Anybody remember Solstice from the Black Anger foundation? I know she made the move out to Jersey a few years ago, and now she's on Killah Priest's new album, Black August (which has a tentative release date of yeah, right). Any heterosexual male who grew up on Black Anger shows back in the day knows Solstice was quite the looker, and she rips, too. I think I'll add her to my list of cute jawns I wish were back in the public eye--along with Sofia Vergara, and of course my undying love Teresa Randle (where ya at!?!).
Triple Threat's new album, Many Styles, has been out for a couple of weeks, but don't sleep on this. Besides having a ton of quality guest appearances from Black Thought, Talib Kweli, Zion I, Mystic, and more, it's a good listen--I dig the use of "Morning Showers," the track made popular by Missy Elliott and Monica, to close out the album. Quite a few gems on this joint, and I'm sure the trio will have the album for sale at their Chop Sizzla show this Friday with Vitamin D. Expect the show to be one big party--but also expect a little eye-rolling from Vinroc, Apollo, and Shortkut about the venue's silly motif. Should definitely be good times, though--it's rare that you get four DJs of this caliber all in one place.
Congrats go out to Everett's finest, DJ EarthQuake, for his 50th Internet hiphop show on Live365.com. Quake has been putting in long hours for the past few years, creating a niche and doing what he loves. For the golden anniversary, he's assembling various freestylers--both national and Northwest emcees--to blaze. Definitely check it out for yourself, and see what kind of heavy hitters lace him with an ill flow (I'm curious myself). Quake has proven to be one of Nasty-Nes' favorite mix-tape reporters, and has reached over 500 listeners a show, which is quite an accomplishment for a one-man team on independent radio. The link to show number 50 is online at www.showsite.org.
Not since some of the early weeks of Yo, Son! have I heard a duo rock a club night harder than Mr. Supreme and Soul One rocked Noiselab a few weeks ago on Soul's birthday. The first Monday of every month, you can catch the DVS crew's DJs at Noiselab--and on alternate weeks, you can check out the likes of Scene, B-Mello, Bronze FM, and N8. Big ups to Circle of Fire and their weekly night, Movement, which has brought out the b-boys of legal drinking age from various crews (including the Massive Monkees and BYC). Speaking of Supreme, though, his crew the Sharpshooters will be rocking this Wednesday at the EMP's Liquid Lounge for the second-to-last Soulsonic Wednesday ever. The EMP is making major cuts, and it's sad to report that the night is coming to an end. DJ Topspin will be spinning on the final night, closing out a weekly event that lasted a year and a half and was a great opportunity for several DJs--it's a shame it can't continue.
Big ups to the folks at NWEXPLOSION for finally doing it right with the release of Anthem's All in a Day's Work. Finally, we get a record that doesn't appear to have been created in the short time suggested in its title. The production on the album is excellent--definitely keep your ears peeled for Catch Phrase of Blast Off Productions, because this guy got some heat! My lone critiques lie in emcee Exact's delivery and rhymes--which aren't for me, but might cater to some of y'all out there. I dig the whole vibe of this project, however, and look forward to seeing what the NWX crew has in store in the near future--especially Clockwork, whose album is rumored to be executive produced by the legendary dope producer and knucklehead DJ Quik on DreamWorks. SAMUEL L. CHESNEAU
REQUIRED LISTENING 1. Gang Starr, "Deadly Habitz" (Virgin)
2. Lord Finesse feat. O.C. & KRS-One, "Brainstorm" (Penalty)
3. One Man Army, "Sportz Illa" (Subterraneous)
4. Candidt, "I Am Not Trippin" (Jasiri)
5. Triple Threat feat. Mystic, "On and On" (Fat Beats)
6. The Arsonists, "Flashback" (Matador)
7. Black Diamonds feat. Kuddie Mack & Eclipse, "Runnin' wit Us" (Future Sounds)
8. Mobb Deep feat. Big Noyd, "Double Shots" (Landspeed)
9. Son Doobie feat. Moka Only, "Get Em Up" (Battle Axe)
