Autumn.Finesse

Autumn time is a call for those flannels in the back of your closets, get those over-ear headphones too...

Autumn.Finesse, the series is popping off- much love to the Summer.Fire selections that kept our summer hot. Soon these entries will compiled into a Soundcloud playlist, just like last time!

If you aren't privy to Divine Council yet- you soon will be. Hailing from Richmond, VA, the group is composed of emcees $ilk Money, Cyrax Bathbwoy, Lord Linco, and the producer ICYTWAT (actually from Chicago).  Council World EP has been the group's sole release this year and attracted the likes of Andre 3000 as well as cosigns from Erykah Badu! Listen to the Decemba (Remix) and get privvy.

Soundcloud | Bandcamp | Can't Afford Me 

Summer.Fire 6

Summer '16 and you know what that means...

Artists are releasing that fire thats been keeping them warm all year! Peep the Ticos2Cents Summer '16 Playlist weekly!

This week we have a two-peat with the artists Orion and Rasneek. P90X - Orion (Rasneek Remix) features some more ambient soundscapes and lighter percussion. The upbeat kicks make for a fire dance break. Rasneek makes pristine use of vocal distortion and the lighter instrumental to create a contrast between the two.

On the flip, the original track P90X (prod. Steezy Grizzlies) is a 'sample blueprint'; making use of T.I.'s Why You Wanna (or for are more seasoned ears Crystal Waters' Gypsy Woman), Steezy Grizzlies makes sure to layer the beat with meticulously placed hi-hats, erratic tics, and the like. Orion's flow is effortless- his vocals mesh properly within the track and make for a production solid. No wonder Rasneek had to flip the song. You can catch more from the respective artists and the team HEYCollective on social media and Soundcloud!


            Orion    ||    Rasneek    ||    Steezy Grizzlies

Twitter      ||      Twitter      ||      Twitter

Instagram    ||    Instagram    ||    Instagram

Summer.Fire 5

Summer '16 and you know what that means...

Artists are releasing that fire thats been keeping them warm all year! Peep the Ticos2Cents Summer '16 Playlist weekly!

Yogamuffin, also known as Kyle Rudd or wax_music, keeps sounds interesting by remixing the slapping single OG Bobby Johnson. OG BOBBY REMIX illustrates the value of sonic dissonance: between Que's vocals and a more serene chord background you get a strong contrast. Add a meticulous percussion line, fat kicks, EQ kills and the production value makes for a fire beatflip. Shoutout to Yogamuffin for the exclusive release! Stay up-to-date with everything wax_music and follow the artist.


         Twitter  ||  Instagram  

Summer.Fire 4

Summer '16 and you know what that means...

Artists are releasing that fire thats been keeping them warm all year! Peep the Ticos2Cents Summer '16 Playlist weekly!

RVA bred hip-hop entity soLuh! (comprised of emcee Robalu Gibsun and producer BSTFRND) recently released Neon Black, the title-track to their sophomore project. Neon Black features another RVA based rapper by the name of Big Kahuna or BGKHNAOG (Google Boy). Rob Gibsun's flow meshes nicely with the textured beat creating an even meter that moves easily. Both Rob and BGKHNAOG switch in-and-out seamlessly, mirroring each others intensity, and spitting introspective content on POC (people of color) perspectives. Production is a sampling holy grail- making adept use of the production gear. Neon Black, the summer EP from soLuh! drops 6/24.


soLuh! Instagram  ||  soLuh! Facebook

     Robalu's Twitter  ||  BSTFRND's Twitter

  

That Nu.Nu Pt. 3

Went scouring the internet for some new music...

Heja Rames (AKA Jake Barkley) released the ambient track **rshndra** through Soundcloud for streaming towards the end of March. This track is still gaining momentum through the month of April, much like Heja Rames' following on the internet. **rshndra** makes use of textured loops, emotional vocal samples, as well as, an even meter at which the song cresendos into a climax- then rolls to a stop. With original sounds like this, I'm looking forward to more music from this artist that doubles as an emcee and composer. Make sure to peruse Heja Rames' social media and music to stay up-to-date. 

Bandcamp

Instagram

Twitter

2 Cents: NIGHTMARE FROM HEAVEN

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE...

Trance-pop artist, MAK 11, gifts his listeners some nunu with the fresh project NIGHTMARE FROM HEAVEN. The mixtape sits under the 30 min mark with 8 tracks. Peep MAK11 on Instagram!

