Latest Posts

Sammus’ “Three Fifths” to be Featured in Independent Film Rodney

June 3, 2015

Music that comes from a place of social action is often some of the best. Amid a couple of years of perceived police brutality and persecution of African Americans, Ithaca rapper/producer Sammus releases “Three Fifths” for use in the forthcoming independent film Rodney. Sammus made the track to remind us “that black people are whole even though they are often treated like three-fifths of a human by law enforcement.” The “three fifths” element is in reference to the 18th century legislation that equated the lives of slaves to three fifths of a free man when determining representatives in Congress. Her message is represented in the lyrics of the chorus, where she raps “I wonder how much y’all judge is the worth of my soul? I seem to round up three fifths to a whole.” Sammus’ already-impassioned flow resembles that of fellow rapper-activist Kendrick Lamar when she approaches screams on lines[...]

Dr. Ooo Drops “City Man” Clip

May 29, 2015

Each release from EKL’s Dr. Ooo is an immediate must-watch/listen. One of the city’s finest emcees, Ooo is a favorite of the blog and last appeared when he dropped the visuals for “Fuq Dr. Ooo.” Today Ooo comes back with a creative vid accompanying his track “City Man.” The D. Thomas Magee-directed affair doesn’t actually star Ooo, but rather a female substitute because “the rapper has been changed to protect his identity.” The video features some visually fantastic cultural fashion, as well as some really cool animated effects that remind me of Iamsu!’s video for “Only That Real.” The song itself features a nice sing-songy chorus, and as with any Ooo track, the bars are top-notch and prevalent. Dr. Ooo is also set to perform at the Deep Thinka Records Herd Fest Showcase on Friday, June 19th at Duke’s. Watch that vid below. Dr. Ooo ‘City Man’ from d. thomas magee[...]

Short Moscato and Truey V Team Up for “Aaliyah”

May 22, 2015

Buffalo emcees Short Moscato and Truey V are two of the city’s most talented, and one month before their appearances in Herd Fest’s 2015 Hip-Hop Showcase presented by Deep Thinka Records, they’ve teamed up for a great collab. Taking the name from the late turn-of-the century RnB goddess, “Aaliyah” begins with a mystical beat of which Moscato remarks “Sometimes I wonder why all my songs sound like intros.” His verse goes on to be bar-rific with shoutouts to a young Batman (who he cleverly calls “Lil’ Wayne”) and “girls that do power squats” before he hands the chorus and second verse off to Truey V.  V’s verse starts off with the line “Sometimes I rhyme slow, sometimes I rhyme quick,” an allusion to the oft-referenced 1991 hip-hop classic “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow” from Nice & Smooth. It ends up being something of a guideline for his verse, as V’s flow becomes[...]

Frigid Giant Releases “God Loves, Man Kills” Video

May 15, 2015

Hip-hop has been a platform for social commentary for the entirety of it’s existence. From Kurtis Blow through Ab-Soul, uncovering society’s hidden truths has remained a theme in rap everywhere. On “God Loves, Man Kills,” Buffalo’s Frigid Giant takes on the calculated glorification of drug trafficking, and that which relates to it. “They promote rappers to glorify the crack rock,” he says as the video depicts deaths and paraphernalia associated with drug use. It’s heavy, eye-opening stuff from the Polar Nation Originals emcee, and it needs to be discussed more. The track features some great cuts and chops from DJ Blacklisted and a menacing beat from the hands of Fresh Kils. “God Loves, Man Kills” comes off of Giant’s full-length project From My Cold Dead Hands. Give it a watch and listen below.

My Rap Name is Alex Unites with Cove, Hooizzy for New Track

May 8, 2015

Buffalo rappers My Rap Name is Alex and Hooizzy have dropped an anthem about making it through the inevitable struggle of being broke, young and independent. Titled “Broke as F&%K!,” the song conveys a sentiment that I think we’ve all felt one time or another. Alex’s imagery is great, if not too real when he drops lines like “I been saving the boxes from the cereal I eat, and usin’ em to build a wall to hold in the heat.” Hooizzy and Alex’s chemistry really makes the track as the two energetically exchange short verses and couplets. The music for the track is provided by the infallible Cove of EVC, who’s crafted a masterful beat that evolves and devolves throughout. “Broke as F&%K!” appears on Alex’s new mixtape Collage Radio alongside 19 more quality tracks. Alex is also appearing at PorchFest at 5:00 tonight on 147 Bryant St. Peep the track below.

