"Float" - Loupo x Dope Dee

Enjoy :) Cover Art - Yukari Ochi -> @ocoyuwtvr

Loupo has been a spooky talent for many years now, but one trait that really sets him apart is his eagerness to work with other producers and musicians. He's constantly collaborating so he's constantly learning, and that is why his growth curve is still shooting for the sky in 2018. We're not even close to Peak Loupo yet. 

For today's number, he's reached across the continent to join forces with Dope Dee, a Bay Area beatsmith with a lush and inventive sound ... so, a perfect match, really. Another thing these two have in common is Cold Busted Records, a Los Angeles label devoted to instrumental hip hop. 

Almost 20 years after Napster, of course, anyone with a Facebook page thinks they have a record label, so let's be clear: Cold Busted makes actual physical records on cassette, CD and vinyl, and even stocks those products at Fat Beats. They're a discerning operation with real skin in the game.

Among those items at Fat Beats is a ten inch vinyl version of Loupo's 2016 collaboration with BTV superproducer Es-K, "Symbiosis." It's a short set packed with ideas and highly recommended. Es-K, of course, is a big fan of collaboration himself. He was also a fixture on Cold Busted for years, releasing several LPs and curating the monthly instrumental series IWYMI -- "It's What You Make It." That ran for nine volumes and showcased production talent from all around the world. 

Everyone involved benefits from work like that. Using your platform to spotlight other artists is good for your career and good for the culture. Years ago, Roots drummer and international DJ of mystery ?uestlove gave a legendary interview where the broke down some career advice: 

"A lot of people accuse of us over-thinking. And that’s OK. But we looked at every successful artist. We pored over charts in industry magazines going back decades, looking for commonality. And what we found was that anyone who was successful was not isolated. Besides a couple of one-hit wonders in the “60s, every big act was part of a larger movement."

In 2018, you have a lot more options than The Roots did in the early 90's. Your movement, your network, your co-conspirators may turn out to be far afield from the Green Mountains. Sure, the 802 is popping right now, but only in comparison to how quiet it used to be. This is still rocky soil. 

Also, this track absolutely bangs. More on Loupo soon. Remember to check out Joell Ortiz this evening in BTV. 

Justin Boland
VIDEO: "Single Life" - Bitzzzzz

Bronx transplant Bitzzzzz made a big impression here with her work on the LaSmoov track "You Think You Can Rap?" and she's been hard at work in the booth lately. Her natural flow has been winning fans from BX to BTV, so it's only right she's been given the opportunity to open for Joell Ortiz at Social Club & Lounge on Saturday night

It's going to be one hell of a Saturday night, too. Ortiz is of course a living legend, and he'll be bringing along some top-notch East Coast spitters like Judah Priest and RAW. Comedian/superhuman King Sha-mecca Blaze will be hosting the evening, and Self Portrait emcee Trono will also be opening up. 

Tickets still available at your friendly neighborhood FlynnTix.Org -- show is $27 / 21+

Justin Boland
ROUNDUP: Green Mountain Updates, February 2018
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First and foremost, of course: huge show going down in Winooski tonight. The 3rd Thursdays Takeover will be insanity. Be there. 

In related news, the lineup for tonight's single-song competition to open for The Perceptionists on Feb. 23 is as follows: Self Portrait, Boomslang, Jibba The Gent, Colby Stiltz, Eyedos, Teece Luv, Drive, and Soul Journer -- a new name, at least to me. Good luck, everyone. 

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New local talent Princess Nostalgia made a big impression at her Monkey House debut last month -- and just yesterday, she was featured in Seven Days. Looking forward to new material from this consistently surprising artist.

Jibba The Gent has teamed up BTV producer Flip Physics for "Kumbaya," a genuinely catchy country-rap single that will be featured on the upcoming mixtape Underground Hustlin' 64, hosted by G-Mo Skee. You can stream it now on Musicoin -- a new music platform / cryptocurrency startup. The future is here.

The eternally-hustling Colby Stiltz has announced another indie networking festival: MARCH RADDNESS will take place March 16th at Club Metronome. This will be packed with artists and vendors once again, with Spocka Summa (RI) and Ill By Instinct (ME) scheduled to headline. 

To celebrate tonight's Takeover, HLR artist Modest has dropped a new track, featuring Ciurleo, Swaga, and Drive, who was interviewed here yesterday.

