Tha Day is a smooth lyricist and slick talker from the Rockwood community, which sits between Portland and Gresham. According to Rockwood CDC, the community is Oregon’s most under-resourced and challenged because they are rejected by the cities of Portland and Gresham. Tha Day has it his way by putting on for his side of town through the good, bad, and ugly.
He was inspired to create 187 : A RockWood Story because he noticed the lack of both appreciation and exposure that artists from Rockwood received. Thematically,187th Avenue is also in Rockwood. Throughout the project, Tha Day takes us on an all-day 420 car mission with vivid imagery into the world of his hood. His storytelling skills remind me of an unconventional ethnographer because he observes the surroundings of life and then writes about it.
Out the gate, Tha Day lyrically paints intricately. On Dusk Till Dawn/Socialize he raps, “N*gga I don’t want your style you stole that from me,” and “We keep one at the top cause they say it’s still hot!” The production on his song outros feel laced with pure addictive qualities. Every beat is sickening on the EP and complements the complexities of who he is. Throughout the project, he reflects on his behaviors and personality honestly and nonchalantly. With quick metaphors like, “If it’s a sticky situation then we don’t touch it,” Tha Day has a lot to say in as few words as possible.
One of Tha Day’s favorite songs, and mine as well, from his project is Opposites, where he shows off his alluring singing capabilities (with no autotune). I can see this dreamy song as a national radio banger because it is filled with popular elements. The diverse sounds on 187 : A Rockwood Story aligns with Tha Day’s opinion on Portland’s hip-hop scene, “Trying to describe the Portland Music scene for me would be like trying to ask someone with ADHD to stay still and do one thing. It kind of feels impossible for me because we have so many different reaches and everyone has their own style and are so versatile, but Portland has this way of staying ‘WEIRD’ so I guess that’s the best way for me to lay it out for anyone that doesn’t know,” says Tha Day.
When Tha Day thinks about success, his vision includes his community and the children of tomorrow, “I aspire to be one of the many names they bring up when you talk about Portland. As soon as I’m fully comfortable with where my music career is sitting, I plan on helping the community I grew up in and hopefully build some type of program or boys and girls club for young inspired artists for all subjects, not just music.”
To keep up with Tha Day, follow him on Instagram and YouTube for visuals, new music, and his upcoming show at Shallow Fest.