Jeremy
Joe
Kyle
sammielouFeatured artist: Nick Baker
These days, hip-hop artists are faced with an array of options when it comes to beats. Some have great beats but shitty lyrics. Some have great beats and interesting lyrics. Some have great beats, interesting lyrics and a unique path as to how they ended up in hip hop. Such is the case with Nick … Read more
Give a listen to local hip-hop label Alloy-X’s Vol. 1 compilation
Though it only launched in September, Cleveland’s new hip-hop/experimental electronic label Alloy-X is off to a damn good start. Curated and run by Connor Musarra, a.k.a. local producer Urbindex, Alloy-X holds a fresh lot of local talent and is already branching out to other regions. Currently on the label’s roster are local boys A/V, Broken Keys, Ghost … Read more
Album Review: Gradient Prophet – Living Spaces
Last week, Cleveland-based producer Gradient Prophet sent us his debut album Living Spaces, and upon first listen the 15 tracks downtempo beats easily became part of the soundtrack to my daily routine. By combining elements of jazz, beats, samples and synths with live instrumentation, Gradient Prophet creates minimalist instrumental tunes that evolve layer by layer. Living Spaces has tracks … Read more
GZA comes to the Grog Shop
This summer, Cleveland drew a lot of big hip hop names to the city. It looks like the pattern will continue into the fall, and we are excited to cover a couple of the shows. As a part of the Grog Shop’s 20th anniversary extravaganza, GZA, a.ka. “The Genius” will perform his epic album Liquid … Read more
Get ready to nerd out: mc chris and friends are on their way to the Grog Shop
A night of nerdcore is coming to the Grog Shop on Aug. 16, with mc chris, Powerglove and Richie Branson set to take the stage. mc chris may have the voice of a 10-year-old, but the geek rapper has an incredible knack for making humorous tongue-in-cheek odes to Star Wars, Dungeons and Dragons, jerking off to … Read more
Drones Over Cleveland: El-P at the Grog Shop
Energy, anticipation and especially the temperature were high Saturday night for the one of the heaviest hip-hop lineups to take stage at the Grog Shop, and El-P and Killer Mike, with the aid of Despot and Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, held back nothing at their Cleveland stop of their Into The Wild Tour. Despot and Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire … Read more
El-P is at his best on Cancer for Cure
If you have any respect for groundbreaking hip-hop, do yourself a favor and grap a copy of El-P’s Cancer for Cure as soon as it drops May 22. The legendary underground hip-hop producer/MC’s first full-length album since 2007 is by far one of the sickest albums to drop in a long time. El-P’s dark and eclectic synth-heavy beats … Read more
Nasty Fancy Podcast #1 – Geronamo
Andy Gabriel, a.k.a. Geronamo, is a little-known Cleveland music producer, but he’s got enough ideas and charisma to get some cool projects underway. In addition to recently collaborating with Columbus rapper Illogic, one of the best lyricists in underground hip-hop, he’s already released an EP and mixtape featuring a very eclectic mix of strange beats … Read more
Mar. 28 Songs of the Day: New Bassnectar tracks
That’s right, Bassnectar is back again with a new full album, VaVa Voov dropping on April 10. To be fair, this dude never exactly disappeared. The new release comes less than a year after his last full-length, Divergent Spectrum, and between that he’s put out a mixtape, a few remixes and barely stopped touring. So far, Bassnectar has … Read more
March 22 Song(s) of the Day: DJ Abilities releases new mixtape (free download)
DJ Abilities surprised me with a new mix two weeks ago, and I feel compelled to share it with you. I was surprised for a few reasons: One, the only other solo work he’s released is about 12 years old, and two, because I wasn’t exactly sure what he’d be doing after his counterpart MC Eyedea passed … Read more
