Any list of music that purports to compile the “best of” a specific genre should always come with a disclaimer that identifies it as subjective. For example, in Hip Hop/Rap the field is so full of artists and releases and styles that no single reviewer, no matter how dedicated, could ever be exposed to everything. Even when the focus is on a particular geographical area, the same principal applies. There’s simply too much, not that that’s a bad thing. It’s just that, as DJ Boom pointed out in our “10 Questions 4…” interview with him, as a result of the sheer numbers of artists and entertainers… there’s a lot going on.
So we approach our own ”Best of 2012” list of DC (or DMV as folks from MD and VA like to refer to it) area Hip Hop/Rap videos by narrowing our criteria down to only those we’ve featured in the OnStage Video Showcase and stating upfront that it’s purely subjective. In fact, next week we’ll be back with a completely different list, but this one is our conversation starter. Your responses and comments will guide our follow-up list. Maybe at the end of the exercise we’ll reach a consensus on (Some of) The Best of 2012.
Here’s our first six, in no particular ranking order:
“Fall Back” - Javier Starks, RAtheMC and Phil Ade, edited by House Studios
“Errybody” – Uptown XO produced by AB the Pro, edited by Benji
“The Agenda” – Lyriciss, edited by Chop N Shoot Films
“Secrets” – Young Sir, from I.A.M. Music Group
“Real Live” – GV, Five Star Studios
“Mary Jane” – Boobe ft Violet Says 5, Paul Wall
Everyone who remembers the Marcus J. Moore MTV Hive article listing “The Five Best underground Rappers in DC Right Now” from August 2012 will notice that 4 of his 5 are on our list as well (if you count 2 on the same video). Honestly, there’s not much of an argument to be made with his list. Phil Ade, RAtheMC, Uptown XO, Lyriciss, and Kingpen Slim are 5 very good underground rappers, so there you go. We didn’t showcase the Phil Ade video he posted in his article because it didn’t strike us as a top effort, but we did showcase the RAtheMC video and liked it a lot. We just liked “Fall Back” even more. As OnStage music critic Khari Gzifa noted in his review of The Grace Jones Experiment where the track first appeared, “Phil Ade really brings a lot to “Fall Back” with great lyricism (how many listeners even know what an estuary is) and energy and Javier Starks comes through with terrific flow bouncing between double time and standard with ease.”
With “Errybody” viewers get an opportunity to imagine themselves in the mad energy and excitement of SXSW with Uptown XO and a rowdy crew filming the video. The track is from the critically acclaimed “The Color Gray” mixtape which both Marcus J. Moore and Kevin Nottingham rated highly. “Errybody this, errybody that, we erryday people, so errybody clap.”
The 3 minutes and 40 seconds it takes to listen to “The Agenda” from Lyriciss is so well worth the time. Anybody that calls himself Lyriciss better come with the lyrics and the man just never disappoints. A really nice touch is that throughout the video he strategically throws in text and images just in case anyone is missing the message. It’s a beautiful video, with a DC backdrop. “The Agenda” is from The Balance EP: Money and that entire four part project is so mature and smooth that if you missed it for any reason, but you love Hip Hop, you can’t go wrong investing a few minutes to download and listen to it.
When we reviewed his mixtape, N.E.M. (Nothing Else Matters), the video for “Secrets” hadn’t even begun shooting yet but we said then that the song was our personal favorite. “The heat flow like I came up out the oven…” Indeed. The striking thing about Young Sir is that his potential is unlimited. He’s an inventive lyricist with an easy delivery and is backed by the knowledgeable folks at I.A.M. Music Group.
GV… that’s our folks! We continue to believe you can’t find a rap trio in this area that puts in as much work giving high energy live performances. They go all in on the stage. There is a performance video of Real Live as well, but you get the idea from watching the official video which was filmed on their home turf of Columbia Road. With the geyser of mixtape releases in our area alone it’s not surprising that their mixtape, 3 Da Hard Way, didn’t get as much recognition as it deserved, but for those who missed it it’s definitely worth a download and a listen.
In all of 2012, how many videos did you watch from a DMV artist that featured a mega-hit national artist? That’s why it’s baffling that hometown star Boobe didn’t generate more buzz from the really nice collaboration with Ethan Spaulding of Violet Says 5 and none other than Paul Wall. Their video, “Mary Jane” is a keeper, especially in an area known to celebrate the bud! It’s laid back, beat thumping pleasure throughout. It says something about how addicted DMV music lovers have become to checking out mediocre mid-level MMG wannabees on World Star that they missed this one when it debuted there.