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Fat Trel: Deal or No Deal?
Next Wednesday, Fat Trel finally celebrates the release of his SDMG mixtape in D.C. with a release concert at the Howard Theatre. At the show, I hope Trel finally addresses the rumored deal with Maybach Music Group and Roc Nation, kind of like I hoped he addressed it at Trillectro last month. A hometown concert seems like the appropriate setting to announce your latest big news.
Let’s also hope that this show is nothing like Trel’s New York City mixtape release party, where four people were shot at SOB’s before the rapper even took the stage.
The Howard Theatre show begins at 8 p.m. and doors open at 6 p.m.; tickets are $17.50 in advance and $22.50 the day of. Because the show was rescheduled from this past Tuesday to next week, all tickets for the original date will be honored. —-Julian Kimble
Jahi Chambers, Time Traveler
D.C.-based Jahi Chambers has produced tracks for Phil Adé, Neako, and others, but he raps, too. “Seven Slaves” is one of several tracks the boom-bap acolyte dropped in the last week, and it’s easily the most impressionistic. The title characters seem like they could be in the Django realm, but the narrative shifts away to reveal a modern-day head absorbed with Wallabees, pro wrestling, and a Neferteri look-alike. Smooth. —-Joe Warminsky
Phil Ade “Devil is a Lie”
It’s been a little over a month since Phil Ade released R.O.S.E., his first mixtape in nearly two years, but the Maryland rapper isn’t taking time to bask in the glory of his return. He recently released “Devil is a Lie,” a introspective track where he reflects on moments he wishes he could take back: “I should’ve never hopped in that whip with those packs/Went and fucked that chick with no strap/Listened to all these niggas that don’t rap/Somebody tell time ‘Bring that ass back.'” He later raps, “My worst fear is being the man that made me.” Ade is joined by Ice the Villain, who’s also searching for guidance, confessing to being “frightened by the truth in [his] music.” It’s relatable for anyone who’s felt cornered by life at some point.—-JK
The Choppy Fam’s Back Catalog
It’s kinda shameful that we didn’t have much to say about Choppy Chop-e Sound until this year. Before he made the best beats on the latest Black Indian mixtape, and before he released his own sonically adventurous Virgin Ears a couple of weeks ago, he had a long résumé as an underground producer. His brother, Mercury Waters (who’s now based in North Carolina), also has been at it for awhile. Recommended for deep divers: For Choppy, check out 2005’s Bamboo’s Resurrection. For Mercury, check out the 2010 video for “Pavement Pain.” —-Joe Warminsky
Fat Trel photo by Darrow Montgomery