We've also got a fresh new track from Windsor emcee XP, who has teamed up with Lethal Melodies and Breadtruck Productions. Which, by the way...holy shit. I haven't seen that name in many years, and I remember them from the Soundclick days. Not Soundcloud, kids: Soundclick. Anyways, as ever, XP sounds hungry as hell. He is back in the booth and promises a blitzkrieg of new material this year. Dude is coming for heads.

Breadtruck Productions

Finally, coming up this weekend is the Joell Ortiz Valentines Bash at Social Club and Lounge.

More on that tomorrow, though...

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Justin Boland
Drive talks LPs, EPs, and 3rd Thursdays

Talking shop with the young Hustle, Loyalty and Respect artist Drive...

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VTHH: When did you first realize you were doomed to be a rapper? 

Drive: I would say the moment I realized that rapping would consume all of my free time was shortly after I dropped a Ten Toes Down Challenge in December of 2016. It was simply just a torrent of emotion that was scrawled across a few sheets of crinkled paper that was directed towards parents who aren't in their kids lives that was based on a combination of mine, as well as some of my friends, upbringings.

I recorded the video on an iPhone in the back of a friends car and uploaded it to Facebook. Within an hour, the video had over 1000 views with an overwhelmingly positive reaction. There were comments upon comments saying that I was talented and to keep it up, but mixed in were the comments that really mattered. The people that said that they could relate, the people who told me I said the things that they were scared to, and those who were inspired. When I read those comments for the first time, that was the moment I knew that, for the rest of my life, all my free time would be put into rapping.

VTHH: Was there a hip hop scene growing up in Lamoille County? Did cats like MCB-Free or Jihad from VT Union register for local kids into rap?

Drive: Overall, growing up in Lamoille County, the hip hop scene was nearly non-existent. The same did not apply for the Hip Hop scene in my family. My mom grew up listening to Dr. Dre, Tupac, Snoop, etc. and my dad was also a fan, so oftentimes I would hear some lyrics I probably should not have been hearing at a young age. I think one of the biggest factors in my infatuation with hip hop music was a family friend named Matthew Richardson, who is an absolute hip hop fiend. We would visit his house often for gatherings and parties, the thing about these parties was Matt was a good friends of the late Andy Williams AKA DJ A-Dog who would play at these parties. Not to mention my uncle Joe is also Question The MC and has influenced me heavily. I was definitely around a hip hop scene but it was not Lamoille County's. Pretty much everything outside of Lamoille County and school was what rooted me to hip hop. From elementary school all the way through high school, I met maybe two or three other people who truly listened to rap. Overall there was and is no hip hop scene in Lamoille county, yet countless artists have emerged such as IZA and Khaosity.

So not only are you rocking a set this Thursday, you're dropping an entire new album, right?

Drive: Words cannot explain how happy I am to be able to get on a stage, drop a project that has been just as frustrating as it has been rewarding, and go on 99.1 with Melo Grant all in one day. To put it simply, D.U.I encapsulates the inner struggle of a young musician who can't decide on a future, as well as a heavy focus on decisions, with other minor themes popping in and out throughout the project. This is not your typical rap, D.U.I is a story all the way through, told primarily through lyrics as well as some small interludes to connect it all.

Since day one I was determined to make a concept album, little did I know how frustrating that would be. After a lot of experimenting, indecision (ironic), and time, D.U.I is ready for release with a variety of styles. The album is 14 tracks long, 13 for the story along with 1 “bonus track” with a firestorm of a feature from my HLR label mate Modest. Speaking of HLR, did I mention that we are taking over 3rd Thursdays this month? I highly suggest being at this show if you want to see HLR do our thing, as well as see some other insanely talented artists such as Street Religion, Boomslang, Bar None The Best, Self Portrait, and more. This is only setting the tone for 2018, expect a lot of noise from Drive, HLR, and all of Vermont hip hop.

Random Project I threw together, Produced primarily by Ryder Jam.

VTHH: How did the 12:30 EP come together? The Ryder Jam style really suits your flow -- was that a happy accident or a calculated move?

