#Heems and Lapgan’s magic mind meld

#Heems and Lapgan’s magic mind meld

LAFANDAR is Heems’s return to rap after seven silent years and a breakout moment for his new producer/protégé. Left: Heems, photo by Atif Ateeq. Right: Lapgan, photo by Manal Jakhar.   Even in the Das Racist days, when he was rhyming “Pizza Hut” with “pizza gut” and “pizza butt” for the comic relief of a…

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#Rap Blog: ALLBLACK is still it

#Rap Blog: ALLBLACK is still it

Listen to “It’s It” from the Oakland rapper’s new project Slow Motion Better Than No Motion. ALLBLACK. Photo courtesy of EMPIRE   Rap Blog is a weekly showcase of a standout rap song written by Vivian Medithi and Nadine Smith. There’s an unexpected continuum between the West Coast and Michigan’s high work rate rap scene,…

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#Yeat drops new album 2093

#Yeat drops new album 2093

The 22-track project includes appearances from Future and Lil Wayne. Yeat   Photo via publicist Yeat has released his new album, 2093. The Portland rapper’s latest project is a blockbuster, arriving with 22 tracks and a feature-length 1hr 20m running time. There are just two features on the album, Lil Wayne appears on “Lyfestylë” and…

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#Kevin Gates is one of our weirdest rappers

#Kevin Gates is one of our weirdest rappers

In this week’s Rap Column, Nadine Smith explores how the charismatic Baton Rouge rapper paved his own lane over the last decade. Kevin Gates. Photo via Atlantic Records.   Rap Column is a column about rap music by Vivian Medithi and Nadine Smith for The FADER. Kevin Gates is a weird rapper. He’s not “weird”…

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