We last heard from Violet Says 5 frontman Ethan Spalding on last year's Beef and Broccoli, his collaborative album with Silver Spring MC/producer Awthentik. Broccoli crossed Southern crunk with East Coast boom-bap—and showed both in their best lights.
Now Spalding—under the name Violet Rocker—goes at it alone on the second installment of his Champagne, Weed and Bubble [...]
OneWay Nooch's Rookie Season
OneWay Nooch isn't the only rapper in his family—his dad is OneWay Boobe of the Oy Boyz crew. So the quality of the teenager's debut mixtape, Rookie Season isn't surprising, given that pops certainly knows how to break off some professional-sounding product. And the tape's overall shrewdness—from its RGIII-themed cover to its [...]
Kokayi’s Grind
Deanwood MC Kokayi is on a roll. On Monday, we learned that Ebony magazine named him, wife Seshat, daughter Phina, and son Dahvi one of the coolest black families in America. Then we learned that Kokayi secured a Sister Cities grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which will fund his [...]
For whatever reason, the DMV rap scene doesn't have much "V." By and large, the rappers getting the most pub here are from D.C. and its Maryland suburbs.
Perhaps that's the impetus for Black Cobain's new single, "Virginia Niggas," on which the Alexandria rapper salutes his home state and its natives. "We hustle different, Virginia niggas [...]
The Broccoli City Festival wasn't just about broccoli. Sure, the atmosphere was noticeably hippyish and the raw veggies were a nice touch, but it was also a local showcase of sorts. There were plenty of performances—at earsplitting volume—from the likes of Phil Adé, Kingpen Slim , and Black Alley, along with national acts like Detroit grunge rocker JMSN [...]
Logic Signs to Def Jam
Logic is having a great year. Last month, XXL magazine included the local MC as part of its "2013 Freshman class," prompting many hip-hop fans outside of the DMV to ask, “Who the &#@$ is Logic?” Now, there's a simple answer: He’s the latest addition to Def Jam. Earlier this week, [...]
Substantial Crushes on Jill Scott
If one thing holds true about Substantial, it’s that he’s always thinking of new ways to present himself to the masses. In years past, the Prince George’s County native was a battle rapper; his recent album, Home Is Where The Art Is, was an adult take on some real-life situations. As [...]
Killin' It With a Skillet
Fellas. Whatever menace you can muster pales in comparison to the darkness Harmony Muzik is projecting in this "Taerkey Bacon" video. She extracts more dread from a drippy bottle of red nail polish than all the post-adolescent males in hip-hop have collectively generated in 2013 via mean mugs, vacant-eyed stares, and [...]
Earlier this morning, Diamond District members yU and Uptown X.O. managed to bring even more anticipation to the group's forthcoming March on Washington album.
X.O., the trio's most outspoken member, posted a picture on Instagram of the offices of Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by Jay-Z. "This where that #intheruff #diamonddistrict album got us!!!! In [...]
Logic Puzzle
Early Wednesday morning, XXL magazine unveiled its "2013 Freshman" cover, shining the spotlight on a "new" class of MCs. As usual, it's become the year's most talked-about hip-hop magazine cover and a lightning rod of controversy. Some said including ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Joey Bada$$, Action Bronson, Trinidad James, and honorary rookie Chief Keef was [...]
