelwulf is quietly beginning to make a name for himself. He’s got an innate ability to rap that puts him ahead of 99% of the other people rapping in the world. Couple that with a dark but honest sensibility, a great ear for beats, and a desire to create art that matters in his life, and you’ve got the makings of some very potent music. “D.I.E. Interlude” is a great example of this. And of course down in Alabama, Sortahuman are always busy with plenty of projects on the line, and the recently-released Tedy Brewski collaboration Chronicles of the Underground was a great installment, but Supa’s Freestyle and Forgotten Tracks 2010-2012 has been a standout for me. It reveals more of Supa’s talents, and presents him in a different fashion that really serves to strengthen his already expertly crafted works.
Over in Texas Western Tink and Beautiful Lou are quietly building their empire, although they’re beginning to catch more and more shine for it, so I’m not sure how much longer it’s gonna be quiet exactly. Their recent drop Fancy Shmancy premiered on SPIN, and continues to showcase the duo’s ability to convey a lifestyle that isn’t flashy, but is entirely compelling. Lou also recently linked up with Florida rapper Kitty Pryde for the track Okay Cupid. She’s got the flow from Why?’s Good Friday, but somehow I feel like the world of hip hop is gonna be much more responsive to it coming out of her mouth.
She’s based in Florida, a strange place both Greg and I once called home, and the place that Oh Mars currently calls home. When Florida hits—dude who invented the oliie (yes the skateboard trick) is from Florida—it hits big, and I feel like Kitty might be another instance of this. Further South in Florida Lowercase recently dropped his LowerVader collaborative album with Skater Vader, whom I hadn’t heard of until now. It’s more of what we’ve come to expect from Shuttle Life, Metro Zu, and the emerging South Florida rap scene. Lowercase delivers copious amounts of drug-laced, and sex-crazed existentially pontificating raps in the key of chill motherfucker. And I’d be remiss to leave out Lofty305 and Ethelwulf’s collaboration Di$tractionz.
Man TRPL BLK is blessin the world right now. I know you all enjoy Ellen’s posts, and so do I, but you’ll never get to Stagg Street if you don’t know the way. So thankfully we seem to have a steady line on relationship advice from none other than the #BRUISER mack himself. This week he’s addressing some rules of intimacy that don’t have to do with sex. It’s cool to see how this is all playing out given TRPL BLK’s the incredibly graphic nature of TRPL BLK’s songs.
Using the word bitch, and speaking about sex and gender roles in rap music can be very graphic at times. But at no point does it give a complete picture of the person making the music. For someone like TRPL BLK it’s easy to get written off, and devalued, because people have that knee-jerk reaction of “THIS IS GROSS AND IT’S IMMORAL!” But these videos are starting make it more complicated, and it’ll be interesting to see where they go.
Man I had been hearin dude’s name for a while but I just checked out TREE last week when the homie BobbyPeruu slid me a link. I think I listened to Sunday School ten times in a row the next day. There is a lot to dude’s music, and he has a sound that reaches across time to likely intersect with your tastes somewhere. It’s really temporal music with a great deal of conviction. TREE could be likened to Big K.R.I.T. in the thoroughness of his execution, and in his depiction of a regional sound. But that’s just in a utilitarian sense, just to speak on the manifestation of the craft, not the craft itself, or the content therein. When you get into TREE’s music what you’ll find is up to you, but what he offers is certainly nothing short of inspirational.
I been zonin on the Shadowrunners Tumblr the last few days. Which lead me to listen to a bunch of the Froskees remixes they been posting. They’re fire. I suggest gettin over to Bandcamp and downloading them. I know these dudes aren’t really cool anywhere else yet, but they probably will be soon. They’ve got a bunch of new music comin out, and once it does, those free downloads on Bandcamp won’t be around, and everybody knows you’re not gonna find a bunch of 320 mp3s too easily. But even if there wasn’t an impending deadline, I’d still be pressurin you to do this asap because the music is great to listen to. The sooner the better.
Gahdam. GAHDAM GAHDAM! Metro Zu and Village South are puttin it down like bonafide tropical powerhouses. This latest offering from L. Elliot, Lofty (on the beat), Lowercase, and Ruben Slikk is pure funk. Everyone comes super correct on here, and the mood is just stitched up perfect with the seams all disappearing. At one point Lowercase is rapping and the beat drops out completely “Lowa Letta fucked all the hoes: I fucked yours, I fucked yours, I fucked yours, I fucked yours, and I fucked yours as well.”
When the beat comes back in it’s less like someone singing a song, and more like someone landing a bigspin out of a backside noseblunt. Dude just jigs like “whatup?” and the magic kicks in. The pace continues and Ruben delivers a particularly darkly-tinged rap of sexual deviancy that ends on “Fuckin sex god long dick how I rape you.” [While part of me resists the idea that this kind of rapping could ever be validated, another part of me already knows exactly how it is.
