Veteran Seattle producer and emcee Brainstorm just dropped a surprise EP aptly titled Outta Nowhere.
What fans thought may have been a string of loose singles released from the artist ended up being a full project. While we previously had heard “Ugly” featuring Sev from Dyme Def, Brain had posted just a week ago about being back in his bag and the pen was flowing. While Brainstorm has been on his Heartbreak Brain campaign the last few releases, he takes a step back from the more melodic vibes to spit a little more straight rapping into the microphone.
It’s hard to form words around the most anticipated track on an album we didn’t even know was coming, but Brain had teased the record “Air Max 90s” just a few days ago. Any collaboration between Fatal Lucciauno and Brainstorm is one to look out for (like “Domestic Violence,” this record is crazy), but the context behind “Air Max 90s” is juicy.
Fellow Blap Gang producer Rob Reeves sent Larry June some beats a while back and then Larry ended up releasing a record produced by Cardo Got Wings that used the exact same sample chop as well as an incredibly similar drum pattern as Rob’s beat. Personally, I know the same samples may be used fairly often but this one definitely sounds stolen with the full context.
The second half of the project features pieces of the Heartbreak Brain vibes with some melody-driven hooks and R&B chord splashes but the vast majority of 16s on this project are rapper driven which is a testament to Brain’s versatility and skill. One of these that stands out to me is “OnOurOwn.” A shorter joint with sunny day vibes, something perfect for the DIY hustlers out pushing for their goals on one of these last few days of summer in Seattle.
Rapper, producer, singer, A&R, and beat battle champion are just a few of the titles Brain has held in the over the past 365 days and his career is even more illustrious. Outta Nowhere finds Brain at a great place of enjoying music and touching on the mindset of pushing from the ground up while enjoying time on task.
