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.

Ho ho ho bitch it aint close to christmas you a ho. That has nothing to do with the Metro Zu video above. It has nothing to do with the Speakz guest appearance either. Which kinda has everything to do with Metro Zu right? Act like you know and say yes, cause if you were from South Florida you would say yes. Lofty, Ruben, and C$PG recently caught some shine from our friends over at Fader too. Ho ho ho bitch. Ho ho ho.

The homie Yarrow Slaps just dropped another track to my inbox. “ACCid Ice Love Lust X” is a pretty relaxed tune that feels like it would be complimented nicely by some smoke billows. And slightly further up the coast another prolific homie is makin serious moves. The much beloved (Bloglin and elsewhere) Keyboard Kid just did a remix for fellow Seattlite Katie Kate. It sounds like classic Keyboard Kid music paired with a subtle but enchanting female vocalist. I am definitely hoping that there is more to come from this collaboration as it’s a great format for Keyboard.

I did We$tern Tink dirty not postin this “SummerDonnasLoft” track sooner. It’s no secret that I’m biased in favor of Tink. But you would be too if you paid attention close enough. And I don’t mean ti aint obvious, but I suppose it’s not expected. You know Tink isn’t out here getting what everyone else is gettin, so why would it sound like he is? When you come expectin Tink to do somethin it’s just the wrong approach. Flip the script yo, move with the weather to the East, not against it to the West.

When you approach Tink and listen to what he has to offer, well you are blessed with the wisdom of a man who knows how to do wrong, but who challenges himself to do right. And that right there is an eternal struggle of all enlightened humans, one that has existed for all time, and one that will never cease in the lives of those who have seen the light. And SummerDonnasLoft is a particularly brightly glowing number. I aint put a hat on my head yet today, but if I had I’d be tippin it.

Yarrow Slaps is a hustler for sure. He’s been blessin me with plenty links lately, and the more I peep the more I like. Dude is just a guy alive in life makin raps. He paints pictures, like with paint. Although I don’t have much qualification to speak on visual art, I’d say much like his raps, his paintings lean towards impressionism. Most rap is impressionist. It gives you a vibe to experience. Of course details and stories are peppered throughout, but I’d say one of the most common types of rap to find is probably impressionist rap. But it’s not like there’s a reason to call it that. It makes more sense to just call it rap.

So call it rap we do. And it feels like right now there is a new rap album coming out every three days, and I find out about at least one new group or artist a week. It’s a great time for music in the United States, and one result of this wild proliferation is an incredible diversification. It’s great to look around and see so many different kinds of artists putting out incredibly developed work, and understanding how to present themselves. Or, understanding how not to present themselves. That certainly seems more accurate. It feels like a new sound emerges at every turn. And it’s not just some halfway facade that unfolds into a trite and predictable album beyond cursory listening. With the proliferation of the tools, and the demystification of the means of distribution, music is revealing itself to be intertwined with the lives we live as young Americans. And not intertwined in the ways we previously understood it to be. In fact intertwined is not so accurate. Interwoven would me more accurate because you cannot create the fabric of our reality without the fibers of music. Be it music that we create, or music that we listen to, our generation’s relationship to music is much deeper than we’ve yet recognized.

We know that Rap is one of the chief dialects, but all of the sudden we have found ways to understand rap dialects at a much smaller and more personal level. All of the sudden rappers don’t have to speak in pre-ordained dialects. They’re free to reveal their own. In the midst of rappers speaking freely, these dudes Dior Sentai from Orlando hit me up. Oddly enough I wasn’t surprised by what I heard on their debut Raw Cartoons, but it was on no account of the music. Their sound is an odd amalgam of anime soundtracks, post-OF (kinda nuts that this is aready happening) malevolence, and tumblr distilled Three 6 Mafia. That wasn’t the expected part, that was the unexpected part. They really own the sound, and while they’ve definitely got some work to do they’re off to a great start. The expected part of Dior Sentai actually came on account of geography, and not the music itself.

Orlando was where I went to college, and where I started rapping. I was fortunate to be in a vibrant scene that actually was not too dissimilar from what’s happening at a national scale on the internet. And as soon as I turned on Dior Sentai I could hear all the same things I used to experience at weeklies, and shows, and cyphers. It reminded me of all the time I spent not just recording, or playing shows, but living amongst a community of amazing artists. I’m grateful that the internet has given a lot of that to me in new ways, but some of it just can’t happen over computers. So on that note, next Monday is going to be the first installment of Slap City, a weekly hip hop party at SOM in SF. There will be more info to come shortly, but for now just know that the Wave is about to hit the Bay, and you should too!

Quelle Chris remains busy! This dude is quietly grindin the year to dust already. The above video is nothing short of genius, and I think it gives you a hint at Quelle’s sense of humor. We kicked it a few weeks ago and dude was all about laguhs and good time. Pretty clear from that video. That being said head over to dude’s Bandcamp and pick up Bones For Girls, or one of his many other releases.