As I've talked about in regards to Himself's music, the depiction of male sexuality in contemporary hip hop is less an indication of the individual's feelings (in this case Ruben SLikk's self-description as a raping sex god), and moreso a reflection of broadly held social standards as voiced through the individual. I know that's probably a bit more complicated than you'd like, but it's the reality we live in. And while Ruben's lyrics might not be the most responsible thing in the world, it doesn't seem like he's aiming to be a role model in his songs.
So, before you'd judge him (or Lowercase, Lofty, or L. Elliot either) for his art, remember that it's art and unless you ask how he as a person feels, you don't necessarily know anything about Ruben Slikk's stance on sexuality or women.] The song is finished out by Lowercase’s older brother L. Elliot. And while he sounds a little less confident than Ruben and Lowercase, he seems every bit as comfortable.
The song is a beast, and just the most recent reminder for why you should be keeping up with Metro Zu as best you can. And for those of you wondering how to further investigate sexuality yourself, Trpl Blk is back again with more relationship tips that are bound to keep you humpin. This week he tackles the benefits of spontaneity, and how to approach this carefree mindstate.
You’ll notice he is wearing his hat backwards, which helps to convey that he is relaxed and casual while giving you his advice. This means you can trust him. So, take Trpl Blk for his word, and find out a little bit about the wondrous benefits of unanticipated sex. And finally STASH MARINA! The elusive!! The amazing!!!
Lofty and Lowercase teamed up again and they’ve just released Honey Chicken. It is exactly what one should expect from two young Tropical boys teaming up to make a record that they don’t stress about. Beats are provided by the usual suspects, and there are a few guest appearances (shoutout Supa).
The result is a carefree stroll through the formative moments of the future of rap, and the music of the United States in a larger sense. This is two incredible artists in the moments before there is any pressure, before anyone realizes what they’re capable of Lofty and Lowercase have again done a great job of just bein dudes makin art.
Ok dudes, and dudettes, you have only one choice here: tune in. You’ll probably recall Trpl Blk as the big-dick pussy-eatin Bruiser from previous High TIdes, as well as #HCM. Well, as you can probably imagine, dude is not only focused on sex while makin music. And so, lucky for all of us he has started his own weekly relationship advice video series.
He was kind enough to link me to this one, and I’ve got to say, I’ve been fuckin a lot more since I saw it. So, if you too enjoy gettin it in, I suggest improving your success rate by taking advice from a dude who is a pro.
And what would a High Tide post be without some good old fashioned polarizing raps? Folks love to love Chippy, and folks love to hate Chippy. Personally I just love watchin Chippy do Chippy, because she’s actually doin it. I know she catches a lot of shit from people, but I also know that she’s really dedicated and she works to improve her craft. Beyond that she cant help it if people are nuts for her before she’s really even gotten a chance to refine her skills.
But does it even matter? She seems to be finding her legs in a niche that doesn’t require super rapper rap skills and rap olympics qualifiers. If you wanna make party music all you really gotta do is capture the energy when you’re having fun. And Chippy is doing that pretty effortlessly. But from the time I’ve spent with Chippy and the conversations we’ve had it’s obvious that there’s a lot more to her than the detractors would like to believe. This song with Friendzone is a departure from a lot of the other stuff she’s been doing, and it definitely shows her capacity to move in a different direction, or directions.
All of the sudden everything seems to be amazing when it comes to hip hop. It’s a renaissance. As cheesy as it may sound the flourishing of styles, and the proliferation of wider and wider networks of artists continues. Perhaps you may have thought your ideas of Detroit hip hop were complete? Well, the Bruiser Brigade and their affiliates continue to challenge the world’s ideas about Detroit hip hop, and Dayggs is the most recent name to crop up.
His recently-released IV the LVRS is a thorough exercise in Return To Forever type vibes constructed mostly through synthesizers. I think this dude has a very solid idea of sounds, and how to use them to create atmospheres. Dayggs’ music has a very cinematic quality to it, not in the sense that it’s grandiose, or larger than life, but that it simply sets a mood rolling and sustains it with well-executed finesse.
You will probably remember the Bruiser duo of Chavis Chandler and Trpl Blk from #HCM, at least I will assume that you do for the purpose of this post. Both of them are working on music that I’m psyched to check out. Trpl Blk has a unique style that is much better-suited by being heard than described. This new track “I Love Pussy” continues in Trpl Blk’s fashion of making songs about sex, especially songs that describe vaginas, and vaginal relations in detail. Don’t bother listening to this if you’re easily offended, or if you go for the feminism card readily.
This is music is very detailed. It leaves no question as to exactly which types of hoo-has Trpl Blk does and does not love. And he goes down a list for sure. And, since we’re not the only ones who seem to be taking notice of Detroit you can head over to Fader to peep their premiere of a new Boldy James joint produced by Black Noi$e. It definitely illustrates why you sould be paying attention to his beats. And last but not least hit up Passion of the Weiss for an interview with your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper’s favorite producer’s new favorite producer Skywlkr.
