The latest evidence of that is The Lullaby Goodbye. The newest project from OKC-by-way-of-Arkansas rapper Joe Average reads like the offspring of Kid Cudi and Citizen Cope, a soulful record that recalls Belize as much as Brooklyn. “The Reaching,” an assured bonfire ballad that sounds like the few moments before falling asleep, is bookended by […]
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Big Worm — Bench All-Stars
His music is so far removed from the East Coast/West Coast style of hip-hop that with each subsequent release, Oklahoma rappers are forging their own coast — Red Dirt Coast, if you will. After spinning this album, I’m pretty sure Worm could be the mayor of the Red Dirt Coast. And why not? With their […]
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Norman Music Festival 6: Day 3
Best Time Warp: JD McPherson For about an hour, Norman wasn’t in the year 2013, but instead 1953. Broken Arrow native JD McPherson has turned the success of his debut, Signs & Signifiers, into spots on Conan and more, and Norman got a chance to see just what it is NPR and the like have […]
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Breezy Burnz — Product of My Enlightenment
While he recalls Odd Future and Childish Gambino (“Beautiful,” “Rappin’ Ass”) in some moments, and Drake and Kendrick Lamar (the remarkably produced “Everything I Want,” “Ask Me If I …”), Burnz is very much his own rapper. He’s a lewd and crude dude — cheeky at moments, more thoughtful in others — but seemingly most […]
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MilitantxMindz — #RIOT
It’s times like this we need those enlightened messages more than ever, and yet, they’re exceedingly harder to find. Enter MilitantxMindz, a collective of “artists, freedom fighters and poets” who are starting a revolution right here in Oklahoma. And the revolution sounds pretty damn good. “Rebel Life” is right on par with the most choice […]
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Dewey decimate
Aka Jesse McDermott, Binns was born in New Mexico, but ended up in Lawton via a baseball scholarship to Cameron University. Although he still lives in Lawton, Oklahoma City is his musical home. “I kind of think of Dewey Binns as kind of a character I’ve created,” he said. “It’s definitely Oklahoma City-based, as far […]
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aDD it up
“I try to balance drawing, graphic design and music. I use each to feed my creativity,” he said. “My first love was art. I’ve been drawing practically my whole life. That turned into a passion for graphic design. I really enjoy being able to express myself through art; it may be through words, pictures or […]
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Spyda “the Wise Musician” — Mr. Metaphor
Yes, it’s filled with the typical big-balls braggadocio that has become a hallmark of most hip-hop, but what makes Spyda’s album so refreshing is the way he backs those balls up: He has a sound harder than anything on the radio right now. In a world of punk-ass Tiger Beat tween faves like Drake and […]
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Street cred
In grade school, a lot of us were too busy playing Nintendo and sipping Capri Sun to even think about attempting anything artistic. But not Jabee Williams, aka Oklahoma City rapper Jabee. “I wrote my first rap when I was 7. That’s when I started,” Jabee said. “It just went on from there. I went […]
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SXSW 2013: Guardant / The Del Toros / The Kamals / Josh Sallee
It only took Guardant 30 seconds to win me completely over to its team. The quintet’s hyperactive, quirky dance pop is simply irresistible. The group head-bobbed, shared microphones, switched instruments, clapped for each other, clapped in songs, and generally had as much fun as possible. Its incredibly peppy sound was anchored by herky-jerky keyboards, speedy […]