Drive: This is where it starts to get kind of weird. Ryder Thornton AKA Ryder Jam was my best friend from kindergarten until 2nd grade. I lived in Shelburne and my family moved to Cambridge which began to deteriorate our friendship until we eventually didn't hang out anymore. Fast forward 12 years, I don't remember exactly how it happened but we somehow found each other on SoundCloud and talked/reconnected a little bit as well as decided to collab at some point. Note that other than a few random encounters we had not talked since our childhood so finding out that he was a producer/artist himself was a huge shock. Fast forward one more time to Christmas time 2017, I was out of work for a couple of weeks because carpentry and winter do not mix well. I decided I wanted to make some music because I was bored and had been only working on the technical aspects of my album for a month. The thought came in my head to check out some of Ryder's instrumentals, pick some out, and send him a message. I got the beats and did what I normally do, vent my frustrations, woes, and joys. The rest is history. Ryder also mastered the tracks as well as produced them, he is very easy to work with, clearly talented, and has very good rates (Wink Wink). Another fun fact, in elementary school around fourth or fifth grade I was super good friends with Immanuel Gebhardt who has become another insanely talented producer known as IMAN.

VTHH: What is the rest of 2018 looking like for you -- do you have any definite projects on the horizon yet?

Drive: The only definite project that I have is a collab mixtape with Modest that should be dropping around fall. I have other projects in the works with other members of the HLR team, but nothing set in stone. Overall my plan for 2018 is to make as much music as I can, hit as many stages as I can, and network with as many people as possible to continue to grow VT Hip Hop.

VTHH: Who would you like to work with in the future?

Drive: Honestly, anyone who is driven, passionate about their work, and wants to make some good music. If you are reading this and that pertains to you, please hit me up. I'm just looking to grow with other artists, the way up is together. As for actual names I would love to work with, too many people to name, but a few of them are Jarv, Question The MC, Humble, Mister Burns, and it would be dope to get some instrumentals from IMAN.

Justin Boland
Notes on the New Website

We shut the old site down yesterday. It was the right thing to do.

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Until the past two years, VTHH was ... intermittent, at best. Rotating authors and long periods of silence defined the early days. The chart above could be read as proof that lots of content brings lots of traffic, but I don't agree. There has been lots of content lately because there has been lots to cover lately. 

The real reason for that chart is this: we've got multiple scenes going in Vermont right now, each of them powered by a core of artists who are serious about making this into a career. 2018 will be, as the kids say, a wave. Before 2017, VTHH was basically a bulletin board for local artists.

The biggest thing I saw change in 2017 was the fact I started talking to fans -- actual local fans! -- and I don't mean fans of this website, I mean fans of the artists we cover here. They want news about shows and albums. They buy tickets and they buy merch. This is all very, very good. 

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Back when "The Internet" still actually existed, artists and labels used to have to worry about Search Engine Optimization: the art and science of showing up at the top of Google results. Yeah, those were the days. Zuckerborg is "The Internet" now, and the fact is, most of our traffic in the past year was driven by Facebook fans of Jarv, Lynguistic Civilians, S.I.N.siZZle, Jibba "The Gent," and Colby Stiltz

Yet that list only scratches the surface of what the 802 has bubbling these days. It is significant that two of those artists are not from Burlington. Even as the BTV scene is undergoing a Cambrian Explosion, crews outside of the Queen City are poised to make big noise this year: Bar None The Best and Street Religion, especially.

And beneath that? A metric shit-ton of new talent, plus old heads coming back with a vengeance. We're also in a world where any random single can make any random kid famous in 48 hours. This will be a wild, fast, unpredictable year. As ever, the coverage here will be imperfect and incomplete. 

So no matter what you're working on, keep pushing. Hone your sound, find your fans, invest real time and money. Karma may be a hippie myth, but there is a lot of room for growth right now and your hard work will pay off.

Justin Boland
2/15: 3rd Thursdays @ The Monkey House
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Improbably, February has been a busy month for shows. One of the biggest is coming up on Thursday, as Hustle, Loyalty and Respect parters with Sec2None for a special "TAKEOVER" edition of the 3rd Thursdays series.

Mike Fulton will be hosting the evening, which is always a good decision.

Street Religion and Bar None the Best will both be delivering sets, which is a huge conglomeration of non-BTV tap talent going down within rock-throwing distance of UVM campus. Self Portrait will hold it down for the Queen City while Boomslang brings the party from Montpelier. Members of the Hustle, Loyalty and Respect roster will also be in the building: Modest, Drive and BioZone

In addition, there's going to be a crowd-favorite contest to open up for The Perceptionists, who will be at The Monkey House quite shortly -- Friday, February 23rd, in fact. Ten artists get a single song to make it happen. Be there to scream about it. 9 pm. 18+ $8 / 21+ $3

Justin Boland
ROUNDUP: Locally Grown Singles, January 2018
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Some quality produce on deck today...

First up, we've got two strong spitters combining forces for a single: "Crash Landed" is a collab feauturing Windsor emcee XP and Lebanon, NH animal Raw Deff, who dropped a blistering album with Yung Breeze and Judge da Beast late last year, "Hitmen for Hire." As always, shots fired and no fucks given.

 

Produced by: Es-K Artwork by : Es-K Mixed/Mastered : Es-K Vocals/Lyrics: Chel Strong

Chel Strong and Es-K are continuing their weekly single series with "Two Sides of a Coin," an impressive story-telling cut over some gorgeous production work. Es-K beats are always very musical & melodic compared to prevailing trends, but when he's in the lab with Chel Strong, it seems to bring out a whole other level. This track is no exception -- best with good headphones at high volume.

 

Written/Produced/Mastered by Wes The Best Listen on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_4SbRiq4Dk

Wes the Best is a fairly new artist, affiliated with the StiltzGang crew. His intricate rhyme schemes and 90's East Coast vibe are a big departure from the Stiltz aesthetic, but his outspoken love of marijuana is not. "4 Life" is a low-key introduction to a high-density lyricist who has a lot more material on the way.

 

Straight Verses on this joint! Humble, Question, Rajnii and myself in that order. I played a bunch of guitar on this one and we wrote and recorded it in one night, except me, my verse was a last minute surprise.

SkySplitterInk dropped a new cut this Wednesday featuring Humble, Question and Rajnii flexing introspective over a dense, shifting and catchy beat. The musician / producer / engineer / emcee / singer / father figure is going to be clearing out more singles off his hard drive as we march into spring, so stay tuned.

 

I made this song because I needed an alarm clock. May it be your alarm clock too if it so pleases you.

Finally, an instrumental from the Milkhaus crew. "Alarm Clock" was composed by LoKi to be his actual morning wakeup -- a slowly unfolding mix of soothing synths and live percussion elements. Dig it.

Justin Boland
ROUNDUP: Hip Hop Shows in February
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Feb. 1st - Mister Burns and Jarv @ Switchback Taproom An early set at a great spot downtown. A treat for BTV locals; these guys still improve every time they get onstage. 6 pm. Free. 21+.

Feb. 2nd - Building Blocks 2 @ Swan Dojo The first time around was a big success, getting all four elements under one roof for a proper party. The second installment will be even bigger. There will be breakdance battles, there will be an invitational open mic, Headphonious Monk and DJ Kanganade on the tables, and -- believe it -- far more. All Ages. 5 pm - 10 pm. $10 / $5 with food or clothing donations.

Feb. 3rd - Dilla Day @ Sidebar. This should be an exceptional evening for your earholes. Beat sets from Crusty Cuts, Loupo and Old Gold, and Possibly Human doing a special Dilla set. All killer, no filler. 21+. Free Show.

Also Feb. 3rd - Mister Burns & Jarv at Notte Neapolitan Pizza Bar. The state's reigning tag team champions take their show to Middlebury, VT. 10 pm. $3. 21+.

Feb. 8th - Milo @ Arts Riot. Milo will be bringing his caravan through Arts Riot again, this time bringing along CT-based troubador and label founder Ceschi. Sadly, NYC wizard/god Elucid will not be making the trek to Vermont, but this will still be a great night thanks to JPEGMAFIA, who is nothing short of amazing. 8pm. $15. ALL AGES.

Feb. 15th - 3rd Thursdays: HLR Takeover @ Monkey House. Even by 3rd Thursday standards, this one will be a big deal. The lineup is stacked, Street Religion and Bar None The Best will both be making their Winooski debut, and there's going to be a contest to open up for The Perceptionists on Feb. 23rd, too. Ten artists will get one song each to convince the crowd they deserve it. 9 pm. 18+ $8 / 21+ $3

Feb. 17th - Joell Ortiz Valentine's Bash @ Social Club & Lounge. NYC rap god and Slaughterhouse member Joell Ortiz will be packing Social Club & Lounge for a Saturday Night show. He'll be bringing through Philly revivalist Judah Priest, who has been both a back bench Wu-Affiliate and a Christian rapper in the past. 9 pm. 21+. $27.

Feb. 23rd - The Perceptionists w/ Cultural Chemistry @ Monkey House. The 802 is getting spoiled this month -- days later, Akrobatic & Mr. Lif will be coming through to sell out The Monkey House. Openers will be Cultural Chemistry, Jarv and...whoever wins the contest at 3rd Thursdays. 9 pm. 18+. $12 adv / $15 door.
 

Justin Boland
"12:30 EP" - Drive

Random Project I threw together, Produced primarily by Ryder Jam.

Over the weekend, we got hit with a new EP from Drive, a rapper on the Hustle, Loyalty and Respect roster. It's primarily produced by NEK beatsmith Ryder Jam -- check out Winter Beats II set if you're not familiar -- and his sparse, melodic style really works with Drive's flow and vocal tone.
 

Justin Boland
2/17: Joell Ortiz @ Social Club & Lounge
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On Saturday, Feb. 17th, NYC rap god and Slaughterhouse member Joell Ortiz will be rocking Social Club & Lounge. Ortiz has had one hell of a career so far -- from Unsigned Hype to stranded on Aftermath to a self-made, mixtape comeback. Now he's sitting comfortably with a Shady Records solo contract, an untouchable pen game, and the world at his fingertips. In other words, this a damn good time to get see this man perform.

He'll be bringing through Philly revivalist Judah Priest, who has been both a back bench Wu-Affiliate and a Christian rapper in the past. Naturally, a high-profile gig like this comes with the all the trimmings, including a VIP package that gets you two tickets, zero wait and a bottle of champagne for $130.

There will also be prizes throughout the evening -- and a free rose for the first 100 women through the door. (Presumably, the 802 record for female attendance at a rap show was set by some Atmosphere gig at Higher Ground, but Joell Ortiz may break it.)

UPDATE: Tickets are now on sale at your friendly neighborhood FlynnTix.org.

Justin Boland
Feb. 3: Dilla Day 2018 @ Sidebar
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Since Sidebar opened, they've quickly evolved into a hotbed for good hip hop. This is almost definitely the result of management being big fans. They regularly feature DJs like SVPPLY and Crusty Cuts in addition to rap talent like Jarv, Hanknative and Mister Burns.

(Note: fans of "beer" will also find a lot to love there.)

So it's fitting that Sidebar would be hosting a Dilla Day 2018 celebration. They're doing it up right, too. Shout out to promoters who have actual promo copy for their events. Here's the scoop from Sidebar:

"Around his birthday every year, cities across the US take time to celebrate the life and work of James Yancey A.K.A. J Dilla. We will be celebrating his influence on Hip Hop and honoring his memory at Sidebar on Saturday, February 3rd.

Beat sets will start off the night from three local hip hop producers: Crusty Cuts, Loupo and Old Gold. Hanknative, Sam and Somba will perform original material with a J Dilla-influenced twist. We will close the night with hip hop DJ sets from Svpply and Crusty Cuts to dance right till 2. Come celebrate with us!"

"Hanknative" is yung phenom Hank Collins, the BTV prodigy who earned a "Best Hip Hop Artist or Group" Seven Daysie nomination last summer. February 3rd is a Saturday night and this party is free.

Justin Boland
VIDEO: Arabian Knights - Colby Stiltz

Colby Stiltz is a polarizing figure despite being a genial, even goofy hippie who keeps it positive in the truest sense. He splits his time between several states these days, but he's been around for awhile. Seven Days was referring to him as the leader of "a new generation of rhyme-slinging talent" back in 2010.

Since then he's spent time in Maine, his childhood home, and Florida, which has given his sound a distinctly Dirty South drawl in recent years. He raps about marijuana, higher consciousness, and being a better person. Also, Illuminati mind control.

Yet somehow he was the catalyst for the 802's July Beef-A-Thon, back when Judge Da Beast dropped his "Slenderman" diss -- a reference to Colby's famous Stiltz. (Dude is tall.) Like most conflicts, the July Beef-A-Thon started on Facebook, immediately spiraled out of control, and fizzled out fast after that.

Everyone involved kept it moving, too. Achievement is the best revenge, and besides, this is a Show and Prove kinda culture. As summer settled into winter, #STILTZgang eased up on a constant show schedule and disappeared to do work behind the scenes. This new video is our first look at their next season of material.

"Arabian Knights" is on a jazzy, classic wavelength, the production coming courtesy of Orlando musician & beatsmith kfelk. He's going to have a few more cuts on Colby's upcoming album Down2Earth, a sequel to his 2015 LP, Down to Earth.

This video was shot by King Spencer, who put in serious damn work in 2017. He aimed to shoot videos in all 50 states that year, and managed a truly impressive 47. That, on top of his already prodigious professional output around his native Oklahoma. Spencer has a lean, glossy style, with a clear sense of how to assemble a compelling product. If he ever winds up back in BTV, give that man a call.

You can catch Colby Stiltz grinding around New England despite the cold this month. On January 13th, he'll be at the 1st Annual Granite State Hip Hop Festival in Manchester, NH. It's three consecutive nights of live hip hop at the Jewel -- Stiltz will be playing the Saturday night "Hip Hop Heroes" showcase, alongside Eyedos of JYNXinc, opening up for legends like The Artifacts and Sadat X.

Justin Boland
ROUNDUP: Green Mountain Updates
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Legendary rap duo The Perceptionists will be coming to The Monkey House next month. Props to DJ Disco Phantom & VMB Productions for landing that one. That evening will be packed in every sense; the opening support is A-List 802 talent and the venue is definitely small enough to sell out. So although the show is on February 23rd, you might want to get advance tickets, bud.

I've also got updates on the upcoming Building Blocks 2 party. The Break Room team has assembled a lineup of sponsors, including the Taco Truck All Stars and the fine folks at the Friends for A-Dog Foundation. There will be B-Boy Battles, breaks & classics from Headphone Monk and cuts by the incredible DJ Kanganade, an open mic cypher over ILLu beats (and he's got a lot of heat these days) ... and then, then, there's an invitational cypher over Es-K & Loupo jams. This is excessive, that's beautiful to see.

This is also a food and clothing drive. All food donations head to the Chittenden county emergency food shelf; all clothing donations going to Possibility Shop in the basement of First Congregational Church Burlington. Bringing either will get you 50% off the $10 admission, and Chittenden County needs a lot of food & clothing this time of year.

The day I fell in love with hip hop

What follows is a quick roundup of recent releases.

Drive, a rapper hailing from Jeffersonville, which is also Cambridge, has been dropping increasingly strong tracks, like his latest, "The Day I Fell In Love." Dude is a natural, he's got the voice and flow and his songwriting is already sharply observed. Peace to Lamoille County.

The old email inbox does work: a producer from St. Albans named Dok Sterling hit us up about his new project, "The Return." It's a chilled-out instrumental set and a solid piece of work. You can bet we'll be hearing more from him in 2018. Peace to Franklin County.

North Carolina rapper C Shreve The Professor will be coming through the state for two hot tickets: Friday, Jan. 26th at Windsor Station with Maiden Voyage, then Saturday, Jan. 27th at Charlie O's with Boomslang. Previously a core member of NC crew Free The Optimus, Shreve has been taking it on the road solo in recent years. To get a feel for his style, check the lushly shot video for his 2017 single, "Catacombs."

UVM rapper Yung $eth has a fresh single for 2018. "Cash Out" expands on his trap-heavy style, a summer jam in January. Also of interest: he talks shop about his plans and his team in a recent interview with with Vermont Cynic.

<3 <3 <3 written/preformed by @yung-seth prod @sunivega mixed/recorded at Factory Underground

...and remember: The 1st Annual Granite State Hip Hop Festival starts tonight in Manchester, NH.Props to BKProductions, JigsMusic and Capitol Front Booking for doing it up big.

ReviewJustin Boland
"TrILLu" - Trono x ILLu

More fresh tunes straight out the gate -- 2018 is already busy. "TrILLu" is a six track set from producer ILLu, who has been interviewed here before, and rapper Trono of Self Portrait. Who have also been interviewed here before. This project emerged from sessions at the Skylab, and the production work of SkySplitterInk helps every track shine. Since Self Portrait dropped their debut LP "Primal Union" the trio has stayed busy.

DJ Kanganade has been working on fatherhood, new scratching techniques, and precision knife throwing.

Producer (and emcee and photographer) Rico James maintained a steady pace in 2017, dropping the Pilot EP with PreciseMC, the "GOOD FOOD" single with MilkHaus Records mainstays LoKi & Pensive, and the tasty instrumental tape Rico de Gallo.

Trono dropped a compilation called The Singles, then showed up all over the Mind's Eye Tribe LPand...well, here we are: TrILLu. The name is both catchy and inevitable, since their only real alternative was "iLono." ILLu has been on a quiet warpath and there will be plenty more to come in 2018 from this young producer.

 

TrILLu by TrILLu, released 05 January 2018 1. Hard Work 2. Evolution 3. Drugs 4. Good Hurt 5. Fatherless Liberty 6. The Influence Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by SkySplitterInk at The Skylab Lyrics: Trono Beats: ILLu

Justin Boland