A lot of releases caught my ear this year, including projects from Kokayi, lowercase letters, DTMD, Jon Laine, and others. At the same time, the always-endless stream of mixtapes made it damn near impossible to catch everything.
For the second year in a row, I voted in WKYS's list of the hottest local rappers. (So far, Nos. 3-10 have [...]
I'm a little surprised by yU's new song, "Disturbed," released today through the Mello Music Group label. Not that the Suitland MC isn't capable of recording a Halloween-themed song; but he's always been the most straightforward member of the Diamond District trio, opting for understated rhymes of humility and struggle.
On "Disturbed," yU finds a way [...]
The Fader (mostly) took Andrew Noz from us, but that's OK, because the music mag is obviously trying to make up for it by showing love to X.O., one of our favorite D.C. rappers. He and several other locals did a show in May that was sponsored by the magazine and a soft drink brand; [...]
For Oddisee, Rock Creek Park is significant for a few reasons. On a personal level, the MC and producer says, it represents the road less traveled, an alternate route removed from the hustle of city life. The Upper Marlboro native rode his bike there as a kid.
Musically, the park represents another notch in his creative [...]
It's lunch time at Suitland High School and someone's pounding a makeshift beat on the wooden cafeteria tables. Truth Hall and I have just finished our semi-regular routine: debating about some off-brand hip-hop album, then finding a place to rap within the vast Prince George's County school.
I'm on my usual bullshit—rhyming about nothing in particular [...]
It wasn't on purpose, but three of the DMV's top MCs have dropped new material within days of each other. For X.O. and tabi Bonney, their new songs are teasers of upcoming projects. In Wale's case, his new track with local go-go band TCB was recorded just for recreation.
X.O., one-third of the vaunted Diamond District [...]
Just a few years ago, it seemed Oddisee was destined to be the DMV's "boom bap" hip-hop producer, given his dedication to pounding drums and obscure soul loops. Just a cursory listen to his Mental Liberation compilation or the Diamond District's stellar In The Ruff album could confirm such notions.
Over the past year, however, the Upper Marlboro [...]
As I type this post, I'm on my sixth straight playback of "Too Hip-Hop," Pro'Verb's autobiographical new single featuring yU of the Diamond District.
Maybe it's the beat—a meditative head-nodder of chopped piano samples and dynamic drums, held together by the persistent hum of gentle strings. You can thank Soulful! for that.
Or maybe it's the confident yet [...]
While you were drinking egg nog and fighting with your family, WKYS spent the last few days of the year slowly announcing its "DMV's Hottest Rappers of 2010" list. Despite what seemingly everyone who sees it seems to think, it is a pretty solid top 10. Check the breakdown:
1. Wale 2. Phil Ade 3. [...]
As 2010 comes to a close, members and observers of the D.C. hip-hop scene are debating who's the hottest MC, and whether or not we have a great one. The year also saw a seemingly endless stream of mixtapes—from D.C. Don Juan and UCB, to Kingpen Slim and Raheem DeVaughn. In 2011, listeners should expect [...]
