On his latest effort, Seattle native Porter Ray turns up a deeper, darker sensuality of emotional violence. Emerging from the tutelage of Ishmael Butler (Digable Planets, Shabazz Palaces), Porter Ray secured his own niche in the ever-evolving folds of hip-hop. His smoky, opium-shrouded brand of hip-hop finds an unusual, though comfortable, counterpoint between softly sensual grooves and a bitter evincing of a hard-lived life. Ray’s 2017 Sub Pop debut, Watercolor (following his true debut, 2016’s Nightfall, on indie label Intratecque) …
Tag: hiphop
Since December 5 was the 20th anniversary of the once beloved hiphop platform, Mugshot, I wanted to recognized and big up my roots. The figures and stories behind the founding of Mugshot are legendary. As I said on social media, “This is where I got my start, Mugshot Magazine. I was a kid fresh out of college and the founders, Peter Feld, Amber Fosse, and Gida Snyder took me in. They turned every perceivable roadblock into a possibility. After taking …
On his latest, Exotica, Tony secures his designs with a little more intention and carves a narrative born of graphic novels and film. A self-made king of raffish-cool, Fat Tony has fashioned a career out of lacquering his quirky, off-the-cuff hip-hop with designer kitsch. Several albums in and the rapper has managed to dismantle the rigmaroles of musical convention. His currency of humor, in particular, presents a hip-hop that at once swaggers handsomely with puffed-chest bravura and twitches about with …
Did you memorize the first verse of Wu-Tang Clan’s “Method Man” from reading The Source Magazine’s “Hip-Hop Quotables?” Did you know what KRS-One’s name stood for? Were you “independent as fuck?” For the early 90’s rap kids and independent artist alike comes the documentary Adult Rappers, a rare look into the real lives of working-class rappers. The film features a lot of notable underground artists like Open Mike Eagle, Blueprint, Breeze Brewin, J-Zone, Evidence, Masta Ace, Blockhead, Atoms Family members …
We’re proud to announce that The Fire This Time podcast, Episode 4, will feature pioneering dancer and hip-hop ambassador Brooklyn Terry. He’ll be our guest this Tuesday, July 7 @10am (JST). Representing the BK, Terry Wright has lived in Japan since 2006. He is a pioneering House and Hip Hop dancer. He’s appeared on TV and toured internationally with Will Smith, Mariah Carey, Lil Kim, Da Brat and the late Whitney Houston. In Japan he’s worked with some local Hip …
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