Hope you’re doing well out there, staying out of the rain when you can, catching the sun when it falls through—ugh, weather references are so emo-rap—but just like you on Twitter, a lot of the shit I say here is a very necessary reminder to myself. Hope y’all don’t mind. If I don’t talk to myself someplace, I’ll start doing it at shows—oh yeah, shows. Thursday, May 30, Graves33 is at Barboza, and the well-seasoned, much-traveled multi-instrumentalist/producer Budo is making his solo debut over at the Crocodile’s Back Bar with Orbe Orbe. On Friday, May 31, Brothers from Another play at Nathan Hale, and Juicy J, A$AP Ferg, and Jarv Dee trip out Showbox at the Market. Saturday, June 1—it’s fucking JUNE ALREADY—Nissim, who you once knew as D.Black, is at the Crocodile with Fly Moon Royalty and Head Like a Kite. Now: new business.
I’m pretty sure I haven’t spilled enough ink for the Nu Era crew, and NE’s standout MC, Turtle T, just released his solo debut, Of Love and Lust. It starts out very slightly recalling the easy intimacy and earnest freshness of TiRon & Ayomari’s A Sucker for Pumps—probably not a stretch, seeing as Nu Era has brought T&A to tour the NW with them twice now, as you may yourself recall. Turtle speaks real about his life and times with the ladies, his music, and his indiscretions and failings with both, and the smoky hooks from singer Camila Recchio sweeten the proceedings. Turtle’s young-everyman stance is patently patient, principled but far from perfect and sometimes evocative of Blu—another LA rap act he’s helped bring out a couple times. “Now things ain’t perfect,” T rhymes, “but I’m still working/and I’m still learning/’cause I’m determined.” Of Love‘s best moments are charmingly sentimental and bittersweet—enough to forgive some of the album’s brief lapses of focus or emotional subtlety.
Federal Way’s Romaro Franceswa is a name you should remember, and not just because it’s a helluva handle—he’s also the latest young gun to flex over the ace production of Seattle’s perennially underappreciated pillar BeanOne. After a couple spins through, Romaro’s slightly creaky tone, thoughtful bars, and way-nimble flow make it apparent why he’s become a priority within Bean’s Yuk the World network. This is definitely one of the town’s best new voices. Rejoice, Seattle—you’re enjoying an absolute glut of quality rap music from local players both veteran and brand-new. Yes, BeanOne has an ear for talent, duh, and comes correct on the boards, bringing his by-now-signature sensibility to bear—a percussive, new-school/Golden Era tension that effortlessly achieves a tough-to-pin-down timelessness. Features from Fearce Vill, big homie Fatal Lucciauno, and his Rise Team co-d Cazh are right on time, but it’s Romaro’s confidence and style that hold the proceedings down from end to end.
If you’re wondering where to find all this, let me say that Google is not your friend, and the Feds are definitely poking your Facebook—but the internet is still your best bet, if you’re so inclined. Godspeed. 