This may come to a surprise to absolutely no one, but I’m not perfect.
One of the wonderful things about the Northwest music scene is that there’s so much good music being made here. That said, there’s no way I can catch everything when it comes out. So I’ve decided to post a few links to songs that may have missed if you depend on WOHM for your NW music fix. I grabbed a few that stood out to me and took suggestions from Twitter, but I can guarantee there are more gems that haven’t crossed my ear.
Feel free to sound off with more suggestions of NW music that you like but we may not have heard or on pretty much anything else for that matter. I consider this an opportunity for everyone to learn, so in (almost) no particular order…
Amnesia [VIDEO] – Cally Reed ft. Blossom
No coincidence that this is the first song on my list. I swear this is not a ranked list, but Amnesia is a super dope track to me featuring the softer side of Tacoma tough-guy rapper Cally Reed and the sweet croonings of Portland’s tropical starlet, Blossom. An instantly hypnotic tune, I actually saw this over the summer and delayed on posting in order to plot on a fancier than normal release… which I obviously never got to. Till now, I guess!
LIVEWIRE [Album] – Spac3man
Airplane Mode Gang’s live show assassin Spac3man put out a super high-energy project this summer, boasting his lyrical chops over club-happy, EDM-friendly production. Repetitive hooks and synth-heavy beats power the feel of this project which can be overwhelming if you’re not ready for the turn up. Spac3 also does a remarkable job of shouting out his region, city and clique on every track. No joke. Track 8, Fonky, is probably my favorite. Give it a spin for yourself on the way to the #TheTHESIS tonight.
Cops On My Back [VIDEO] – Silas Blak
To go the complete opposite direction, Cabin Games recording artist Silas Blak put together a thoughtful song/video in Cops On My Back back in August. The song, while lyrical, leans heavily on subject matter (MESSAGE!) and works well with the somber beat on which it lies. This was brand new to me as of yesterday so big ups to Daniel for the lead!
SQD members Tugg & Heff are fun af to listen to. With a Soundcloud page full of random tracks that go, 2 Man is probably my favorite… and I’d venture the 16K listeners that got there before me would mostly agree. Light-hearted bad-boy bars interspersed with NBA references and delivered with extreme precision make this one go, but stick around and dig through the catalog. There are some really decent remixes in there, indicating that these guys could be factors with the right production.
Rich & Lonely [VIDEO] – Mackned ft. Nacho Picasso
Listen, I was busy this summer. I’m not sure whether I feel guilty that I hadn’t heard this before or mad that no one sent it to me. I don’t do a lot of depressed music, but this goes super hard and leaves me feeling like 3 minutes wasn’t enough. I should rephrase that, but whatever… There’s also a super ill light saber battle scene worked into the gloriously based visual that you must peep. So… go ahead.
This Evening [AUDIO] – King Leez ft. Gifted Gab & Dougie Jay
I’ve been taking my sweet time getting into the music of King Leez. A very popular artist in Tacoma and beyond, he’s been making major moves this year. This collab with Gifted Gab and Dougie Jay somehow slipped past my radar, despite being exactly the kind of music I like to listen to. No problem. Added it to my Soundcloud “Likes” and so should you. A perfect combination of thoughtfulness and musicianship, This Evening is a standout. Should have posted this months ago!