The DC music scene has long been a sort of rollercoaster of excitement and disappointment for those involved and those who would support it.
There are times where a number of bands will start to get kids hyped and help build up some hope that they might gain some wider recognition, even beyond our city limits. Followed by the period when those artists leave to try their luck elsewhere or just break up. And we wait for things to warm up again. Rinse, Wash, Repeat.
DC Hip-Hop is no different, both artists and audiences seem to struggle with a fleeting momentum, but then always seem to find new generations popping up and introducing new energy when the waters seem a bit still. That’s not to say that people just give up or fade away.
It just creates challenges for artists and forces them to grind that much harder. One of those artists who has refused to just fade away is
Blake9, who with his Arlington-based
Candlewax Records, has consistently maintained a momentum, slowly but steadily, over the better part of a decade.
Blake9 and his roster of solid artists, have been doing their part in supporting underground hip-hop in DC, even with the odds stacked up against them. For the label’s latest release,
Nine:Fifteen (a duo consisting of DJ/Producer Blake9 and MC Comel_15 of
Time Machine) present their fourth collection of tunes, titled,
Plastic Wrapped Couch.
This record is yet another undeniably solid hip-hop single from the label quickly establishing itself amongst the indie-elite. This three-track single sees the duo doing what they are best suited to doing, with Blake9 laying down some gritty, yet melodic bangers, while Comel_15 combines clever wordplay and unique song structures to the mix.
Despite currently being separated by a continent, with Comel in L.A. and Blake here in DC, the duo managed to find time to connect on this collaboration in a seamless fashion. The record is
available on iTunes right now, and we’ve got a free download of a single to get you started. There are a few heads out there making some waves for DC right now, showing folks what’s possible. Peep this track, “Just Above My Head (Halo), and add
Nine:Fifteen to that list.
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