In what’s become an annual tradition for us, we ask a few members of Team Backbeat to reflect on an album they’re thankful for in honor of Thanksgiving. The day to day drudge of the drowsy school year is almost unbearable, especially in high school, where the most important skills…
When you talk to hardcore hip-hop heads, it almost always comes down to one thing: lyrics, lyrics, lyrics. And while lyrics are obviously the keystone of rapping, the hook is essential as a respite from often dense, less accessible lyrics. Great hooks are among the most underrated aspects of making…
On Welcome to the Future, Prime Element is a finely tuned old-school hip-hop machine, equal parts lyricism, musicality and swaggering flair. As the only MC, A.V.I.U.S. may be the assumed face of the group, but Prime Element believes that each member speaks through his medium, and Welcome to the Future…
We’re back with another batch of fresh local hip-hop. This week, Logistixx, of the fusion group Drop Switch, has dropped a video for his single, “Dreams,” off of his New Paradigm LP, Myrical and labelmate Jasmine Love team up for a real easy listen called “Motivated” from his album of…
FRI | DELTRON 3030 at 1STBANK CENTER | 11/15/13 Deltron 3030 isn’t so much a group or an album as it is a mode of thought, and there are few hip-hop albums (or albums of any genre, for that matter) with the cinematic quality of this group’s self-titled debut. Dan the…
Prime Element began as 3 the Hardway, three hip-hop heads — an MC, a producer and a DJ — devoted to celebrating a culture they love through positivity, hard work and great music. Their name has obviously since changed, as has their label affiliation since Set in Stone, their last…
No matter what you do in life,” declares Brandon Bordeaux, better known musically as H*Wood, “you’re going to trip, you’re going to fall, you’re going to make errors. But in the grand scheme of things, the grand scheme of the goals, the errors are the lessons.” Bordeaux speaks from experience…
What is trap music? According to T.I., on the title track of his genre-defining Trap Muzik, it ain’t no album and it ain’t no game. Indeed, the origins of trap go beyond music — beyond even the Atlanta corners where drugs are dealt and rubber bands are filled — into…
Andrew Young loves the Denver Broncos. A lot. No, seriously, he’s a fanatic. Literally. Broncos football is what this guy lives for. He says it saved his life and gave him purpose. After being hospitalized for marijuana-induced psychosis, his life lost much of its color, but orange and blue never…
Although lot of rap these days is riddled with violence, misogyny and profanity, there are still plenty of clean rhymes out there to be rocked by the entire family, should you be so inclined. And it all comes worry-free with regard to any ill effects it might have on impressionable…
In the past few years, it has become fashionable for non-rap artists to cover rap songs, and it’s often with an overwhelming irony. Most of the time, though, the best covers are ones that take the tune seriously enough to create something that expands on the original in a creative…
TUES | FLATBUSH ZOMBIES at CERVANTES’ OTHER SIDE | 10/22/13 As if torn out of the pages of a graphic novel, Flatbush Zombies are intense and ultra-stylized to an extent that is at once cartoonish and darkly gritty. Sometimes, in the case of very exciting music such as theirs, substance…
Rap is not the homogeneous radio-whoring genre that people make it out to be…most of the time. But the rest of the time, you have to admit that rap can be just as formulaic and predictable as its detractors claim. If you’re looking to find a new appreciation for one…
DANNY BROWN & ACTION BRONSON at OGDEN THEATRE | 9/17/13 Danny Brown walked out in his $4,000+ outfit (or so I was told by a fashionable concertgoer) looking ratty as ever. It’s amazing how, when combined with Brown’s unkempt hair, missing front teeth and general aura of decay, even the…
There’s nothing like a music video to bring out the character in a song. Unfortunately, these days, music videos tend to be mostly the same, especially rap videos. Needless to say, it’s refreshing when a clip comes along that is different and creative enough to grab and hold your attention…
The Gem in I is a short concept project from Mane Rok, InkLine and Ichiban, dedicated to the zodiac sign under which they were all born. Whether or not you buy into astrology, the shared chemistry is clear from the beginning track, “Young Guns,” on which all three put forth…
How do you classify Potcheen’s Take No Prisoners? One minute it’s Irish punk, the next it’s ska, then bluegrass and so on. It’s an experience and an adventure into various musical styles — some executed better than others, but all executed well enough. Certainly the most distinguishing feature of Potcheen’s…
KID CUDI & TYLER, THE CREATOR @ RED ROCKS | MON, 9/16/13 Kid Cudi headlines this all-star lineup fresh off the release of his most recent, polarizing release, Indicud. Though his decision to self-produce has rubbed some the wrong way, he remains one of the premier hookmen in the rap…
In music, the term “remix” can mean a lot of different things, even in rap. But one of the most celebrated traditions in the rap industry is collecting verses from the hottest names in the game for a second go-around on a tried-and-true instrumental. On the one hand, you can…
PIKE, a local rapper, and Mumblebee, a Bay Area producer, describe their new five-track project as “an acid trip on a space shuttle.” Future Sounds may not be that awe-inspiring, but the two musicians have definitely found a winning combination in each other. Mumblebee’s rich beatmaking, textured with a wide…
Supposedly, albums are where it’s at. That’s when the artist is supposed to bring their A-game, convert the doubters, all that good stuff. So why is it that a lot of the time it’s the mixtapes that are the most enjoyable? Maybe it’s because so many mixtapes are when artists…
G-Eazy is an up and coming rapper born in Oakland but based in New Orleans. The MC, who stands out thanks to his Dapper Dan appearance, gravely voice and self-made production, broke out somewhat thanks to his Endless Summer mixtape, which featured a remix of Dion’s “Runaround Sue.” His independently…
