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Being Established vs. Being “Hot” – Real Talk on 2012 for DC Hip-Hop
By Marcus K. Dowling
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There’s probably nothing worse than being a veteran rapper in a city finally seeing the mainstream’s spotlight. When a tree falls in an empty forest, it doesn’t make a sound. When a tree falls in a forest filled with people, everyone screams. This issue is at the crux of an issue plaguing the movement towards recognition for a significant portion of DMV emcees at the present time.
Imagine for a moment that you’re Gods’Illa. The trio of DC brothers are impressive lyricists, stalwarts of the local scene. Holding things down both before and after the rise, fall and glass-ceiling shattering performance by Wale, when WKYS’ inaugural “Hottest Rapper” list was unveiled, the dominant group’s name was nowhere to be found. Fast forward to 2011. Gods’Illa’s major release for the year was the CPR The Blend mixtape, hosted by DJ Low Down Loretta Brown, aka Erykah Badu. A canny move that stayed well within their indie/neo-soul/backpacker market while aligning them with a name that resonates with mainstream ears, they made the 2011 list, though only at number five. The group has received a WAMMY nomination for their successful year, but as far as really hitting the next level and garnering significantly more respect, it has to be considered a disappointment. Continue Reading…Shelly Bell – Memory Lane (Teen Pregnancy)
Some spoken word for your brains…
Scouting Report – A Kid Named Breezy
by Marcus K. Dowling—–Life is busy, and rap music is more plentiful than ever. Marcus Dowling listens to local rappers, and makes it easier for you to find a favorite new artist.
SOUNDS LIKE
My description: Mike Posner hanging out in the Pentagon City Mall food court, in the best way possible.
Five songs that Breezy uses to define himself: Fresh Prince “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble,” A Tribe Called Quest “Can I Kick It,” The Pharcyde “She Said,” A Tribe Called Quest “Scenario”
INTRODUCTION
Easily the biggest outlier in all of DMV hip-hop, Alexandria-born and currently McLean, VA resident, A Kid Named Breezy is a future national star worthy of our local time and appreciation. The concept of “DMV hip-hop” is a complete misnomer. (Northern) Virginia’s third of the equation? Largely a non-fertile locale to most insiders, rather than a boom-bap haven, it’s a collection of stations along Metro’s Orange, Blue and Yellow lines. The Board Administration’s Black Cobain is an Alexandria native, though nothing about the emcee’s subject matter could identify him as uniquely linked to the area. Continue Reading…DC Hip-Hop Indie/Underground 2012 Preview
by Marcus K. Dowling
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Though all signs would show that DC area hip hop is prepared for unprecedented mainstream exposure, the heart of DC’s rap history is undoubtedly based in the underground and independent realm. Obstinate local residents have an inherent chip-on-the-shoulder mentality, largely related to the words “taxation without representation.” This manifests itself in the hip hop world with an overcrowded scene of extraordinarily lyrically gifted performers, all yearning for an instant of mainstream recognition that they’ll turn into a career-defining moment. When contemplating 2012 for the local area, Washington’s underground remains as talented as ever. But just as DC’s population has radically changed, the rules for success have as well.Top local Tabi Bonney and Oddisee now have far more of a tangential relationship to the area’s underground scene, .Bonney now comfortably resides on Capitol Hill, connections with Ski Beats and Damon Dash proving beneficial. Oddisee? The DC native is now a resident of planet Brooklyn, his style and grind better suited to the highest levels of the independent realm. Though well respected, neither emcee bears any level of direct and impacting relevance to the city’s current situation. Continue Reading…
On Branding, Fat Trel & The Board Administration: DC Hip-Hop’s Pop 2012 Outlook
Please welcome Marcus K. Dowling to the DCMumboSauce team! He will be doing editorials and reviews. Here’s his first contribution to us….
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DC’s hopes for infiltrating the mainstream underground in 2012 ultimately start with Wale. No, I’m not stating that the top-of-the-charts Billboard star from the DMV is going to experience a precipitous fall from grace. Rather, it’s in the decision that his label, The Board Administration, made in not coming to terms with two once-affiliated artists, Fat Trel and the Slutty Boyz, that makes all the difference.Hip-hop crews and artist-related labels are ultimately reflective of facets of the actual personality or media-fed persona of their leadership. As far as present examples, Drake’s OVOXO crew are all indie-pop minded and low-key hopeless romantics, an extension of Drake’s branding. Even Wale on Maybach is the fresh kick wearing, ho stuntin’ everyman in Ross, his days as a hustling prison guard clearly not far from his mind. Wale’s Board? When comprised at varying times of Fat Trel, Black Cobain, Mz. Sasha, Tiara Thomas, the Slutty Boyz and Fatz da Big Fella, two of these parts definitely created an disjointed whole presentation. -
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