Fine Art Friday: Marco Oliva

Arizona based illustrator and artist Marco Oliva (one half of design duo HOBO STEW) recently secured the cover artwork for the upcoming Murs and Curtiss King collaborative EP entitled "Shut Your Trap", which combines Murs style over trap style beats which pays homage to his Bay Area roots and also toys with the listening audience's expectations of what "trap music" should be and sound like.

Marco's work combines the feel of graffiti with more modern illustration techniques, using bold colors and stylized figures as the central features in his work. Check out the samples here and the portfolio on his site (link below) and get a peek at an artist who breaks from the trend of overly Photoshopped photo portraits (which he can do also) and Hollywood style excess for a more hip hop style which works much better.

ARTIST WEBSITE
http://www.marcoso.com/portfolio.html

Video: Sa-Roc - "True Mastery"

Female emcee's are so rare these days, that when a good one comes along, I do my best to help promote them. I stumbled upon the work of Sa-Roc, an emcee who uses her knowledge of self to flex quality lyrics over fitting, boom-bappish beats, provided by Sol Messiah. since she hails from DC and I know the quality of hip hop coming from the DMV area, I am glad to pass along the latest video from Sa-Roc entitled "True Mastery". Check it out and support quality female emcee's who choose not to rap about sex and money or make Fire Marshall Bill voices to gain notoriety.

DOWNLOAD LINK
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/true-mastery-single/id799163884

Listen: The Nope (Psy X Moka Only) - "Sinus" EP

Canadian/American duo The Nope (Psy of the Oddities and Moka Only) recently dropped a collabo project of jazzy, mellow tracks that showcases the approach that both emcee's are known for and offers a fun and consistent listen for fans of the anti-everything vibe. The Nope asks not to be taken too serious and pays homage to the days when not-every-mc rapped about trap activity and drugs. The combo of Moka's soulful off-kilter production and both Psy and Moka's playful lyricism is aimed at fans of early-to-mid 90s hip hop but with more of audio curve ball for the masses.

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://urbnet.bandcamp.com/album/sinus-ep

Video: Jake One - Behind The Beat

Though this clip is certainly not new, I always enjoy watching some of the producers I respect break down the create process behind their work. Jake One dropped a video overview of his contribution to the Chance The Rapper "Acid Rain" project and recreates the sounds live on camera. Inspiration for all the beat heads and a sneak peak at the studio magic that most people ignore when listening. Get yo learn on!

Listen: Chris Faust X Donwill - "Black Manta"

Donwill (of Tonya Morgan) recently linked with Chris Faust and producer Hannibal King for the track "Black Manta". Showcasing the laid back and jazzy approach to "world domination" of each emcee's style on the track, the single is the first offering off the third chapter of Chris Faust's VILLAIN project, released this past winter. Nice chill track to digest on a cold winter's day.

DOWNLOAD LINK
https://soundcloud.com/faust-4/chris-faust-black-manta-1