Thomas Fawcett has been writing about hip hop, soul, funk, and world music for the Austin Chronicle and other publications since 2007. This marks his 10th year diving head first into SXSW. Here are his picks for the Top Ten (or more) Hip Hop Shows you Need to See at SXSW 2016.
In the early
1990s there was a group called Gravediggaz that featured RZA, Prince Paul and a
couple other rappers nobody remembers.They were really into horror movies and
rapped (sort of tongue-and-cheek) about murder, hallucinogens, and mental
demons. Flatbush Zombies are the modern day equivalent. Part of the same Beast
Coast posse as Joey Badass and the Underachievers, the Brooklyn brain-eaters
drop debut LP 3001: A Laced Odyssey
this month. Two mixtapes and an EP of grimy acid raps over throwback horrorcore
production has earned them a solid cult following.
2015 was a
massive year for the 22-year-old Long Beach rapper and former Odd Future
associate. Named part of XXL’s freshmen 2015 class, Staples released one of the
most ambitious debuts in recent memory. The critically-acclaimed Summertime ‘06 - one of 2015’s most
vital releases - clocks in at an hour-long yet somehow never drags. From street
narratives to his mind’s inner workings, Staples has plenty to say: “My teachers told us we were
slaves/ My momma told me we was kings/ I don’t know who to listen to/ I guess
we somewhere in between.”
Follow Vince Staples on Do512 to see where HE'S playing during SXSW
This is kind of
cheating because Anderson Paak doesn’t rap as much as he sings. Still, he’s
listed under hip hop on the official SXSW page and approaches all of his music
with a decidedly hip hop ethos. In any case, Paak just signed to Dre’s
aftermath label and his recent LP Malibu
- which is musically and spiritually akin to Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly - is my early
frontrunner for album of the year. Dude is about to blow and SXSW should be
part of a huge year for the California native. Paak will be performing with his
band the Free Nationals as well as fronting NXWorries, his Stones Throw collaboration with producer Knxlwledge.
Follow Anderson Paak AND NXWORRIES ON DO512 to see where they ARE playing during SXSW
Nas is coming
to SXSW. You don’t need me to tell you about Nas so let’s just use this is as
an excuse to listen to one of the greatest rap songs of all time.
Follow Nas on Do512 to see where he's playing during SXSW
If you’re the
type of head that yearns for the vibes of the Roots, De La Soul, and the
Pharcyde, check out the Lytics. The up-and-coming Winnipeg crew is a family
affair featuring two brothers, their cousin and two more MCs who fill posse
cuts with lyrical bars, catchy hooks, and throwback vibes.
Follow the Lytics on Do512 to see where they're playing during SXSW
Part of
Brooklyn hip hop super crew Boot Camp Clik, Smif N Wessun and Buckshot embody
the early 90s grimy East Coast steez that aging heads still worship. Buckshot
served as de facto general of Boot Camp (and Black Moon) while Tek and Steele
of Smif N Wessun spit lyrical bullets on 1995 debut Dah
Shinin' and beyond. “Bucktown! Home of the original gun clappers!”
Home Team Hip
Hop
Despite
perpetual claims to the contrary, Austin hip hop has never had a
deeper and more diverse roster of talent than it does right now and many of
those artists will be flexing at SXSW this month. If there’s a micro-theme this
year, it’s MCs from crews taking the solo route. Kydd Jones and Tank Washington
of LNS Crew - two of Austin’s top spitters - have back-to-back solo sets on
their official showcases, but figure to be onstage a lot together. Likewise,
Extraordinary Gz Dominican J, Lowkey, and DoWrong all go it alone this year.
Young cipher beasts Mindz of a Different Kind showcase as a whole but Blackchyl stands out as one of the top female MCs in ATX. Most of the
MCs in this cypher video are showcasing at SXSW and prove the home team can
more than hold its own.
Oshun’s recent
performance at East Austin outpost Sahara Lounge was a revelation. The NYC duo
of Niambi Sala and Thandiwe (neither of whom is old enough to legally buy beer)
mesmerized with a blend of soulful spiritualism and fly rhymes. The group’s
name pays homage to the Yoruba water goddess while their songs celebrate
womanhood, blackness, mindfulness, and spirituality. Let’s just say they burned
a lot of incense onstage.
Follow Oshun on Do512 to see WHEN / where they're playing during SXSW
When Ferguson,
Missouri resembled a war zone in
the wake of police officer Darren Wilson killing 18-year-old Michael Brown, the
best source of news wasn’t CNN, New York Times or any other media outlet. It
was the folks on the ground and in the streets, and St. Louis rapper Tef Poe
was among the most prominent and prolific voices on social media. Like a Killer
Mike of the Midwest, Tef Poe is known as much for his political activism as his
music and recent LP War Machine 3 is
a searing indictment of America. Tef Poe has a lot to say and should be
fascinating to watch.
Follow Tef Poe on Do512 to see where they're playing during SXSW
I really want to hate Lil Dicky, and kind of do, but I
find him weirdly charming and the bit about getting double charged for ice
coffee on “$ave Dat Money” gets me every time. As he points out over and over
in his music, Lil Dicky is not your average rapper. He’s a well-educated,
white, Jewish, upper-middle class kid from the Philly suburbs who managed to
get everyone from Snoop Dogg to Fetty Wap on his
debut LP Professional Rapper. This is
essentially frat rap with a comedic shtick -
and too many songs on the LP are inane and unlistenable
- but Lil Dicky
can spit and I’m betting he’ll win over a bunch of new
Dickheads in Austin this month.
Follow Lil Dicky on Do512 to see where HE IS playing during SXSW
Since moving to
Austin seven years ago, Chaka and Qi Dada of Riders against the Storm have
attracted a tribe with their vibe. The reigning back to back Austin Music
Awards Band of the Year winners host the most vital dance party in the city
with Body Rock and flipped a day named in their honor into an annual festival
and legitimate community. Partners in life and rhyme, the couple recently
celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary by dropping RE:MIXTAPE, a fresh
blend of high energy hip hop and elevated spiritual vibes. RAS is guaranteed to
make that “Booty Sweat.”
Yes, that
Mystikal. Ghetto-Fabulous-No-Limit-Soldier-Shake-Ya-Ass Mystikal. Betting on an
aging rapper 15-years removed from their last album isn’t usually a wise move,
but the loudest rapper not named DMX has hinted at renewed greatness since his
2013 prison release. 2012’s “Hit Me” saw Mystikal reinvent himself as a
sort of maniacal James Brown-styled band leader while “Feel Right” paired the
NOLA rapper with Mark Ronson and proved again that nobody is better rhyming on
top of an up-tempo funk track.
Follow Mystikal on Do512 to see where HE IS playing during SXSW
Nitty Scott MC
first caught the attention of the rap world six years with a viral freestyle over Kanye’s “Monster” instrumental. Since then the
Afro-Puerto Rican Brooklynite has denounced “Bullshit Rap” over an old school boom bap beat, channeled a vintage
Digable Planets vibe on “Flower Child” and rhymed about aliens on the
spaced-out “U.F.O.”(Unfiltered
Offering).” It’s
hard to tell if the real Nitty Scott MC is bohemian or hardcore, but both sides
of her persona intrigue.
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