BROTH3RKING and the Loot Boys Release “1000”

May 6, 2015

Buffalo’s Loot Boys are a collective of rappers consisting of King, KT, BROTH3R, and $kanks that have been teaming up with each other to produce some quality, catchy street anthems over the last couple of months. Among the crew’s recent standout tracks is “What You Need” from KT, “$cumbag” from $kanks, and “1000,” the featured track from the unified BROTH3R and King. Built off of a jovial flute sample from producer Code One, “1000” is something like a melodic banger. King and BROTH3R exchange verses featuring sparse words, effectively building towards the boom of the chorus each time. King’s ad-lib game also needs shouting out, particularly after the line “On the game I take two shits (What?).” Check out the Loot Boy’s impressively expansive collection of tracks on their Soundcloud, and peep “1000” below.

Tonight: Atmosphere

April 29, 2015

Though its often thrown under subgenres like conscious, emo, or backpack rap, Minneapolis’ Atmosphere is a pair of luminaries of hip hop as a whole, and the group will be at Town Ballroom tonight. The duo of rapper Slug and producer Ant have made waves with their allegorical, thematic music for 20+ years. Atmosphere is also two of the founders of the powerhouse independent hip hop label Rhymesayers, which they started in 1995. A live band supports the group on tour, bringing a jazzy, improvisational feel to one of the more composed hip hop artists out there. Expect songs from 2014’s Southsiders as well as some classic stuff from albums like God Loves Ugly and Seven’s Travels. Supporting the group is noted slam poetry artist, rapper and political activist B. Dolan, as well as fellow Rhymesayers MC deM atlaS.Tickets for the show at the Town Ballroom are available for $25 at the door, which open up at[...]

Mic Excel and L-Biz Team Up for “Clouds”

April 24, 2015

The smoothness on Mic Excel‘s latest release hits you from the moment you click the play button. After a four count, the EVC rapper jumps immediately into a melodic chorus of “da la das” that meld perfectly in with a creamy beat from the hands of TheProgrammer. Truth and awareness is the subject of the verses in the track, as Mic and  I.S.B. Music’s L-Biz talk up the importance of keeping your head out of the “Clouds.” Amid more thoughtful lyrics from Mic are some real great one-liners, particularly “I handle bars like a playground, you handle bars like a unicycle.” L-Biz’s standout featured verse draws off of experiences with women that try to break his invulnerable fidelity. “Clouds” is intelligent, catchy music from two talented Buffalo emcees. Peep it right down here.

Waka For President? Maybe

April 22, 2015

Over the past couple of days, “news” broke that Queens-born, ATL-based rapper Waka Flocka Flame is running for president in 2016. In a Rolling Stone video released on 4/20, Waka indulges in an L and runs through the driving points of his campaign. This includes the obvious mention of marijuana legalization and some more obscure topics like banning dogs from restaurants and people with feet over size 13 from sidewalks. The campaign continued again today with this video in which Waka collects signatures for a petition that will get him on the ballot However sincere this campaign actually is comes second to the idea that as far as rappers running for president go, Waka Flocka is actually a pretty solid choice. It’s easy to look at the lyrics of a Waka Flocka song and call it trash, but lyrics have never been his thing. He himself has admitted that he’s[...]

