Colorado hip-hop is serious right now, and there's a bunch of cats making moves. Hot on the heels of his runner-up finish to back-to-back winner Boonie Mayfield in the recent Red Bull Big Tune battle, Xperiment is the latest addition to the Humble Beast roster. Based in Portland, Oregon, the imprint is home to artists like Braille, Odd Thomas, Propaganda, Theory Hazit, Citizen Aim, Foreknown, and pivots on the novel (and noble) idea of restoring "the character, honesty, and warmth that the digital age has squashed." Xperiement and Boon Doc will be heading to Chicago in November to compete against sixteen other contenders from across the country.
SP Double, meanwhile, is back in Florida after spending a few days in Denver last week. As he continues his march toward national notoriety, the MC has been plenty busy with several extra-curricular projects, including a stint on a song speaking on the BP oil spill in the gulf. SP appears on the track, "No One Ever Is To Blame" (built around a Howard Jones sample), with Kida, Pro-verb, Focus, Embassy Music Board, Tez McClain and Al Gator. Stream or download the track below.
Speaking of SP Double, we hear F.O.E. is in South Florida this week visiting the rapper and presumably putting in work in the studio. Sleep is obviously at a premium for the King of the Mountain these days. As we mentioned a few weeks ago, he and Whygee have been hard at work on Dispensary Music, their hotly anticipated new mixtape devoted to, well, as the title suggest, the, um, ever popular and time-tested burning of trees.If the tweets of those who've heard it thus far are to be believed, this mixtape is going to be every bit as hot as promised. We've only heard bits and pieces -- including a leaked track Rock the Dub posted last week of a track called "Changes" featuring FOE, Whygee and Julox -- but we dig what we've heard so far and are stoked to hear the rest. "Changes," built around a Cranberries sample, has a notably languid pace that underscores the notion that stoned is indeed the way of the walk in the Mile HIGH City.
Fortunately, you won't have to wait to hear H.E.R. the brand new mixtape from DJEarAttent. Aside from boasting some of the most badass artwork we've seen in a while, the mix is extremely solid as hell. Looking for something new to bang? Look no further. Download it here.And while DJEarAttent has been busy making candy for your ears, Joe Thunder has been hard at work making candy for your eyes. The big man tells us that next installments of his Lazy Sunday series and Mile High Maddness are coming right along and on track for a release by the end of summer. From what we hear, Lazy Sunday 6 will feature the Fresh Breath Committee, while MHM will feature more interviews, freestyles, graff, tattooing, as well as DJ sets by Rockwell , Tense and more.
Finally, don't forget: This Saturday, July 10, The Mighty Denver 4 b-boy gathering is going down in Skyline Park from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., preceded by a special screening of the brand new Colorado-centric documentary Soulz of the Rockies at the Starz Film Center on Friday night. Get there early for the reception at 6 p.m. for DJ sets from Lazy Eyes, Es-Nine, Selecta Sam, as well as breakin' and cyphers hosted by Whygee. Before all that, check back on the blog later this week for an interview with Fienz of Lordz of Finesse crew.