Rap Gems Uncut

  A little over a week after Kipp Stone dropped his "Faygo Baby" EP, we get a new interview and song from him called "Retrograde Rap." Released on the Kinda Neat podcast, the song features Stone in his element, effortlessly rapping over a classic boom-bap song that sounds like Madlib made for Freddie Gibbs. This may be one of my favorite songs Stone has ever released. He just plays with so many delivery styles and topics that every play through offers something different. His signature style of dreary lyricism is on full display too as Stone talks about existentially dying for some change and how he's dealing with inner demons.  A while back, Stone said he was considering making his album "HOMME" his last album but it sounds like he's picking up momentum. In fact, during the podcast Stone talks about the next three albums he's plotting - which is a win for Cleveland rap and hip-hop nerds alike. What I can't believe is that he just got a han...

  This is a trip. Recently, I've found myself digging through the virtual crates of Datpiff to listen to the Gangsta Grillz series (more on that in a different column) when I found something I was not expecting. Behold, the grail of all grails, the mixtape that puts Mixtape Weezy to shame, the project that will make you cry and want to fight someone all at the same time. I present to you my second mixtape, the last one I released in high school - Vintage. Created by Don Jasper, this 12 track offering features songs from artists I never properly credited and songs I recorded at my friends house in Akron with nothing but a booth made of plywood and a dream. Featuring white dudes I don't talk to anymore who sung slightly off key to songs that shouldn't have been hard to sing in key with and verses from me, who wrote this project after being broken up with by a girl who left me for my best friend. (I wish I was kidding about that last part. A brotherhood was ruined that day but...

With the recent news that people who are fully vaccinated can basically live life like 2020 never happened, Cleveland needs a hustler's anthem/party bop. Luckily, we didn't need to look long or hard for someone to step and give us one. Chelsea Pastel recently released her single "Stop Asking," and honestly it's the song we need right now. What I like about Pastel is her ear for beats, they sound like The Neptunes had a love child with DJ Paul. Lyrically, Pastel's approach is nuanced - she raps about getting money and being a boss but through a realistic lense.  In "Stop Asking," she talks about counting dollar bills and then sanitizing her hands after, in other songs she talks about how she's been low like a worm in dirt (shovel it, shovel it). Its things like this that show Pastel can take larger than life raps you'd expect from an artist and put a fresh perspective on it.  Right now, she only has a few singles out. Here most recent project ...

  I think that, next to the Browns, Kipp Stone is the most exciting thing coming out of Cleveland right now. He released my favorite project from a Cleveland artist last year, Ebro Darden is playing him and he's rapping over beats by hip-hop legend Statik Selektah.  Stone's momentum is undeniable and it's evident in his latest EP "Faygo Baby," a seven track offering released by the Cleveland artist on May 11. Featuring production by Stone, 6th Sense and Statik Selektah, Stone gives us more of what made his last album so special: a blend of dark conscious rap, sharp rhymes and crisp delivery that make you pause the song and say "Dude." I seriously had a J. Cole fan moments with my partner trying to explain the double meanings to his words. Surprisingly unlike everyone else on Twitter who hates snobby J. Cole fans, she didn't leave me for being annoying. What I really like about this project is that it peels back another layer of the Kipp Stone mystiqu...

  Photo courtesy Shoutout HTX I think no one in their right mind can argue that last summer was a bust. I personally suffered one of the worst cases of burnout I've ever had and damn near got nothing done. Given the the crapshoot summer (and year), I've been eager to find new artists to listen to while I'm out enjoying the summer and Dende is the perfect first step to enjoying what I lost last year. Hailing from Houston, Dende recently released "A Happy Man," a ten track offering filled with soul, lyricism and self reflection. Sonically, the artist blends west coast sounds with chopped-and-screwed inspired beats, creating a warm, vibrant soundtrack for the summer. It'd almost be criminal not to play this if you're trying to hangout with friends or relax by the pool. While the sounds are warm and vibrant, Dende's got the lyrical talent to match his production. Love, self worth and community are some of the topics he covers in his verses. His delivery, w...