
‘Introducing’ is a weekly feature highlighting new and upcoming artists from the world of electronic music. Every Sunday we are proud to present a musician worth their salt, who is pushing bounds, making waves, is undiscovered, under-appreciated, or about to blow up, and most importantly, is making music people will be talking about six months from now. Hip-hop music is in a very positive place right now (#TYBG). Legions of talented, young rappers are embracing a wider range of subject matter, production styles, and vocal techniques. It seems that the era of 'bling' has finally come [...]
One of the last times we saw Shady Blaze, he was rapping through streets of Oakland in the video for "Intro Quick Time." In the Zachg-directed clip for "Green Ova To The Top," he's joined ... read more

DOWNLOAD I’ve posted so little rap on Smoke Don’t Smoke , you could probably count the amount of posts on one hand. That’s why the past month or so has been so odd for me. Not that I don’t like rap, but about a month ago, I started getting an influx of rap submissions in my various inboxes. Email, Soundcloud dropbox, lots of “wassups” on Twitter. The first couple were cool, and I was glad to get some different stuff, and it was easy to chalk it up to the [...]
Shady Blaze wake up. Shady Blaze stretch. Shady Blaze cut up the paper. Shady Blaze break up the dro. Shady Blaze be grouchy. Shady Blaze light it up. Shady Blaze feel better. Shady Blaze go to the store. Shady Blaze handle beef in the streets. Shady Blaze trust no one. Shady Blaze observe things. Shady Blaze write things down. Shady Blaze drink Henny. Shady Blaze rap lightning. Shady Blaze rap good. Shady Blaze be problem. Shady Blaze want Maserati. Shady Blaze be deserving. Via Steady B Download: [...]
A member of Main Attrakionz’ Green Ova family, Oakland's Shady Blaze is the rapid-firing counterpart to Squadda B and MondreM.A.N.’s drowsy, ambling flows. "Intro Quick Time" is the opening cut from his The Grind, Hustle, ... read more
The Oakland-based, perma-stoned Green Ova rap crew doesn't much care whether you're listening or not, or at least that's the impression I get. The crew, anchored by the duo Main Attrakionz, had a relatively big year in 2011: Appearing on ASAP Rocky's LIVELOVEA$AP , working extensively with producer-of-the-moment Clams Casino, seeing their murk-rap aesthetic take over the internet-rap underground. But they continued to crank out vast volumes of music faster than any human being could reasonably be expected to process. But every one of their releases demands at least a listen or two, and the best ones (Main Attrakionz' [...]

Still riding the success of last year's magnificent LP ' No Plans ', Halifax native and progressive hip-hop producer Ryan Hemsworth has generously released upon us a brand new EP entitled ' Kitsch Genius '. 2011 was a big year for Mr. Hemsworth to say the least. He produced several tracks for the up-and-coming Green Ova rapper Shady Blaze, remixed the legendary ' BasedGod', and his instrumental LP ' No Plans ' even earned him a spot on Spin Magazine's 20 Best R&B Albums of 2011 Feature (It's described as [...]
Man, I have to hand in my late pass. Shady Blaze and the rest of the Green Ova Underground crew have been on my radar this year, but I've been [...]

SVCK THV BVRON$ DICK 4 2011 20. Kissin Pink by ASAP Rocky featuring ASAP Ferg Needless to say, The Baron is a connoisseur of chronic and narcotic. This being his highness' nightlife anthem since its release. The Baron's often found leanin' smokin' a blunt while drunkenly rapping along to ASAP Ferg's verse. Seriously Ferg sounds like he was birthed by a Muppet, or is Barry White's swag ass nephew. 19. Hold Me Down by Chip Tha Ripper Another [...]
Click image to download full album Sounds like: A$AP Rocky, Co$$, Lil B "Main Attrakionz - Perfect Skies" What's so good? Of all the current batch of rappers that can’t legally drink at clubs yet, Main Attrakionz has the most potential. I’ve lauded them on here previously, but their newest project 808 and Dark Grapes II is by far their most [...]
Click image to download full album Sounds like: A$AP Rocky, Co$$, Lil B "Main Attrakionz - Perfect Skies" What's so good? Of all the current batch of rappers that can’t legally drink at clubs yet, Main Attrakionz has the most potential. I’ve lauded them on here previously, but their newest project 808 and Dark Grapes II is by far their most [...]
Last year, right around the time summer turned to fall, we at Stereogum published our list of the 40 best new bands of the year . The idea of a "new" band is a pretty nebulous one, since many of the kids we listed were probably planning out their musical ventures in their basements since they were 11, but these were all artists who started to make a dent in our collective consciousness last year. This year, we've got another crop of 40 new artists who deserve your attention. So here we go again. A few clarifications [...]
During last night’s epic journey through depths of the rap internets I came across the personal website of one Ryan Hemsworth. I followed dude on Twitter off the strength of his ill Stephen Hawking background picture and kept it moving. I wake up this morning, check Twitter, and literally the first tweet I see is from Ryan announcing the release of Distorted , a collaborative album with Green Ova Undergrounds associate Shady Blaze. I’m a new convert to the clique (went apeshit ham over Main Attrakionz’s Black be [...]

If you hadn't noticed yet, I'm not really one for lyrics. They just seem to go over my head. In combination with my lack of rap knowledge, I'm pretty much judging this mixtape on the beats, which are awesomely weird. They are so ill-fitted to the vocals, yet somehow perfect. They basically end up being warped, experimental electronica tracks, which Green Ova Undergrounds dug up and started rapping over. It's hard to explain so, as usual, it's best to listen to it for yourself. Download here .
Substance très subtile que l'on supposait remplir la plus haute région de l'air.Main Attrakionz - I'm backEn attendant the Big One.Lil B - Open thunder eternal slumber

Click image to download full album Sounds like: Lil B, Danny Brown, Too Short "Main Attrakionz - Young As Fuck pt. II" What's so good? Rap is no country for old men. Nas was 16 when he first set the underworld of rap on fire. Mobb Deep were 19 while creating their classic, The Infamous album. By 20, J Dilla had formed his [...]

Within Oakland's Green Ova Underground crew, Main Attractionz attract most of the attention. "Attention" being relative to the minor maze of the rap blog world. If what I'm saying doesn't make any sense, allow me to point you to Yours Truly's new video that breaks down the group and their home terrain. But for zip's worth, Shady Blaze remains the most consistently compelling of the set. Lately, he's been rapping at a ferocious clip, both stylistically and in terms of his output. Rappers ain't Shit Without a Producer is his second mixtape in the [...]
Fol Chen is a band on Asthmatic Kitty, Sufjan Stevens' record label. They fall vaguely into the indie rock universe, with wonky electronics and a circus music curiosity against bright and sharp female vocals. One ... read more

" Main Attract cloud rap/lo-fi indie rap, dog I'm fucking with that." - Danny Brown. You can infer a few things from the above quote. The first is that The Hybrid probably burns through as many blogs as he does blunts. The second is that we're stuck with the "cloud rap" designation for the time being. But as far as music writer-coined genres go, you could do a lot worse. For one thing, Green Ova Underground, Clams Casino, and whatever obscurity Tumblr is touting this week, make music that sounds like it should be called cloud rap: [...]