feature: celebrating outstanding talent from the boston hip-hop scene

I remember when I talked to (I believe) Slaine about why Boston isn’t getting enough attention for their brand of hip-hop. He told me that Boston seemed more known for white people living there, so it will probably never get the same kind of blow-up that New York did. At least not since the days of Ed O.G. and Guru. As a Dorchester native, this is where I have to help out and introduce to the masses some rappers who could use your ears.

By Lightning Pill, AFROPUNK Contributor

Akrobatik: Veteran rapper from Dorchester has one mission and one mission only when he is rapping: use hip-hop as a nintervention for a race that has lost their way, and possibly their sanity to too much turning up. Recently, he put out an album Built to Last, which shows that his topics (death, his heart condition, money issues in Boston), the beats, and his delivery hasn’t weakened in time. If Boston had its own Nas, Akrobatik would be it.

Michael Christmas: Thank goodness for rappers like Das Racist and Open Mike Eagle because if it weren’t for them, who knows if Michael’s brand of hip-hop would be welcomed with open arms? In a way, Michael Christmas is no different from your average rapper: he has bars for days, a wide sense of humor, a knack for pop culture referencing, and he looks like the type to get clowned daily by ladies who fawn over imagining August Alsina’s johnson. The only big difference is that while most rappers will say over and over that they are real, Michael Christmas proves you can’t get realer than admitting you live(d) with your parents, you masturbate, and you love Hot Pockets. It’s no wonder he has gotten so popular, and is now living in New York. If you haven’t heard Is This Art?, then I recommend that you do it with a quickness.

Catch Wreck: Catch Wreck is a different type of rapper. Where Akrobatik may be the type to protest the addition of a new McDonalds, Catch Wreck would probably throw a homemade bomb through the window, hold a revolver in the face of an employee at BET, in hopes that they would cut down on black ignorance or install a virus masquerading as an MP3 on worldstarhiphop. Catch Wreck is a part of the Scope Urban Apparel crew, which pushes positivity and conscious messages in their hip-hop. In Mixtapes such as ADHD and Origins, it’s clear he has plenty of those in spades. Up the black punx!

Dutch Rebelle: Taking a break from talking about rapping dudes, Dutch Rebelle proves that while it isn’t wrong for women to be beautiful while rapping, you don’t have to use your sexuality as a way to go through. Conscious, heartfelt, and confident, something says you will be hearing from Dutch Rebelle sooner than you think.

Finally…

Moe Pope: Moe Pope is the kind of rapper that embraces being alternative. So much that two of his albums have been remixed by producer Rain to fit samples by Depeche Mode and Bjork. Let the Right Ones In looks at Hip-Hop from a songwriter’s perspective, and manages to carve his very own lane in hip-hop, even as one of three members of STL GLD.

These, of course, aren’t the only rappers in Boston, but these are the rappers currently breaking out (or have broke out) of Boston. With hopes, you will not stop here with checking out Boston Hip-Hop.

* Lightning Pill is a blogger, poet, singer-songwriter, composer, Aspie, etc. from Dorchester, MA. You can reach him at www.twitter.com/LightningPill or visit his Afropunk website. His Soundcloud can be found here and his main Bandcamp found here. Also here for the new agers. His new website is coming soon. Don’t be afraid to pass by and say what’s up!