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Every week, Arts Desk’s hip-hop writers drop news, music, culture—and generally put you on game.
Tweet Streets
DMV artists tweeted overwhelming support for President Barack Obama Tuesday afternoon: Fat Trel was hilarious. Black Cobain was indignant at the wait. Local native, writer, and Board Administration publicist Angela Byrd surveyed the scene at her polling station: “Mitt don’t have the hoods…” Oddisee‘s Mello Music Group was encouraging, yet self-promotional. Bowie, Md., X-Factor alum Marcus Canty was wholly enthusiastic. Veteran DJ Big Tigger employed the editorial we. Darren Harper hopped on the bandwagon. Kane Mayfield hated on Fox News. —-Ramon Ramirez
Trel Limit Soldier
Things seemed pretty normal for rapper Fat Trel this past Halloween. That was until a random all-caps tweet sent his followers into a tizzy. “MY NEXT BIG DECISION IZ 4 MY FAMILY & COMPANY!!!,” Trel tweeted. “FUKKK WHU DONT LIKE IT #NOLIMIT.” Yes—-that No Limit, the Master P-owned record label that helped launch the careers of Lil Wayne and Mystikal.
Apparently, Master P has enlisted Trel and Chicago rapper Chief Keef for a song on his upcoming Al Capone mixtape. So the speculation continues: Is Fat Trel signing with No Limit? The Fat One’s been bubbling in D.C. for a little while now, so a deal would be a good look, even if No Limit isn’t nearly the label it was 14 years ago. —-Marcus J. Moore
Phil Da Phuture’s Phronting
Phil Da Phuture, a member of Raheem DeVaughn‘s 368 Music Group, just dropped a mixtape called Louder Than You. It’s brash and hilarious, and full of songs that tout dude’s sexual exploits: “My Dick” is about his hardworking penis; “Take Your Clothes Off” features a smooth R&B hook from Big Perm; “Running Back” is an ode to the women that traffic his drugs. “More Bags” demands more vacuum-cleaner bags. I’m not hip enough to decode that, but there’s a good chance it’s about transporting illegal substances. The beats are solid, the raps are better. —-RR
Laelo Smokes Good
In a City Paper write-up this past summer, we mentioned how rapper Laelo loves weed. It’s a topic he revisits constantly, in rhymes or his Twitter feed. In his recently released video for “The Smoke Out,” Laelo takes his love to another level: He plays a poker game with members of local rock band Violet Says 5, and totes a Cheech-and-Chongesque bong while asking for the number to the pizza guy (“We need like 10 large pepperoni cheese pizzas,” he says at one point). Elsewhere, he sits on a weight bench and gets a tattoo. Somehow, it all works. —-MJM