When I reviewed Underworld Dust Funk figure Bolo Nef’s Sol Invictus earlier this year, I opened with a paragraph that included this sentence: “For a nation that has “conquered racism,” we’re stock full of people who think an MPC is more dangerous than an AK and are all too happy to put a Soundcloud beats […]
Thick as Texas Tea: Kenny Gee’s Hieroglyphics Shows the Young Rapper has a Bright Future
The Internet is the new The Streets. Both the youngest of the young and the most seasoned of veterans have found fertile new land in the world of digital distribution. Free from the limitations and cost of physical media, rappers such as Gucci Mane have found renowned success in releasing music directly to the public […]
88 Flow: Porter Ray Makes Seattle Hip-Hop Shine with Fundamentals
Hip-hop breaks barriers. There’s no better proof in this day and age than the fact that some of the fullest and most interesting movements in hip-hop are coming from Seattle- the home of rain and coffee and cliches about both. Hip-hop isn’t about fitting into a form or a function or an idea- it’s as […]
Video of the Week: Open Mike Eagle “A History of Modern Dance”
A couple years ago I was forced to revisit Spike Lee’s School Daze as a part of a feature series on the director. I don’t know if you’ve seen it but it’s a pretty bizarre work, even from a director who gets pigeonholed for his gritty realism despite the fact that he has made a number […]
Close to the Edge: Little Simz’ Debut EP Proves She’s an Artist to Watch Out For
I’m a sucker for a clear delivery so I’ve never really fallen for a British rapper. Unless we’re slyly including Slick Rick on the list, in which case it’s just been a very long while. But back a decade ago when grime and garage were making headway on critics’ year end lists, I just couldn’t […]
Sorry, I’m a God: Bolo Nef’s Sol Invictus is Truly Scary Horror Rap
It doesn’t take much for hip-hop to scare people. For a nation that has “conquered racism,” we’re stock full of people who think an MPC is more dangerous than an AK and are all too happy to put a Soundcloud beats page up on the same criminal pedestal as running down a mob of people. […]
SXSW Review: SVDDXNLY
The Loser City team caught a lot of stuff at SXSW this year, including a mutant strain of bird flu courtesy of a rogue pack of grackles. So we’ll be rolling out select individual film reviews for a while, starting with this look at the disappointing vanity doc, SVDDXNLY. A$AP Rocky is a New York rapper […]
Good-Ass Music: December 2013
2013 is drawing to a close and yeah, it was pretty shitty. But here’s what we were into for this final stretch of the year. 7DZ930N77WnFWnfO4poT7B 1. Jail Weddings ”It’s Not Fair” (LA) Something like the Pogues and Arcade Fire joining up for some gritty, epic rock ‘n’ roll with gorgeous harmonies. 2. Juniore ”Dans Le Noir” (France) […]
On 11/23/13: Tea Double, Chief and the Doomsday Device, The Weird Project
Tonight at Spider House Ballrom, Austin legend Tee Double, fresh off a collab with Sly & Robbie and a musical appearance on Breaking Bad, is performing with Chief and the Doomsday Device and The Weird Project. Don’t miss out!
Good-Ass Music: November 2013
We’ve been doing these secretly for a little while, but now we’re going to start posting our monthly recommendations playlist here on tumblr. November’s playlist is a bit dark, since we’re now settling in for winter and getting used to the one time of year when Austin isn’t drenched in sun. 7AM6WM4lTr3FHTclxTTtHx 1. YVETTE ”Attrition” (NYC) […]