Rapid Ric
Getcha Weight Up (Mixtape Mechanic)
Basswood Lane
The Lane Vol. 1 (Dollaz N’ Since)
Knight Ridaz
A New Knight (KRE)
Bavu Blakes
Nobody Leavin (Natural High)
Damar
The G.U.G.U. Album (Bodyrockin’)
When not busy globetrotting Texas rap around the Americas, ATX’s Rapid Ric saturates mix CDs with multitiered layers of down-home funk. His mouth-watering spring mix, Z-Ro’s Greatest Verses, was seemingly too much for Rap-A-Lot Records, who kindly persuaded the local DJ to pull it from store shelves. His latest disc found on those same shelves is titled Getcha Weight Up, and if it doesn’t prove that Magno’s got the “thowedest flow” around, it presages an upcoming Mixtape Mechanic studio LP. Representing Cap City’s 23 ZIP code, Basswood Lane explodes on the crunk tip with a 22-track mix CD comprised of the act’s original tracks and freestyles. As Tony Wayne, Jamie Lee, Oz, and Ice B chop speedy lyrics into digestible shreds, The Lane Vol. 1 approximates a rowdy club bounced off its foundation. Similarly, Austin’s Knight Ridaz ride impressive digi-beats provided by Sic Vic in order to attack every faulty assumption ever made against young black men who are at heart far from stereotypical. Featuring contributions from locals Damar and Bavu Blakes, The New Knight highlights the communal nature of A-town artists who understand there’s power in numbers when it comes to turning otherwise oblivious heads. It doesn’t take six degrees of separation to place Damar’s slick production as the focal context of Bavu’s fresh vinyl single “Nobody Leavin.” Neither is it difficult to trainspot Bavu or a host of other Texans, including J. Capone, Chicago Black, KR, and Korey Crone on Damar’s The G.U.G.U. Album as it splits the narrow divide between hip-hop and soul.
(Basswood Lane)
(Rapid Ric; Bavu Blakes)
(Knight Ridaz; Damar)
This article appears in November 11 • 2005.