2 Cents: ONE LAST GROOVE

Rest In Paradise Maurice White !

A producer borne from the east coast, Billy Capricorn, celebrated the life that was Maurice in his Earth Wind & Fire Let's Groove flip. ONE LAST GROOVE is complex in its building of synths, if albeit slightly sloppy in the vocal sample. The base of the track definitely shows an appreciation for the original song while the beat switch-up in the 2nd half of the track exudes originality. 

I'm excited to hear more from this producer in terms of full projects and collaborations.

You can check out Billy Capricorn on Twitter and Soundcloud !

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.

That.Nu.Nu

Listen to the finesse: 

 

Follow the Pittsburgh artist Slick LaFlare on Instagram

This track features soft short synth sounds, purposeful percussion, and a succinct flow. Shout out to The Daily Loud (@DailyLoud on Twitter) for boosting this easy listen.

Also be sure to follow The Daily Loud on Soundcloud!

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.

Quite The Treat Pt. 6

Listen to Live From The Cave Vol: 010 by Second Womb. This 3 song EP packs a sonic punch with beats that bounce and vocals that keep you listening for more. Second Story collaborates with artists Marty & Berlin...!, and EndaStory to bring you an experimental (albeit successful) spin on hip-hop.

You can follow Second Womb for more music and cool things on:

Soundcloud

Twitter

Facebook

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