Most Slept on MCs of All Time pt. 2 - The Last Emperor

Late 90s, early 2000s The Last Emperor, Jamal Gray,  was  one of the hottest unsigned freshmen emcees in the game. He started recording his demos in 1997, after college he moved from Philly to New York to get on. New York in the 90s was an incubator for an unparalleled avalanche of amazing artists, and the recording industry was paying attention. Every major label A&R department cajoled or coerced their staff into attending open mics and taking notes on the performers, as well as hiring uninformed pedestrians that replied to help wanted ads. Their singular goal was to secure a sign-up deal with an artist and begin a development phase to see how marketable and skilled he/she was. Signing allowed the label to have control over the talent and prevent them from being approached by their competitors, while providing little to no security for the artist. More often than not they were cut loose with nothing to show for their efforts, having spent the bonus check and missed the opportunity with another label.  Populating a roster like this can get expensive quickly but remains, to this day, the industry standard if budget allows. This was an all-or-nothing game with incredible stakes, where being at the right place at the right time could turn the nameless kid at an open mic into the next Pras or Silkk the Shocker. 

The Minneapolis Sound - Part 2 / Atmosphere - Mi Vida Local [320Kbps]

Slug and Ant return with 'Mi Vida Local.' Their newest album builds off the unique sound and feel they have been cultivating over a 20 year span and truly is a testament to Atmosphere's commitment to create independent, earnest, and honest music that I will not listen to.

Slug demonstrates his ability to reverse a vehicle as his soul patch valiantly attempts to reverse the aging process

The Minneapolis Sound - Part 1

 First time I stepped foot in Minneapolis was about the time Rhymesayers was solidifying as a unit and not just a concept. I rode up there with my main dude Phil in the back of an old, decommissioned bread truck that had (kinda) been converted into a tour bus for Code XIII, the flagship band for a [very] different independent record label in the Twin Cities, and MVPs of the century for letting two drunk hobos they just met to share that cramped box truck all the way there from Chicago. As we helped unload the band equipment and offer our debts of sincerest gratitude Felix acquainted us with Uptown Minneapolis and directed us toward the intersection of Hennepinn & Lake  in what I would generously describe as a walking tour without the walk which had been  truncated at the outset, then abbreviated beyond usefulness once our journey together had reached it's natural end. Parting ways, Phil and I gave our final farewells over heavily-laden shoulders, invigorated by our good fortune and the adventures that lay before us. 

Minneapolis belies it's conservative roots with progressive social programs and a regional culture that feels more "Left Coast" than "Endless wasteland of shredded corn stalk remnants in varying states of decay frozen in time by the brutal arctic winters, rustic log cabin BnBs,  and water towers painted like corn  sharing the horizon with grain silos filled with corn ," and has become a model for urban renewal in the region.   

 I wouldn't compare the street culture to anything on the East coast, but there was a lot more activity than I expected. And it was a diverse group, very diverse, I'm talkin skateboard kids, girls with dreadlocks making bracelets, a duu was pushing his mixtape, a couple older native guys were crushing a jug of Cool Mint Listerine, and there were train tracks not far away you could cool at and smoke at. We ended up staying there 2 weeks I think before we moved on, but first impressions.... Minneapolis in 1996 was dope. Def makes sense it has become such a powerful epicenter of culture, it's a beautiful city, badass uptown & downtown, plus there's nothing else nearby.

 Nicknamed the "Mini Apple," Minneapolis has been the testing grounds for unique, off-beat sounds since the late 70's, with roots going much further back to the early 19th century., when nights by the fire staring off into the endless vistas of inhospitable frozen tundra inspired an original folk music style  that   fused their traditional instruments and vocals with the rhythms from the neighboring tribes such as the Sioux and Chippewa. The roots aren't immediately recognizable, but the Twin Cities have a sound and culture unlike anywhere else.