It's a well kept secret (unfortunately) that the Tampa Bay area is home to a gang of talented hip hop artists. For the most part, the world at large hears very little from these cats. However, over the course of the last few years, there has been some noise bubblin' outta Tampa.
Celph Titled has probably made the most impact with projects from The Demigodz, Army Of The Pharoahs, Jedi Mind Tricks, Apathy, Boss Hog Barbarians, & Fort Minor to name just a few. In addition,
Surreal has appeared on the CMJ charts with his collaborations with DJ Balance and The Sound Providers, as well as appearances with Braille, Othello, Ohmega Watts and others. Sadly both these talented artists had to leave Tampa to make a name for themselves. Lately, artists like
Breakdown,
Laws,
Eyeznpowa, The
Rukus,
Dutchmassive,
Majik Most,
The Basiqs and others have started to be heard outside of the Bay and their voices will hopefully reverberate back so Tampa can finally get some much deserved shine.
Now I say all of that to say this, in an effort to blow up the spot for Tampa, my man
DJ Ran Mecca has recently released an amazing EP! It's called "
Warwick Beat Science Presents: The Push EP." I cannot praise this project enough. The entire EP is produced by Ran Mecca and features Tampa Bay emcees from start to finish. If you're a fan of Stone's Throw Records, Madlib, J. Dilla, Black Milk, or Platinum Pied Pipers then this EP is for you. If you like dope and dusty beats and well chopped and placed samples then this EP is for you. If you love dope cuts then this EP is for you. If you are a human who breathes oxygen and hears sounds then THIS EP IS FOR YOU!!!!
If you can't tell I'm pretty hyped about this release and if you ever check this blog or listen to my radio show then I assume you generally respect my opinion. If you do then please do yourself a favor and download the ENTIRE EP FOR FREE and pass it on to a friend. That's right,
Kicks-N-Jams is making the entire EP available to you for free. Bump it in your ride, your cubicle at work. Blast it from your desk in the library at school. You will not be disappointed. I promise.
Download "
The Push EP"