RaindropHustla

Back in 2006, Dyme Def‘s Space Music shook up the local hiphop with their energetic three-man offense and BeanOne‘s smacking, golden era-gone-futurist tracks like ”Clap Clap” and ”I Ain’t No”—but six years later, the song that seems to have become the most in-demand from that album is Fearce Villain‘s autobiographical solo joint—the one titled after the beat’s well-known source material. As Fearce and Bean push their FRCxBNE project and their YUK line and team, the time seemed right for the two to tap local director The Note for this long overdue video treatment.

Digging this almost cloud-rap sound from Starr, who I first heard on those unreleased D.Black joints from years back, reppin East Cherry to the fullest. Fatal’s unmistakable in this, sure would be dope to hear him over some of these kind of beats.

JonJon and Av Young Blaze‘s finest work together yet. Av has been self-consciously joking that this joint is “emo grunge trap” but he might be onto something. Even his new look, the gold slugs (fangs?) and longer hair kind of recalls Cage’s rebirth circa Hell’s Winter, an emo benchmark in rap if there ever was one. Av growls out the hook from “Come As You Are” and I’m not mad in the least; even though I haate when rappers come to town and try to rap over “Teen Spirit”, I love that local rappers are not too cool to invoke Nirvana as an influence, especially when it’s somebody whose material (and personal history) is as dark as Av’s.

Arguably the two biggest villains of Seattle rap team up for some much-welcome bad will:

Now this is a team-up that I for one would like to hear more of. Looks like the Estonian-born Av Young Blaze is doing some shows in Moscow next month, and that same month, Exalted—Nacho Picasso’s third album with Blue Sky Black Death—drops (you can go see him perform some of it at Block Party).

Been loving all the versions that the Palaceer’s been turning out or turning up on over the last few. Enjoy:

SHABAZZ X BATTLES

SHABAZZ X SPOEK MATHAMBO

SHABAZZ X FOE

SHABAZZ X LUSHLIFE