Jean Watts is back with pink hair and a new sound that gives you all the feels. “Feel The Same” & “Evicted” have a similar vibe, and progress from one to the other like two chapters in a story. The first single “Feel The Same” is like that part of a relationship where things are stuck, and you know that something major has to change. Then “Evicted” is the reality of that change where you’re left with yourself, feeling the empty space that was once something positive.
The “Feel The Same” music video above really adds visually to the overall message of breaking free from the stuck, unnatural, and limiting patterns that keep us down. The old car is like a metaphor for what’s really old and not working in our lives. There comes a point where we literally have to bust through the windows, and throw a Molotov cocktail to burn it all to the ground.. because we’re done feeling the same stuck energy over and over again. It’s an empowering and numbing feeling at the same time.
“Evicted” feels a bit more sad, because it’s the aftermath from setting fire to the old, and then reminiscing of all the good memories it had. I like this holographic-esque video for its clean simplicity. It really illustrates that glitchy transformation period that happens in solitude after we’ve been evicted from something that we once loved. “Evicted” is a space of re-definition that begins a new chapter for us to evolve into something greater.
Both singles have great production by @infbuckets “Feel The Same” and @Macgregorleo “Evicted”, which give Jean a melancholic yet empowered backdrop to her full and soulful melodies. I’m happy to hear Jean’s sound evolve and mature over the years, and am looking forward to the next chapter of this story. Stay tuned @JeanWatts!
Probably my favorite slow jam drop of the last few months was actually via the rising Chicago artist I’ve known more as a rapper/producer over the years: Eddie Supa. My point is: that’s saying something! Supa’s got a slept on hit in my opinion with this new-age blues and sax production with the relatable lyrics that hit home.
Now the “Love Again [remix]” has a cool edge to it with the VR touch to the music video. The futuristic, dark color palette is enhanced by touches of neon (the Tron-esque installation in Congruent Space) and from Supa’s cool aesthetic himself. Get familiar as Supa’s wave will only grow larger this year.
Bars. And now visuals from the Chicago emcee/producer Eddie Supa. It’s like a real-life anime as Supa charges up with some added effects via Editor Supa himself (video shot by: Berny Echeverria). Dope pump-up song and now the quick-hitting visual to match. Won’t even take a couple minutes of your time… press play.
Ladies, gents… looking for those Valentine’s Day tunes but tired of the ordinary ones? Scroll no further (except for the full EP) as Stan Sono has dropped not one, but two new visuals for a couple standouts from Fantasies. This is the way to keep the buzz hot: steamy visuals to follow up the music.
“sexy” means each body is magnificent in its own way 💖✨
I mean, Yasiin has been tellin’ us for years. Last night though, @hetalbot and I were lucky enough to see it, first-hand live. (And yup, we got there early to get up front for these clips!)
The show began on a refreshingly odd note. Yasiin spray-painted “Oysters” on the blank canvas below the DJ booth and then continued to ceremoniously drape his performance space with rose petals. The vibe set, Yasiin went into “Life in Marvelous Times” fittingly over one of Kanye’s most iconic album intros, “Good Morning”. One of my Graduation favorites, “I Wonder”, soon followed.
Here are clips of mash-ups like “Ms Fat. Booty” over “Devil in a New Dress” (that definitely worked), “Mathematics” over “New God Flow”, and “Quiet Dog” over “Black Skinhead” that, in portion due to that beat at high volume in-person, was one of the hypest moments of the show. Little things like Yasiin’s dances and how the DJ would drop the music and let Yasiin’s echo close out almost every song made the show even that much more fun and polished. Clips can only do so much, but these are ones I’ll be rewatching years to come and transplanting myself back to January 13th in downtown L.A.
After this smooth jam, Yasiin just stood to the side… the beat dropped… and out came Talib Kweli rapping the first verse of “Get By”. Surprise: flawlessly executed. Like seriously, the pause, the initial confusion of “what is happening?!”, and the euphoria of the crowd as we rapped every word. A hip hop show bucket list has always been seeing Black Star perform together, and in one glorious moment, I could ✅ next to that. The clip I got doesn’t do it 100% justice, but just because no one had their phone out for the surprise drop.
What better way to end your glimpse at what turned out to be one hour and 20 minutes of raw hip hop. Yasiin hopped from one song to the next, and only missed a word when he chose to stylistically sing it for a reverberating echo within The Regent.
Yasiin thanked us for the most valuable thing we can offer to each other: our time and took a well-deserved bow and victory dance to the festive “Tudo Que Você Podia Ser” (now in my rotation too, lol.)
Now if only we had roses to throw to him at the end. Bravo! 👏👏🌹🌹
BONUS:
@hetalbot started all the post-show footage with the top-rated post on r/hiphopheads so scroll through here for more fan clips, commentary from other attendees, and even links to more of Yasiin’s catalogue (see: REcstatic).
Please credit GWHH & @hetalbot for any re-sharing of the videos (and check out my personal post on the show @sgt.tibs !)
Lastly, I was unable to get footage, but here’s a dope one of the other surprise guest: Fatlip from Pharcyde performing “Passing Me By”. And a shoutout to Supernatural (freestyling king), Oakland R&B singer ASTU, and DJ Trauma for opening the show in reverse order. Supernatural got everyone hype with rhymes touching on the first few rows. ASTU had everyone in their feels with a few of her sultry tunes. And DJ Trauma had multiple DJ sets to transition it all together: namely the highly entertaining, sample-only set that became a fun guessing game of what sample associated with what classic hip hop song. We got the full hip hop experience… just another Sunday night in LA. 😎
OK, one more… “The Rape Over” from Yasiin’s 2004 album, The New Danger.
Gowhere Hip Hop 