Nem270 be gettin their speakers MAD! MAD AS FUCK B! AND THAT IS BECAUSE NEM AINT EVER CAME WACK! AND THIS TIME HE CAME TO BRING THE MOTHAFUCKKKKKKINNN PAAAAAAAAAAIIIINNNN! Hardcore to the brain, well the motherboard. Nem just dropped Desktop Pain with UUU Tapes. You should probably expect more and more of this type of stuff as the Wave begins to spill over into more and more outlets. And expect more and more Nem, as we’ve got an interview coming with him sooner than later.

Ryan Hemsworth recently dropped his Kitsch Genius EP. If you remember the review for his last release A Way, then you remember that Ryan is nothing short of utterly amazing on the beats. And the cover is lookin oh so very Krautrock. I think Ryan’s take on making beats is really brilliant, and the way he folds together recognizable influences with prodigious technique is enough to make the most highly-regarded beat wizards feel insecure. Gandalf flow.

Last but not least, producer extraordinaire Marlee B just dropped this Off The Hip instrumental tape. And did you know dude raps too? And not just “he raps too,” but he raps really really well. Get familiar yo.

Man, people are fronting on the homie Himself. He is most def one of the most pro rappers ridin’ up on this new wave. His shit is always clean maximum, he’s a dope writer, and he has valuable experiences to share. This video for “Still Drippin’” was done by Whobangin with camera help from X-Man. I don’t know if that’s the name he works under or just his twitter handle though. That’s one of the drawbacks of a rapidly expanding, largely uncharted scene. It’s wild out here and hard to alwayss get all the info straight trying to blog about it right quick.

One of the most challenging things I encounter when talking to people about hip hop is a misconception about the origins. People seem to think that hip hop is an exclusively a black art form, which is simply not true. If you read accounts of the origins of hip hop it may have risen out of a largely black geography, but it was far from solely the province of folks of African descent. I think that for as long as people are going to sit around and think of hip hop as the cultural property of people of African descent those people will fail to see the Wave.

I don’t think everyone who fails to see the greatness Himself is necessarily of the mindstate that rap belongs to black folks, but I think that’s the primary mindstate that contributes to folks overlooking the GOD. He’s Mexican. We weren’t taught to fetishize people of Mexican descent in the United States. And we certainly haven’t been taught to fetishize Mexican artists, especially Mexican rappers. It takes a less rehearsed mindstate to get into Himself because he’s not giving what you’re looking for, but he is definitely giving incredible art.

Peep this video with fellow Nature Boy DC for the Shadowrunners track “Link’s Revenge,” from the bomb ass record 808-Bit Revenge. Honor the way yall, and show this dude some love.

LEHGO! Another actual freestyle from Metro Zu and the Raider Klan. Watch as they make up sounds as they go, and defy bullshit hip hop conventions. SpaceghostPurrp has been pushin’ his retro notions pretty hard lately, and it would seem that the intention here is about getting back to the 90s as much as being in the moment.

Meanwhile Metro Zu is on that Odd Future but without all the self-referential baggage that Los Angeles creates. All these dudes are on some bonafide South Florida irreverence, there’s nothing cool about what they do except for the fact that they don’t give a fuck about what anybody else is sayin.

The utmost homie L.W.H. has his CIA TV project on the way, and it is going to be dope. As far as I know there aren’t any rappers on it, and it’s definitely soundin like the vintage rare pepsi commercial of your dreams. He dropped the first single with Astrronomy late last year, and I didn’t hear much about the project for a while, but it’s nearing completion, and it’s def gonna be some chilled ass vibes and banging drums, and good times.

Twitter has led me to discover yet more incredible artists in the Detroit area. Zelooperz, Chavis Chandler, and T Deezy are threee artists that you need to be knowing more about. I’m still getting familiar with their stuff myself, but I suggest you make haste and start catching up. Zelooperz is a young dude who is hungry, and has obviously put a lot of care into developing his craft, go download his album Coon ‘N the Room for a taste. Chavis Chandler is one of those natural do it all type rappers who can invent a new flow every bar of a song for the rest of his life. And T Deezy is making beats somewhere between Keyboard Kid, AraabMuzik, and Machinedrum.

I’m not sure what is going on in Detroit exactly, but it’s making people into incredible artists, and I think these dudes are moreso a sign of the times than just the next hot thing. I got a feeling Detroit is gonna have a lot of New Yorkers very very jealous this year.

And here goes another Raider Klan video to wrap it up! Key Nyata got that serious chill vibe on lock. Props to these dues for keepin shit so damn phonky down in Dade. I think folks prolly forgot that South Florida made a huge impact on the sound of hip hop at one time, perhaps we’re about to be thoroughly reminded? OH YEAH! AND KEEP AN EYE/EAR OUT FOR #HCM. IT’S COMIN!!!