The ten-track ride feels like it’s speeding 80 mph on a winding dirt road.
Charles Morse
Posted inReviews
Record Review: Raleigh Rapper Shame Defines Himself on Genesis 98
SHAME Genesis 98 Golden Era Sound An embattled scrapper, Raleigh rapper Shame is no stranger to quarrels with other local rappers and challenges in his personal life, but he’s never tried to pose as the brooding tough guy. After a two-year stream of respectable mixtapes, singles, and EPs, he’s finally got a full-length record: Genesis […]
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Record Review: On No Excuses, Nance Has His Eye on the Next Level
No Excuses Self-released By all indications, Nance has a great story to tell. He’s been on the independent rapper grind for years, ticking off the boxes that help lay the foundation for a long-term career. He’s played major music festivals, opened for big artists, curates his own shows to great success, and executed a Kickstarter […]
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Raleigh Hip-Hop Crew Kooley High Reunites with Rapsody and 9th Wonder to Glow Up on Never Come Down
KOOLEY HIGH Saturday, April 21, 9 p.m., $14 Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh www.lincolntheatre.com At a South by Southwest showcase promoting the debut of the Netflix documentary series Rapture, Rapsody told a capacity crowd at Stubb’s BBQ, “When you talk about me, don’t call me a female rapper, a ‘femcee,’ none of that! When you talk about […]
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Five Rappers Represent the Triangle on BET’s Freestyle Friday Reboot Today
Some say being a lyrically focused rapper is dead. BET thinks otherwise, because the network is bringing back the iconic Freestyle Fridays of 106 & Park fame this week, and it’s featuring five artists from the Triangle—Konvo the Mutant, $wank, Kelly Kale, King Draft, and (J) Rowdy. They’ve traveled up to New York City to […]
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Pat Junior Rides the Momentum That Has Made Him One of the Triangle’s Most Talked-About Emcees
PAT JUNIOR MARCH 16 NEPTUNES PARLOUR, RALEIGH 10 p.m., $10-$12 www.kingsraleigh.com Taking advantage of the momentum that has made him one of the Triangle’s most talked-about emcees, Raleigh’s Pat Junior prepares to release the sequel to last year’s acclaimed black & mild EP at a release show featuring Nance, Tony G, R.J. Hatton, Miniluv, and […]
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Record Review: P.A.T. Junior Teams Up With Kooley High’s Sinopsis to Remix Black & Mild
P.A.T. JUNIOR AND SINOPSIS Smoke Signals Self-released Closing in on the age of thirty and rapping sometimes gets scoffed at as immature, but in fact, it’s probably the best time in one’s life to express the feelings of regret, relief, hope, and uncertainty that come with the age. In the case of P.A.T. Junior, the […]
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Get a Sneak Peek of Rare Concert Shots in Raleigh Friday Night
Think of any recording artist who has gone on tour in the past four decades, and concert photographer Don Lawver probably has a picture of him or her. The word “any” can be used loosely at times, but in the case of Lawver, “any” means “any.” He has a collection of over four hundred thousand […]
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Durham’s Fortified Beats N Bars Festival Promises a Hip-Hop Heavy Weekend That’s Stronger Than Ever
BEATS N BARS FESTIVAL Friday, September 22 & Saturday, September 23, Various times, Free–$100 Various venues, Downtown Durham www.beatsnbarsfestival.com The sound of screeching steel pierces tranquil early fall air with vexatious intensity as a CSX train travels its route between Durham’s Ramseur and West Pettigrew streets, passing the parking lot behind The Pinhook. “We’re going […]
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Hopscotch, Night Two: Heavy on the Hip-Hop
Hopscotch Music Festival Downtown Raleigh Friday, September 8, 2017 For night two of Hopscotch, I encountered a similar “what now?” feeling to the one I encountered on the first day. Fortunately, the schedule had enough going that it gave attendees something to go on an adventure to fulfill that query. K 97.5’s day party at […]