Flow

Mak11's flow is unique to him; his deep vocals come across as guttural, methodical, emotional, and trap-like. Mak11 has a flow that allows for his grittier songs to be taken seriously, while his softer tracks sound smooth. DESTRUCTION illustrates Mak11's vocal dexterity- he can go bar for bar without having to stop for a breather.

Content

The meat-and-potatoes of the mixtape aren't hard to finger: NIGHTMARE FROM HEAVEN dances around romantic and drug-glorification themes. Of the 8 tracks, 6 mention women in some capacity, all 8 mention drugs, and at least 2 mention his collective, PORTAL. Mak11 recreates the situations/imagery of his interactions with the ladies flawlessly. Compared to his emcee peers, Mak 11 sounds pretty adept at songwriting. Conversely, I think his lyricism has room for wittier wordplay, expanded vocabulary, and different themes.

Production

NIGHTMARE FROM HEAVEN features full sounds, no doubt. The tape is mastered adeptly, allowing for Mak11's vocals to mesh with the heavy beats. Being that Mak11's vocals are deep- I appreciate the layering and distortion of the emcee's bars. This makes for a more dynamic sound as opposed to a monotonous and low droning. There isn't much diversity in beat selection on this tape but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The bass-heavy tracks are sure to test all car-sound systems.

Overall

Having written on Mak11 before, I find it hard to not be nit-picky on his latest release. In the past, my blog has listed Mak11's obscure flow pattern and sloppy production as sore spots. With NIGHTMARE FROM HEAVEN, Mak has shown tremendous finesse in both areas. His flow is easy to sonically digest and his production is a high-point on the mixtape. Ticos2Cents stamp of approval.

That.Nu.Nu Pt. 2

Boosting Nu Music 

OM. (also known as Frass Dad) collaborated with the emcee Max Krowntz to lay down some minimalist lyrics on a simple, yet deliberate, beat. C'EST LA VIE (prod. KASHTA) is successful in that the lyrics, nor production, overpower each other. Instead, the two complement each other. The lyrics are succinct, short, and to the point. OM. Max Krowntz, as well as KASHTA all hail from the 804; the single has been accessible through Soundcloud and has amassed just around 2.9K plays.

You can catch OM. on Instagram as well as Tumblr.

Quite The Treat Pt. 7

Ataraxis The Ace calls upon the prowess of his collaborators to bring the public a pristine visual. Autumn Leaves (sitting at just over 5 minutes) brings the viewer on an adventure through the obscure emcee's day. I got the chance to chop it up with Ataraxis The Ace and he likened the experience to: "shooting in Narnia,". The video for the single Autumn Leaves is a teaser for his upcoming EP;

 Lone Wolf OTG: Winter Solstice.

What do you think?

2 Cents: King Shit / Red Light in Rio (feat. flyanakin) [prod. ohbliv]

Nu track amasses 2K plays in 24 hrs:

Interestingly enough, the 'concepts' behind @KonceptMYT's newest single, King Shit/ Red Light in Rio, are classic in their hip-hop nature. The whole package is there: content chock-full of 'rising above', a fluid feature from the emcee @flyanakin, and the cohesive sample production from @ohbliv. Nu track, classic themes, fire single all in all.

There will always be dope trends in hip-hop but Koncept Jack$on proves that good music is here to stay.

The 2-for-1 is appreciated; listen intently during the Red Light in Rio bit. You get some lyrical dexterity that is not uncommon from Koncept- a listener can hear that this emcee needs no beat to deliver. Acapella growth = lyrical growth.

Be sure to keep up to date on all of Mutant Academy's musical moves in 2016.

2 Cents: nappyniggas(Feat. Afrocat)

Dirty single from @creaturealf featuring @Afrooocat is out and on repeat: 

Flow

Bars broken up at the emcee Alfred's leisure show dexterity and wit. His wordplay intermingled with the cocky back-and-forth between the artists Alfred and Afrocat makes for an easy listen.

Production

The seamless flow mentioned above, is a production win. Each thin percussion sound is clear against the fat bass. For a beat- this is clutch and the sampled goodies that play off of the gritty vocals is handled with finesse.

