Recent posts: rap

As the clock continues to tick down on a strange but musically productive year, the producers who placed a lasting impression on critical projects in 2016 def deserve year-end props. Terrace Martin, one such artist/producer, garners such recognition, with undeniably dope contributions, releasing his 2017 “Best R&B Album” Grammy-nominated solo project ‘Velvet Portraits’ as well as producing for several artists like Rapsody, Schoolboy Q, YG, Herbie Hancock and Kamasi Washington to name a few. Already a two-time Grammy winner for his work on Kendrick Lamar’s brilliant ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’, it’s probably safe to assume 2017 will be just as hectic. Starting his career, working for Diddy in high school, set Terrace on his accolade-filled musical path.

Continuing to highlight the artists that left their mark as we wind down a very busy and strange 2016, Mello Music Group (MMG) artist Mr. Lif def comes to mind. A well respected Boston repping MC, his trademark flow and memorable collabos with other legendary statesmen within the indie hip-hop scene precede him. Dropping a dope pensive solo album ‘Don’t Look Down’ as well as ‘The Life and Death of Scenery’ project with MMG mate L’Orange, Mr. Lif’s toured internationally for a loyal fanbase worldwide during a fruitful, productive year.

As the clock runs down on 2016, we continue taking a look at the live artists who made an impression during this busy year. The ones that delivered memorable performances you couldn’t forget. One such artist making #CarlitasCut is Rhode Island’s own raucous rebel B. Dolan. Getting his start on spoken word and poetry scenes in the late 90’s, he later found a home and a fruitful, productive partner in crime in Sage Francis and Strange Famous Records. If you’ve been checking for him online, you’ll notice his sense of humor and his activist passion for causes like knowmore.org, a corporate crime database users can use to search on key corporations they support.

Now that’s 2016’s winding down, it’s naturally time to begin thinking about “Best Of” live acts of the year. With thousands of international and local fests and shows to pick from, the competition’s fierce. One of this year’s best live artists making #CarlitasCut is Phoenix’s Mega Ran. Seeing him perform live at Boise’s Treefort Fest earlier this year, he commanded the attention of the whole room as everyone crowded in the middle to watch him expertly freestyle about the oddest items taken from audience members’ pockets. Between appearing at Comic-Cons, consistently hitting the road with artists like MC Lars and Sadistik, Mega Ran’s also found the time to release multiple podcasts and projects including ‘Mat Mania: The Album’ which features a collabo with Murs.

With the snow-capped mountains and foothills in the distance, I made the short trip from Cali last weekend to attend the fifth edition of Boise’s Treefort Music Fest. On the quest for a new adventure and exploration of a new city, the atypical lineup intrigued and drew me in as I justified the three hour flight commute up north. I gambled that I’d enjoy it because the fests off the beaten path and under the mainstream radar tend to be the best and Treefort fell into this category. There’s no stadium, no humongous park or jumbotron to make the music fan feel like an ant in a sea of thousands. With food, ale and skateforts providing fun during the day, the artists playing intimate, live music at the cozy venues around the city thrilled each night.