Oklahoma & Underground News
Those national storylines were all enough to trump anything that happened in all of 2014 hip-hop, and there is still a vast amount of things happening underground — both locally and regionally — to get excited about. Hometown vet Jabee dropped his song, “Should’ve Sold Dope,” which was the standout of releases in Oklahoma and sees Jabee flipping the familiar dopeboy-turned-rapper trope on its head. Jabee has always been a powerful voice in the community, but these particular avenues are where he’s able to tackle the nuance of being a rapper and a community leader, teacher, father and role model without taking the expected route.
Another standout from the OKC scene was “Knew Dat” from one of the most talented groups in the city: Militant Mindz. These guys had their worlds flipped upside down (look up their story — it’s amazing) and came out stronger for it. Miguel Medina and Derek Cantu have taken it upon themselves to be their own manager, promoter, booking agent, tour manager and everything else in between. The initiative shown has yielded some superb results that Oklahoma should be proud of.
Some other underground highlights include the drop of Houston rapper Roosh Williams‘ album Unorthodox — featuring Scarface, Emilio Rojas and HTX standout GT Garza — which climbed to number 40 on the iTunes Hip-Hop/Rap Charts. The record’s personality shines through while incorporating the bounce of the South, hard-hitting rhymes and lyrics influenced by the East Coast.
Even though it dropped in late January, Jarry Manna’s The Elevator bears mentioning. Clearly influenced by the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper, the Tulsa native crafted a thoroughly sound project that revolves around his faith without being overwhelming. I think he’s one of the most natural talents in the state and warrants a listen from those looking for fresh, meaningful music.
Oklahoma Concerts
February featured a pair of marquee hip-hop shows, too. E-40 kicked things off at the Farmers Market and brought his classic Bay Area style and catalogue to God’s Country. I was in high school when “Tell Me When to Go” came out and suburbia got hip to ghost-riding whips, so Mr. FortyWater has been a mainstay in the culture for quite some time. It’s always great when a legend comes to Oklahoma to perform and is received well, as he was by the amazing crowd at Farmers that night.
Two weeks later to the day, a little bit of the new wave stopped by OKC in the form of OG Maco, who is one of the hottest new artists out of Atlanta — breeding ground for today’s best and biggest hip-hop stars. He became a viral sensation with his hauntingly energetic “U Guessed It” and is signed to Quality Control, the same independent label behind hit-making Atlanta trio Migos. For Oklahoma to get someone like OG Maco on his way up is a victory. His manager, SteveO, expressed how much he loved Oklahoma City in no less than 10 tweets, which is great to see. Maco’s hybrid hip-hop music with punk-rock energy lit up Vibe Nightclub and set things in motion for artists like that to not only return, but want to come to OKC.
Last but not least — actually, I’d say most importantly — J. Cole announced that his Forest Hills Drive tour would hit Oklahoma City and many other small towns that he hasn’t been able to perform in since his rise to stardom. He hasn’t been here since he came to Rok Bar in Bricktown, where all of seven people knew who he was, in 2010. I was one of those lucky seven and am extremely excited about his return. I think others were excited as well considering that the show sold-out in 12 days. This tour exemplifies everything J. Cole is about and it’s a really cool move to touch the cities and fans that often get overlooked.
Read on to see what Gray’s favorite songs, videos and artists of the month were:
