VTHH Notes 4-17-23

With the first quarter of 2023 wrapped up, one thing is abundantly clear: holy shit, bud. This year is indeed going to be yet another world record high water mark for the 802 scene. Between new artists going ham & making their mark and the established names hustling harder than ever to expand their legacies, it’s never been this crazy before.

Today marks the end of Reks-N-Effect, a weekly hip hop show hosted & run by Mister Burns that went down at The Reks in Sugarbush. Along the way, it brought through some legendary out of state talent and provided a showcase for local rookies to cut loose. (Shout out to The Funky Diabetic, who has been making all the right moves this year.)

Another milestone: the Wave Cave Radio team have recently uploaded their 30th episode. That's a wild run, especially considering how much dope Vermont art they're cramming into every single one of those episodes. The duo of Flywlkr and Gingervitus have a laid back style that suits radio nicely and creates a distinctive space every time. Just like Travis Card with the Golden Hour series or Mary Engisch's run on Safe & Sound for VPR, they've created something very special that only comes with being both genuine and professional.

One of the biggest stories of the year so far is Street Religion re-asserting their muscle with a flawless three album run.

Shorty Bang's Sofrito was his best project yet, a perfectly curated collection of bars and beats without a single guest feature in sight. Props to THEN WHAt for delivering another ill canvas to spotlight artists at their best. (He does that a lot lately.)

Then Raw Deff dropped Ghost Orchid, a relentless boom bap clinic that is, apparently, just a prelude for his real album that drops later this year. It also features one of the best 802 rap songs I've heard this year, "98 Dust Pockets" featuring none other than The Aztext, back like they never left, as always. Oh, and 603 legend DJ Myth on the cuts.

D.FRENCH followed up the same month with his latest album, West End North Side. Seven Days (not me, for once) said he's putting St. Albans on the map, a job that Joint Manipulation and Bulletproof Dolla will damn sure continue in 2023. It's a small city, but it's home to some of the best pure spitters in the state. Think of it as the Buffalo of Vermont.

Obviously, studio rat and overall mastermind Yung Breeze was going to get involved, and he’s announced his next album, JALANI SKYE, for July 30th. That’s a long rollout, for sure, but he’s getting ready to drop a flood of promotional loosies, starting with the Floor General mixtape. The single / video “Brain Matter” is some of the cleanest product Breeze has ever cut, just a flawless slice of gutter rap over a great beat.

Then there's an even bigger story brewing: the slow burn soft return of 99 Neighbors, reborn as a distinctly Wu Tang umbrella for a diverse array of solo & side projects.

"Waldosia" is an absolute fuckin' jam, first of all. As haunting as it is funky, Maari and Somba are at their very best on that joint: making familiar territory seem brand new again. That's a rare gift.

It's also just beginning of a busy 2023 for the young crew. Everything 99 has been dropping has one thing in common: world championship quality control. They are never slacking on any aspect or detail of their output, delivering immaculate audio, visuals, promo campaigns — hell, even their relationship with their growing fanbase is a clinic. If you’re an artist who wants to do it big & do it right, don’t just pay attention to what this team is doing: study it. Apply it to everything you do.

Conswank’s followup to his single with North Ave Jax features one of the best music videos I’ve seen out of Vermont. While it’s clearly a tribute to a certain iconic director’s catalog, it looks like a million dollars and it’s packed with careful details. It’s more than just the visual storytelling: note how much this video communicates what makes Conswank special, different, as an artist and human being.

Of note: in addition to being another gloriously polished Will Keeper banger, this video is from the Holy Smokes Entertainment team of Pat & Seamus Brennan. They have stepped up their game so much in the past year it is damn near unbelievable.

There's a lot more to catch up on, of course: Jarv touring the country doing sold out shows with Little Stranger, the monumental collaboration album Kinetic Fource, the Spring Fest showcase at Higher Ground, the triumphant return of Queen City Kickback events, the insane output of producers like Es-K, Rico James and Caleb Lodish, and a couple dozen upcoming shows. It’s going to be a busy week here. Stay tuned.

Finally, deep thanks and safe travels to Jim Lockridge of Big Heavy World, one of the best things to happen to the Vermont music scene in general since the advent of electric sound amplification. It is impossible to overstate how much he's given to every genre here, but still, I won't embarrass the man by trying. Thank you, Jim.