The Musik Lounge

“Music makes me happy...” It’s 3 AM and the rain is falling as I put the needle to the grooves of Evidence’s The Weatherman LP - an album I’ve consistently kept in my ears since its release thirteen years ago. It captures a grimey west coast style of production rarely found on other LA releases. The mood is set via heavy drums, rattling bass and knocking syths. Tunes are bright, banging and uplifting. Samples interspersed with original compositions, a production style that today seems commonplace but was just beginning to evolve upon the album's release. It’s an album for the ages. It’s an album for quarantine. I’m on day 14 of no work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No lies, the first week I treated it like a vacation, processing heartbreak I ignored the warnings and did not practice social distancing one bit. The sun was out in the Pacific Northwest and I stayed surrounded by friends, hitting parks and inviting people over for communal meals. I kept my usual mix ...

Trizz has always been an exciting emcee to me and yet I don't think I've given one of his nine projects a front to back listen. He carries himself like a traditional gangsta rapper with the flagrance of his age and the wisdom of someone whose been through the shit. He embraces his past without glorification - honest bars from a mind molded by the streets. "Thanos" sees him speaking about his bad habits and the people in his circle, flexing his smooth flow over a sparse beat filled with heavy drums and little else. If this doesn't get you to check out his catalog you should probably just walk away now. Off The Basement , which dropped today, it's a great introduction and worthy of your ears.