Soul ProsThe Denver hip-hop scene is always on the move. At any given time anyone can have their eardrums inundated with the hottest beats or their visuals stimulated by intriguing videos. MC’s in the Mile High City are continuing to find the most innovative ways to convey their creative expression. It’s easy to find content and material to cover in the scene but gathering the very best is most key. Here at 303 Magazine, we listen to and watch everything, so you don’t have to. Thank us later.

JM Blackfriend gets all quirky in his wordplay for the track “Attack the Status Quota.” Blackfriend has a gang of hilarious references spat with a flow ideal for freestyle sessions. His vocal inflections give a tilt to his rhymes that appear comical at first. His rhymes do have a cerebral and serious edge to them over the Mike Wird produced beat. Listen below:

Marciano is a fairly new face, although his feature collaborator, Will Guice, isn’t. “Sweet Chariot” is a modern interpolation of Dr. Dre’s track “Let Me Ride.” Using the metaphor of a sleek and sexy vehicle, Marciano plays on the metaphor by describing his perfect woman. Check for Guice’s vocals dripping with sex. Dripping. Listen below:

Soul Pros bring in an entirely different end of the spectrum. The track “$ould Out” is about as a direct play on words as you can get. The crew Is about experiencing the substance of life. The video has expansive shots of gorgeous mountain tops where the MC’s have posted up a make-shift recording studio. Big up to keeping it real with an “all that glitters ain’t gold” mentality. Listen below:

Kris King is a one stop shop. He produced and recorded his entire project himself, giving a cohesive energy to his music. “Too Bad, Too Sad” opens with a bold declaration that “we will be here forever.” There’s an interesting vibrato to King’s voice that leaves the perfect opening for the track’s intricate cuts and scratches. Pretty dope. Listen below:

TidiRip lets the beat build slowly into a swelling laconic horn led production for “Pineapple Express.” A song about smoking the finest herb, TidiRip has a leader’s determination in his lyrics, even though this is conceptually a smoker’s tune. The first track from TidiRip’s latest project Real Life, the album kicks off on a strong note.

LKeys is releasing his project Aurora on February 13, 2014 and in preparation, he dropped “DTF” recently. Produced by Allen Lorenzo, this track is designed for major club play. Keys gives almost too much wordplay but he makes the verses flip with charisma. The theme? LKeys has a well-practiced sex game and doesn’t mind talking about it. Listen below:

Evan Alexander brings back a favorite age-old hip-hop question with the track “Brooklyn.” With Notorious BIG’s voice hurtling through the production imploring an answer to “where Brooklyn at?!” this freestyle-esq track is a nice one to turn up loud. Evan Alexander keeps his rhymes cordial and fly on this one.

LB Marxwell brings the club to this week’s roun-up. “So Gone” was produced by CARDIAK and is all about celebrating life’s accoplishments. LB details his fly style and his capacity for winning long races in the rap game with charming glee. Listen below:

“The Come Up” is a posse cut from the Soul City Studios lineup. Featuring Panama Soweto, Rolphy, Luke Skyy, Ill 7 and DJ SD, this track is about living and maintaining life’s creed. Panama Soweto is positively impressive as he talks about overcoming odds but it is Ill 7 who walks away with this joint. Turn it up. Listen below:

ATak is new to the lineup with this 8ight Tha Skate directed video for “Fall From Grace.” Videos that feature expansive shots of Denver’s neighborhoods are always a hit. ATak is the perfect tour guide as he details his life’s triumphs and trials.

 

 

 

Ru gun fieldRu Johnson is an entertainment writer living in Denver, Colorado. She writes about hip-hop, consults creative projects and makes things cool. In the best way. If you’d like to submit your music, send her an email: ru@dev-303magazine.pantheonsite.io