RaindropHustla

A lot of cool shit happened last night, and among them was my finally meeting this cat: Astronautalis. I didn’t know much about the dude previously except that

1. he’s a somewhat new Seattle resident
2. he’s originally from Florida
3. he’s Barfly’s homie
4. his CDs have some great packaging.

I know a lil more now, thanks internets:

When he stepped off the stage of the world famous Scribble Jam Battle (proving grounds for such rappers as: eminem, slug, and sage francis), Astronautalis knew it was time for a change. After spending the last 8 years as a well-respected battle rapper, and rising from lunchrooms to concert halls, the thrill was gone. His famous freestyle skill was all there, but the creative void was no longer filled by the braggadocio and machismo of the battle circuit, he needed something more.

On the long ride home from Cincinnati to Dallas, his headphones full of outlaw country and ‘shoegazer’ rock, he began to shape his new path, and pen the words of the new Astronautalis. Blending styles of indie rock, electro, and talkin’ blues into hip-hop, this rapper has developed a sound like no other. He traded in his verbal weapons of mass destruction for songs about the railroad, lost love, and surreal dreams of sharing doughnuts with tupac and grapes with fat joe. His music has become an amalgam of synthesizers, old funk drum samples, and what can only be classified as ‘an unnatural obsession’ with slide guitar. Making the audience question, ‘is this rap?’

Who cares? Go to his myspace and listen to “Trouble Hunters”. He’s dope and he’s pretty fuckin funny as evinced by the above video.