by Myra Johnson
One Be Lo is most commonly known for being half of rap group, Binary Star. From Pontiac, Michigan, he’s been making lowkey tracks that have stayed under the radar. He calls himself “the MC’s MC” and it’s easy to see why. If you liked the above track, check out Axis from the same album and more of his music here.
The Uncomfortable Truth – Nneka
It is not every day that I find myself thanking Sean Paul, but in ‘04, Nneka was able to open for him in Hamburg, Germany, and get the exposure she needed in order to blow up. Nneka is a Nigerian-German artist who sings/raps in both English and Igbo (the language spoken in Nigeria). I know that Global week was last week, but I couldn’t help throwing her in. This track sticks to English, but more of her amazing stuff can be found aqui.
Blink – Boog Brown and Apollo Brown
From Grand Rapids, Michigan, this duo straight kills. Boog weaves her rap poetry into Apollo’s production to create complex tracks. This isn’t the kind of music you have on in the background while you write a paper; this is the kind of music you listen to. To do anything else would be a crime. Boog is ready to show the world that female MC’s are here to stay and are nothing to be sneezed at. With the help of Apollo’s beats, this group is unstoppable. Check out more of their kaleidoscopic tracks here.
Out of North Carolina, Kooley High has been dropping sweet hip hop tracks. They’re mildly produced- enough to not solely be acoustic but not even close to overdone. Their female vocalist/ rapper, Rapsody, really brings these tracks together with a different sound and amazing vocals (but more on her next week). Check out more of their tracks here and the rest of the aforementioned album (Eastern Standard Time) here.
For some reason, the state of Minnesota has been producing a huge amount of great hip hop artists. Atmosphere is probably one of the most known of these Minnesotan prodigal bands. The group has gone through a range of members but is still producing and touring and keeping the name alive. Whether it be Slug, Spawn, Ant, Stress or Beyond (former and current members’ names), Atmosphere will remain timeless and evolutionary simultaneously. Check out more of their tracks here (I highly recommend “Puppets,” “Woman With Tattooed Hands” and “Pour Me Another”).
Thieves in the Night – Black Star
Off the album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, this duo is pretty self explanatory. Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) and Talib Kweli, created Black Star in 1997. This duo reacted to social issues and addressed the importance of social consciousness. Calm, chill and important tracks from this crew. Listen here.
If you haven’t rocked to this Wayland-grown duo yet, get hip. Carter and Reeves produce chill hip hop, with some reggae pops. Their reputation has been growing exponentially in the past few years. From their first mixtape, Water On The Moon, they’ve been growing but are still having a good time doing what they’re doing. With David von Mering on guitar and rocking the hooks and Carter Schultz on main vocals, this duo is unstoppable and I have no doubt they will keep being hooligans as long as they can. Check out their tracks here or here. Also, their first mixtapes can be downloaded here.
Miss them the first time around? All songs can be found here.
