After knocking doors down with his prior effort, The Otherside, Rockie Fresh returns with the flux-capacitor-friendly follow-up, Driving 88. Carrying a forward-thinking theme and slew of spacey beats from all sort of suitors (including Blended Babies, The Kickdrums and in-house homie The Gift), this tape is fueled by a very productive past year Read the rest of this entry »

Location. Location. Location. It’s not just the first rule of real estate, but a long time point of contention in the DC area. So-called “claimers” (those from suburban areas accused of “claiming” to be from DC) have long endured icy receptions from those born and raised within the city limits. Maryland native and XXL Freshman finalist Phil Adé links up with Northeast DC native, Fat Trel (who should also be on that list) to help ease the tension and represent the city, Read the rest of this entry »

Asher Roth is joined by The Blended Babies and friends as he brings out his latest project, the Pabst & Jazz mixtape. Pour up, then cue it up and enjoy. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not sure of the actual reason, but a lot of times these studio videos are more entertaining than those that aren’t. Phil Ade brings his Killa Kyleon assisted and straight to the point “You’re The One” to life with the release of his new video. Read the rest of this entry »

When you make a bomb ass dinner and don’t finish it all, you don’t throw it away; you have leftovers. And after all those ingredients and seasoning soak in the food overnight, there is a more desirable meal awaiting you the next time your stomach starts growling. Consider Rockie Fresh’s The Otherside Redux his premier audio cuisine revamped, Read the rest of this entry »

One of my favorite episodes of Everybody Hates Chris was when he made the wrestling team. Long story short, he did so because he believed having a letterman jacket would allow him to experience a different world socially. The same can be said, somewhat, about the DMV’s own Phil Adé. Read the rest of this entry »

Convincing Mr. Blue Slide Park to burn anything other than Mary Jane was probably a daunting task but Phil Adé, the 301 representer, was successful in his efforts, giving the rap game something different for the moment. Their laid-back vocals are right at home over the record’s spacey production, but there’s no shortage of flexibility in the approach just because the tempo was lulled a bit. Read the rest of this entry »

“Suffering is nothing, no time huffing and puffing/You talk about hell, n*gga I grew up in the oven…”

There isn’t a person on Earth with the ability to convince me 400 Degreez was sub par. As one of my personal favorite LP’s ever recorded, I admire when artists pay homage to the album and with Phil Adé’s newest outing, he does just that. “Something Out Of Nothing” finds the DMV native bobbing and weaving his way through three impressive verses over Juve’s classic “Ha.” Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone has that one ex they wish things would have panned out differently with. It’s life. What makes the situation even worse is seeing (or hearing) about that person with someone else. Talk about a wave of emotions. Last month, Sir Michael Rocks dropped his The Rocks Report mixtape with one of the records being the infidelity sparking, “Exing.” Read the rest of this entry »

Words by C. Paicely

Phil Adé plans to make his Fridays fruitful as he drops his fifth release under the PhilAdeFriday hashtag. Over the past two months the Maryland rhymer has sporadically dropped video remixes of his favorite tracks, such as D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie,” owning them enough to avoid pissing off purists. Read the rest of this entry »

There was a time about two years ago when The Cool Kids could do no wrong. However, that time’s long since passed as the CK masses wait–without held breath–for any sight or sound of When Fish Ride Bicycles. Since disgruntled fans can sample Mr. Inglish’s production tastes on the latest Chip Tha Ripper and Mac Miller mixtapes, Sir Rocks is dishing out his solo debut mixtape, The Rocks Report, to satiate the crowds and keep his name relevant. Read the rest of this entry »

Phil Adé is back with “Used To Be” the first track off his upcoming project A Different World. The upcoming album features guest appearances from Raheem DeVaughn, Mikey Rocks of the Cool Kids, GLC and production from 9th Wonder. Read the rest of this entry »

Phil Adé drops some fresh bars for the new year over Lords of the Underground’s “Funky Child” and he does quite well by shirking the source material’s flow in an effort to make the beat his own. The fried chicken, fries and mambo sauce are just there to remind you where he’s from. Read the rest of this entry »

Words by C. Paicely

While rookie Rock’s first video swept through desolate alleys and avenues, the Chi-town young gun’s latest effort throws us into one of the Windy City’s dimly-lit Hip Hop spots. Joined by Naledge and Phil Ade, we see Rockie rocking a crowd of hazy Caucasians and cuttin’ up with his blazed cohorts backstage, all the while maintaining his increasingly expected lackadaisical demeanor. Read the rest of this entry »

Words by C. Paicely

Rockie Fresh teases us for months with bits and pieces of an upcoming project, and now he’s rewarding us with a holiday gift for all our patience. A dope ass mixtape. Thanks, Rock.

On The Otherside we are presented with an unpolished rapper spiting over polished production from The Cartoonz and the contrast is strangely refreshing and endearing. On “The Worth,” electric guitar riffs echoing behind him, Fresh rolls through compound-syllable rhymes with a matter-of-fact ease that almost dwarfs the beautifully composed music. The intro track, “A.C. Green,” showcases Fresh’s ability to smoothly ride a bass-driven trunk-pounder with clarity and refreshing crudeness, while the clever “Sofa King Cole” displays Rock’s wordplay wizardry and swagger-filled delivery. Even the month-old “Living” feels brand new when tied into the well-sequenced string of songs that make up the mixtape.

“What’s the Hurry” introduced Rock as a rhyming recluse shrouded in darkness, and that aura continues to resonate throughout The Otherside. Fresh is resigned to the solitude that comes with progressing beyond his peers, and flawless production combined with monstrous gusto from the slick-spitting Chicagoan make this free mixtape feel like an organic work of art.

See for yourself and stream/download The Otherside by clicking on the player below.