Dean Chatham Drops “Walk On, Bye”

April 15, 2015

Buffalo hip hop artist and Black Sol member Dean Chatham seemed polished from the get-go. A few months back, he dropped the Dean’s List EP, an impressive debut project about decision-making and behavior as a dude in a coming-of-age situation at college, featuring contemplative, explorative tracks like “Year II” and “Do the Right Thing,” Chatham brought the smooth jazz-influence to his latest single “Walk On, Bye,” but switched over to another mature theme for his lyrics: a somewhat toxic relationship. Chatham poetically describes the ups and downs of a relationship in which the passion is adherent to the instability of it all. Lurking underneath all the give and take, fights and reconciles, and heated arguments is the understanding that the end-game will work out, something Chatham conveys distinctly on lines like”Write me off nine times? There’ll always be a sequel.” “Walk On, Bye” is an impressive new direction for the burgeoning Buffalo rapper. Chatham[...]

jacebeats Runs Through Creative Process in “Inspiration” Video

April 8, 2015

Buffalo beatmaker jacebeats is an artist with a pension for jazzy beats delicately sampled from the wax. In his new video for “Inspiration,” Jace chronicles the steps he takes when concocting a beat, and it all starts with drawing off of the culture of his city and his community. For the sounds themselves, Jace browses the Record Theatre‘s collection of jazz, soul, and funk vinyls where “it’s a guessing game, but covers are the clues to solving the mystery.” While jacebeats lets us into his mind, beautifully soulful chopped and looped backing instrumentals serve as the proof that Jace’s process pays off. Check it out below. Photo courtesy of the video’s director, Noah Whipple.

Dr. Ooo Releases Music Video For “Fuq Dr. Ooo”

April 3, 2015

Equality Knowledge and Light has been on a tear of late. The culture firm’s artists have released two great music videos in the last couple of weeks, and before that dropped an important love song to a couple of their favorite foods. The latest vid comes from EKL wordsmith Dr. Ooo, for the the ferociously flowy “Fuq Dr. Ooo.” A barrage of bars, the track  displays the Good Doctor’s smoothness on the mic, asserting that he really is “stupid for this one.” Paling around with Ooo is fellow EKL rapper Wza (who dropped a dope video himself just last week for his single “I Need That”) and Dr. Ooo’s Kinda Like Dreamin partner Sammy Doons. The video follows Ooo around snowy Buffalo as his sippin’ from his flask, dropping his heat, and pouring out 40s along the way. Treat yourself below.

EKL’s Wza Releases New Video For “I Need That”

March 27, 2015

Do you know what you need? Wza of Buffalo’s Equality, Knowledge and Light (and Radarada) crew sure knows his short list. It includes money, weed, food, music, and basketball, but a pretty cool chick is working her way into the picture, as described on his latest single, “I Need That.” Wza tells us all about her in an animated video that features the clipped-together rapper walking about as the scenery behind him is changed up. The editing gives the rapper something like the head of a GoldenEye character and the torso of Milwaukee Bucks’ player Giannis Antetokounmpo. Wza is occasionally joined in the video by producer CUFK,  who crafted a perfectly playful beat for the rapper. “I Need That” comes off of EKL’s mixtape EKLephantz Vol. 2, and will appear on Wza’s upcoming solo EP DUCKPUPPY, later this year. Check out the video below.

YLXR Drops Visuals for “BOI”

March 25, 2015

On-the-rise Buffalo producer YLXR dropped a video this week accompanying his latest single “BOI.” The trip hop track begins slow and dreamy, with an ambient voice and some clinking drums guiding us over reserved synths. Around the midway point YLXR switches up the feel of “BOI,” adding layers of excited, swirling sounds emblematic of something in a Sonic the Hedgehog game. The trippy audio is appropriately partnered with an eccentric video directed and edited by MALTDiSNEY. Consisted of splices of some random 80s/90s movies, humanoid graphics and girls sticking their tongue between their fingers, “BOI” is a pretty wild, entertaining ride. Take the trip with YLXR below.

Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly

March 20, 2015

This is an album that will be remembered. Kendrick Lamar’s second major-label album follows the narrative of a poem that Kendrick wrote about his path from a Comptonite into one of the most important leaders to the African American youth. Tied into this poem is another recurring theme, the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. This butterfly is an extended metaphor for a person (Kendrick) who leaves their home (Compton) behind to become a star, and the trials and tribulations that come with that evolution. Although they believe that their stardom frees them, it really exposes them to an industry that aims to squeeze as much money out of them as possible. The butterfly is pimped out by corporate America, and a success story for one is a pawn to another. Kendrick’s poem is told in final form on the album’s final track but we hear it build to[...]