There's a ton of fresh music from the scene, including Colorado Crates Vol. 1, a free compilation hosted and mixed by SP Double and featuring a bunch of local favorites, including SP, Mr Midas, Innerstate Ike, Foodchain, Cola Diva, Spoke In Words and more. Speaking of Spoke In Words, he's also dropped a new track with Surpass Flavor. Shane "SF1" Franklin, meanwhile, just released his album Inamorata, and Turner Jackson and Kid Hum have posted "Malt Liquor," the first single off their upcoming project, ABC. Keep reading to see what's good.
See also: - SP Double has come a long way, and it shows - Mr. Midas on Son of the Crack Era, hip-hop unity and the downfall of King Midas - Spoke In Wordz on his new album/mixtape and the lack of respect for hip-hop legends - Turner Jackson talks Star Destroyer and self-destruction - Kid Hum weighs in on what it takes to make a great track
"Let Em Know" is a great track for the recently passed Halloween season, but it's never the wrong time for a little bit of lyrical gore. The cut boasts a creepy sort of lurching beat produced by C-Ray that sets the scene for SP Double's vivid, gruesome lyrics. Double uses assonance effectively to propel his unconventional rhyming style, which ends up working well with the subject matter. The track moves like a hulking abomination dripping with swag.
The art of storytelling is one of the oldest, most cherished practices in hip-hop. Many try, but an MC that can do it well -- bring immediacy to the story, paint vivid pictures and give the story importance -- is pretty uncommon. You can definitely tell that Mr. Midas has his heart in "Story to Tell," and with moments where the song seems to stop at these pivotal moments makes the tale a treat to listen to. The beat is soulful, full and has a little bit of a duality to it, like the lyrics. You never want a story to be all sweet, or all sour; this one has a nice balance.
"Think I Can Rock It" is an interesting track. The beat sounds like it was devised for some 32-bit video game, but you absolutely can't avoid nodding your head along. The sinister organ that takes the forefront of the sound rhythmically modulates pitch and just embeds itself in your brain. Sol P delivers simple but powerfully spoken lyrics with a cadence and tone that compliments the beat's straight ahead rhythm. Sol P brings a different, rougher, more street-level style than most Colorado MCs. It's the kind of style that brings you back to the '90s California rap scene, and it definitely works.
Keep reading for the drop on more fresh, new local hip-hop
There have been quite a few songs in the last few years that try to describe the recent phenomenon of sexual and technological intersection. "Digital Girl" does it as well, if not better, than any of them. Besides the aesthetic, built with wistful yet emotionally removed production from Cesar Gonzales and catchy, robotic vocals from Betsy Ruckard, SF1 whisks through an array of very clever turn-of-phrase puns meant to turn you on, technologically and sexually. There is a little bit of cheese here, but it works. After all, there's nothing particularly deep about these OKCupid, Missed Connection, sexting relationships. They're fun and fleeting, like this song.
Turner Jackson, Kid Hum and Sid Madrid collaborate to deliver "Malt Liquor," a bittersweet ode to alcohol, over a tipsy beat from Kid Hum that's as repetitive and spellbinding as a night of drinking shot after shot after shot. Each of the verses provide a different lens through which to see this chaos-inducing liquid: Madrid kicks off the tune with a verse that plays like a disconnected and blurred recollection of a blacked-out night, while Jackson reflects on a friend's DUI, which is sobering in the middle of two other verses that get caught up in their own intoxication.
Surpass Flavor and Spoke In Wordz trade 16s to give this Shocker G-produced track a real old-school cipher feel. The beat to "A Tribe Called Mex" is pretty minimal with most of the rhythm provided by G's heavy ride and sparsely placed but super funky guitar. The rest of the rhythm comes from the two MCs natural cadence. This is a great track to test out Colorado's newly passed Amendment 64, as it hits you right in the chops without requiring too much attention. A great songs to chill out to.
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