Dec 16

I’m admittedly not that big a Kanye West fan.  I like the beats but his flow is really not that good most of the time.  But I downloaded the new album, 808s & Heartbreak, and I really like it.  It’s not really a typical rap record, or at least a typical Kanye record, in that it’s got a lot of singing (albeit of the autotune variety) and the sound is fairly experimental.  It makes me think of Kanye in his basement, just fooling around with GarageBand, seeing what sounds cool.

Anyway, the song “Coldest Winter” is just under 3 minutes of Kanye + autotune, and the lyrics are fairly simple, but the combination still packs a fair punch.

“Good bye my friend will I ever love again, Memories made in the coldest winter;” it’s not James Joyce, but there’s a raw earnestness to the way he sings it that makes it that much more powerful.  Now it’s gonna get stuck in your head:



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Aug 4

Reflect June is a Dallas-based indie/underground/unsigned rapper that has recently caught my attention with his album “Hunt Club.” The album is produced entirely by fellow Dallas resident, Semantic Noise, whose beats provide a perfect complement to Reflect June’s poetic and pensive lyrics. Along with being an awesome album as a whole, showcasing lyrical finesse and excellent production, “Hunt Club” has one of the coolest and most memorable album covers I’ve seen in a very long time.

"Hunt Club" album cover

"Hunt Club" album cover

Although Reflect June proudly represents his home of Dallas, Texas, as can be heard on his song “East Dallas” produced by Rob Viktum (not on “Hunt Club,” but featured on his myspace page), he has managed to do quite a bit of traveling in his lifetime. Having spent his childhood in Puerto Rico, and then spending some of his early twenties in Europe (primarily Spain, but visiting Sweden, Norway, and England as well), Reflect June has accumulated a set of experiences unlike those of other rappers’, giving him his own original style and sound.

His lyrics on “Hunt Club” are poetic and thoughtful, dark and dense, but at the same time very accessible, giving him an edge in the rap world. The entire album can be downloaded for free, so definitely give it a listen if you like what you hear. You can also buy the album from his myspace page, which features all of the instrumentals, as well as a remix by Rob Viktum.

Reflect June - Hunt Club

Reflect June - Rapidly Failing

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Jul 25

“I thought I was the illest.” Those are Biggie’s words referring to R.A. the Rugged Man, who is perhaps the underground’s best kept secret, the rap industry’s worst nightmare, the greatest rapper in history, or all of the above. Biggie and the Rugged Man did a song together circa ‘93, which lead to that comment. If you’re not familiar with the Rugged Man, he’s a legend in that he’s been around forever, and has quite the reputation.

He was signed to Jive Records when he was 18, but due to his personality and his actions (some say along the lines of violence, some along the lines of sexual harrassment) he was dropped and barred from getting signed again for quite some time. He has been offered dozens of record deals, and has collaborated with some of the greatest mainstream, as well as underground hip hop artists.

If you’re a Jedi Mind Tricks fan, he’s featured on “Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story,” in which he tells the story of his father, a Vietnam veteran exposed to agent orange, which lead to R.A.’s brother and sister being handicapped, with his brother eventually dying at the age of ten. He mentions these parts of his life some of his other songs as well, such as in “Lessons,” where he states, “I seen my little brother Maxx fall asleep, and he ain’t never wake up,” and later mentions his bouts with mental illness in the same song.

His content covers everything from being a white rapper, to being broke and homeless, to discussing how so many others made millions off of his style. His flow is brilliant, and one of a kind, and his voice is unlike anyone else’s. He’s really worth listening to if you’re a fan of hip hop. Mainstream or underground. It doesn’t matter.

R.A. The Rugged Man- On The Block

R.A. The Rugged Man- Lessons

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