RMR Fam, welcome back to another musical exploration, encountering artists adept at blending the urban pulse with the easygoing vibes distinctive to the Pacific Northwest. PNW Rising is here for y’all to encapsulate the essence of the region. So, join us as we delve into compelling hip-hop artists like KT Lavish, OhsosuckaK, and Pure Art that emanate the area’s talent.
Crissy P “Another 24”
“Another 24” by Crissy P definitely gives an inspirational tone about all possibilities the new year can bring while staying true to who the artist is. The beat is gradual and smooth, which is perfect for when you want to take the day to just lounge and vibe. The song’s theme and instrumentals are exactly what you want to reflect about how hard you want to hustle to get the things you want in life.
KT Lavish “LESSONS”
KT Lavish gets into some real shit right here as he talks on violence in the scene. It’s a hard subject to address, and he even says so in his bars with how people act like they don’t know what’s going on. The music video stays just as dark with scenes including gravesites and blood. Bringing awareness to something so dark may be heavy, but KT Lavish feels it’s necessary.
OsosuckaK “INFRARED”
A song starting with a big piano flourish that stays consistent throughout, “INFRARED” is all about intuition. In other words, OsosuckaK is one of those wallflower types. While he may not say much about it, he’s paying attention to those that may be doing him wrong. I see the last few seconds of the recording with the rapper repeating his bars without any instrumentals as a way to make sure people are really paying attention to this warning that he’ll know if you’re not real.
Jigga City “Feels Like Home”
Jigga City is holding it down for South Seattle in this music video. “Feels Like Home” is the anthem for traveling artists that live the good life but at the end of the day, where you come from stays unmatched. The video shows a lot of getting lit and having a good time with the message remaining the same. There really is no place like home.
Jammabands “Never Ends”
You know it’s special when you find that one that makes you ghost anyone else that tries to get with you. Clearly, Jammabands is the type to go out of his way to make time for the one he loves. This just goes to show you ladies and gentlemen: At the end of the day, if they wanted to, they absolutely would. The music video is pretty dope to with its retro home video vibes.
Lil Boof “Sport Mode”
A song about the lavish lifestyle, Lil Boot knows exactly what he’s about. The rapper has a standard that he sticks by and will not settle for less. Additionally, he’s made that clear in his music video as he shows off his stacks, bottles, and luxurious Mercedes. The beat to this tune is also pretty clean and giving timeless hip-hop moods.
Damon Elbert “Love”
This melodic hip-hop ballad chronicles the ups and downs of a complicated relationship. An unpredictable, hot and cold kind of relationship can be passionate but extremely frustrating. This is something Damon Elbert seems to be very familiar with. There’s something about the slowed down pace with his vocals that does a really good job of showing the pain behind this kind of love.
cr1tter “pacman”
The effortless and catchy flow coming from cr1tter shows off just as much charm as it does talent. There’s an element of dark pop and electronica that make the song sound like haunting background music for a video game. This is more than likely intentional due to the song title, and the cleverness doesn’t just end there. The analogies throughout her lyricism show off cr1tter’s wittiness.
Pure Art “Out This Summer”
The eighth track from Unapologetic, “Out This Summer” has a mixture of classical instrumentals along with hip-hop and afro-beats. It’s a passionate track about a passionate relationship with someone so irresistible that you definitely see a future with them. However, it’s because of how incredible the relationship is going, Pure Art doesn’t feel like he needs to rush things either.
Keep in mind, we’ll keep bringing in more rounds of PNW Rising every week for the region’s most lit rap releases for our Spotify playlist. For all you talented hip-hop artists in the region, send us your work, and we’d be happy to feature them in future listicles!
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