Content


Rapper bravado at its finest: the need to be paid, diminished roles of women, and how 'nice I am' on the beat loop the track. Something to note, however, in the hook lies the main reason this song is pretty cool. Alfred and Afrocat pay homage to their longstanding camaraderie and oddness in one line: "Alfy Alf been with the spits, Afrocat done flipped the sh*t/ Rocking with the Krusty Gang, kept the flow so different."

Overall

These artists are not new to the T2C musical radar; as young underground adepts- they flex all of their musical knowledge (up to this point) in nappyniggas. These are clearly the artists to watch coming out of their respective area. Ticos 2 Cents: play this song at max volume when going to do something important.

Twitter.Insanity Pt.3

PEDALFEST

I took to the inter-webs, as per usual, and found this awesome FREE event in RVA. PEDALFEST (bought to the community by VCU's Hip Hop Student Collective & Catalyst) featured several artists whose work I have highlighted as well as some more flame. Below you can find some mini-highlights as well as twitter info to follow your favorite artists.

fly anakin. & koncept jack$on #MUTANT ACADEMY

These two artists hold their own lyrically but can send a vibe together. Backing fly anakin's release of elsewhere ave. that created a buzz on the internet- he continued to stay true to the authentic east coast sound of hip hop at PEDALFEST. Songs such as nigga like me [ft. koncept jack$on], reverberated throughout the crowd. The other half of #MUTANTACADEMY, koncept jack$on, is to be praised as well. With just under a 1k following on Soundcloud and several dope singles under his belt (lavender & cynthia)- he matches his counterpart on stage lyrically, no problem. After several personal successes and a joint EP-the bounce and swagger of the two is to be watched.

 (fly anakin. [left] & koncept jack$on [right] in front of a mural of Nickelus F)

@flyanakin

@KonceptMYT

Jake Barkley aka The Black Beanie Genie AKA Lil' Hyatt

The RVA based artist, Jake Barkley, performed with finesse and authentic feeling throughout his set. His continuity with his sound is to be commended; with several singles making waves on the inter-webs (chimera) as well as several successful live performances (ART RISE)- Jake Barkley solidifies his spot as a key rapper, singer, and musician overall. The versatility of JB's vocals opened PEDALFEST up the right way.

 (Jake Barkley [left] spitting rhymes; B.ckward Haus Members MNLV [center] on stage, along with chï [right])

@itsjakebarkley

Marques Berry aka M.arques B.erry

Marques Berry, otherwise noted as MB, made waves during several sets of PEDALFEST. His own [set] being well deserved and received. The connection this artist has within the music community, as well as the Richmond community at large, is smart. With a tape under his belt and an anticipated project titled The Grey Album on the way- its no question the dedication MB has to his artistry. 

 (Marques Berry [center on stage] performing w/ Jake Barkley [right])

@1marquesberry

Y0ki The Casual WZRD

The seasoned producer and musical engineer Y0ki made an appearance at PEDALFEST, complementing all of the music he helped orchestrate with his musical peers. His attention to detail is dope, to say the least. The gobs of music this young man creates has leaked its way into the sound of Richmond; some of the hottest arrangements/production based in RVA is coming from Y0ki The Casual WZRD, no question.

MNLV

MNLV- who was recently featured in RVA Mag continues to give listeners music for the soul. Just as rich as her vocals come across recorded- they do not fail to entice live. MNLV is another artist using the inter-webs to her benefit. With a project titled UNNAMED PLACES garnering [all tracks considered] over 2000 plays, it is safe to say her music is here to stay and dominate.

Alfred

Alfred, self proclaimed citizen of the Matrix Purgatory as well as 'tha forest', comes fresh off of dropping an EP titled ALF. He performed songs from the project such as SUPAH POWA ft. MNLV with a raw emotion/eccentric assuredness that not only excited the crowd but bounced well off of his musical counterparts.

 (yokithecasualwzrd [left] poses with MNLV [center] and Alfred [right] in front of a Catalyst banner)

@yungbroni

@minilov___

@creaturealf

Special Thanks*

To the DJ @djgringo101 that served up all music on a platinum platter as well as @Russ1594 who was part of the team on the backend that built this experience from the ground up! Special Thanks once more goes out to Catalyst, the Hip Hop Student Collective, and countless other members of the visual and auditory artistry based in RVA.

*Artists who also gave dope performances: .Peter $un, Radio B, chï, Ramsey, Saint Tut, The Millionaires, Tribe, and of course Nickelus F