One artist that had a considerable amount of buzz before and definitely since SXSW has been the New Orleans MC Dee-1. Thanks to the strength of “Jay, 50 and Weezy” and his stellar project, I Hope They Hear Me Vol. 2, Dee landed himself on one of the hottest bills in Austin, the Vibe House. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Warming Glow

– It’s always fun to play the “What If?” game. This time we did so with rappers and Marvel Comics characters.

– David D. Vs. Lupe Fiasco and the co-defendants, all of Lupe’s faithful “Lasers.” Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve been riding for Dee-1 for a while now here at TSS. Now, like the title of this mixtape states, we hope y’all hear him. J. Tinsley stated a while back that “the content of his lyrics are a breath of fresh air” and I definitely agree with the man’s assessment. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever since David put me on to Dee-1 last year, I’ve made an honest effort to keep up with his music. The content of his lyrics are a breath of fresh air, but one of his more unheralded aspects is his charisma. Read the rest of this entry »

As warmer winds begin to blow, Dee-1 creates a “Ridin’ By Myself,” for complimentary track geared towards the windows-down approach to spending the day alone with music. “Ridin’” invokes the same spirit the title imagines, full of low-end bounce built for riding and a playful delivery centered around Dee’s words accented by singer Syreeta Neal. Read the rest of this entry »

Writing about new artists can be frustrating at times. It wears on me when I really believe in them and take the time to tell you all about my belief in these artists then they quickly fall off the face of the earth, resting on their laurels. It’s good to know that I don’t have that problem with Dee-1. Read the rest of this entry »

The one they call 4-Ize doesn’t have a lick of sense but possesses some skills in his microphone endeavors. That’s why he’s proclaiming himself as the Professional Ignorant for his album to the streets. But don’t confuse his intentional buffoonery with slacking in the studio. Not only does the ATL Hawk’s LP have a plethora of witty punchlines and Trading Places excerpts to gel the monkey business together, but there is also firepower in the hired help like B.o.B, De La Soul, Gucci Mane, and, of course, Señor Kaos. Read the rest of this entry »

This Tuesday, TSS will be on hand for the Traffic Boutique x Supreme Street NOLA Underground Hip-Hop Awards. I’ll be presenting an award for the “hottest website” in the city but that’s another issue. What’s important is the fact that New Orleans is going to have a venue to recognize the overflow of unbelievable local talent the city has to offer. On top of that, a guy by the name of Jay Electronica will be performing.

What I’d like to do now is take some time to introduce you to the guys up for awards at this here event. If you feel so inclined, head on over to vote on who you think should be the NOLA Underground Artist of the Year. Without further ado, here are your nominees:

Caesar Parkway — Caesar carries himself like a star. He’s one of those guys that looks like he’s important. His “swag,” as the kids say, is off the charts and his style is custom-made for the radio. “Holding Back” is unabridged bravado with Caesar’s voice bouncing off of every slap. His mixtape, Pretty Ugly offers a very nice listen and insight into the New Orleans party scene.

Dee-1 — You’ve all met Dee-1 and his super dope video got a lot of love a couple of weeks ago, and his next mixtape is sure to do the same. Very smart, able lyricist with a political twist. Sounds like a recipe for great music.

Even though A3C was at the forefront of our minds this week, we still had work to do around here:

– To the surprise of no one, Kobe picked himself to win in one-on-one against LeBron.

– Patrick Chung helped convince Bill Belichick that Randy Moss was expendable. Read the rest of this entry »

I saw Dee-1 perform this a few weeks ago at the NOLA Summer Jam and it really got the crowd’s attention. Calling out Jay-Z, 50 and Wayne is an ambitious task to say the least, however this isn’t your typical unsigned rapper trying to pull the capes of the greats to get recognized. “Jay, 50, And Weezy” is a poignant look at these three men’s influences on the game and whether it’s really for the best or not. Read the rest of this entry »