Thoughts From The Rap Nest

vol023-073

Thoughts

Well that is officially a wrap on Summer Fling 2023. First of all I need to give a huge shout out to my partner Karlie, who let our home be over run with rap homies these past few weeks. It was really fun having some of the homies stay with us and get to know them in real life and to reconnect with some other long time homies. Without my partners willingness to turn our lives upside down for rap a lot ofd things wouldn’t happen how they happen.

Mega shout out to the homie Bryn at the Night Oven Bakery who graciously ket us take over his patio and yard space to host the events on Saturday. It is support of great community minded and focused people like him that are critical in us being able to pull off events like this. Also shout out to Amigo’s and the sound technician that did an incredible job on Friday night. Everyone sounded amazing and the show was flawless from to back. Not a single technical issue all night. I love when the show goes smooth like that. There was no stress except for me forgetting a cord for my laptop to mixer. I have to give a mega shout out to the homie Factor for biking over a cord at a moments notice. That was insanely nice and so appreciated. Shout out to all the Artis that rocked the wall and rocked a stage over the two days. The pieces on the wall are incredible and the performances were so dope. It was a perfcbet two days that could not have gone any better. I swear as I get older these things seem to get better in organization and execution. There are a couple things I wood tweak for next year but that is being hyper critical on my part.

Last but not least, a huge thank you to my homie and partner in this rap shit, Rove. The weekend was a perfect celebration of his new album Poke The Bear. The record is so good an was worthy of such festivities to celebrate its greatness! Rove does so many things behind the scenes for so many people and does it with zero fanfare or mention. His selflessness, commitment and energy for this culture are second to none. I am so very thankful our life paths have crossed one another’s and that we continue to support one another's s insane ideas time and time again. I sincerely want to thank your for everything you did in the lead up to this weekend and over the weekend. Your talents continue to amaze me everyday!

There were a lot of highlights for me this weekend. The included but are not limited to the following. Seeing a couple really good homies I have not anticipated seeing in Cam The Wizzard and Chuck Luggage. Those were both pleasant surprises and really made my weekend. Seeing Id Obelus for the first time rock the mic. It was such a treat to see him perform. I had high hopes but he exceeded them which I did not think was possible as they were so high. Noblonski’s multiple sets and live collaborations with Parab Poet. For never rehearsing and not knowing each other prior to the beat jam at my place and the graffiti jam on Saturday, it was incredible to watch the cohesiveness and magic that you two created. I hope something emerges from these two impromptu sessions. Sole was incredible. He played a super dope variety ion tracks from both albums new and old. I don’t think I could have picked a better set for him to rock. It was also super fun catching up with Sole as it had been a number of years. Backing up the homies Turn The Gun was really fun. The set was amazing. We ran through it once together Friday morning of the show and I think that really paid off as I felt we were a really cohesive unit on the stage. They also invited me to rock the hook on the certified classic Great Season Hurt. I would love to go on a 20 city run with those guys. It would be so fun to polish up the set and hone it night after night.

Shout out to everyone that came through and supported things over the weekend! If you want a little piece of the weekends events, Noblonksi captured it as best as possible on the Pen Thief Records Summer Fling Collection 2023 CD.

This was a really nice surprise from the good folks at Audio Recon. The DreadNots - Past Lives Vol.1 which features live performances of tracks from the vaults of the DreadNots curated by Audio Recon for the first time on CD.

New single from the homie Ultra Magnus called Consistency. Super dope track! I hope this means a new album is coming!

Missed Third Verse last night? I lost my co-host for the last two weeks as Noblonski headed back home to Berlin. It was a great show but it sure was fun having him in the studio. Ugsmag has you covered once again to stream or download NOW! Catch Third Verse on CFCR 90.5 fm in Saskatoon, SK every Wednesday 9-10:30pm CST. Stream online via CFCR.ca or Radio Garden.

As always the last 10 episodes of my other weekly radio show You Know Know the Rules on UMFM in Winnipeg airing every Sunday night 10:00pm -11pm CST. Episodes available NOW!

Record One

Moka Only - In and Of Itself

This super dusty effort from Moka Only os exactly what you would expect it to be, really dope. I really enjoy the current Moka Only output that includes a vinyl release each year. You always know what you are going to get the a Moka Only project and I like that. There is something to be said about consistency and routine. I like both of those things so that really appeals to me. The production is really good and the raps are perfect. A bunch of quick hitters in true Moka fashion. I Do Rap is my jam! Classic Black vinyl is a real nice added bonus!

Record Two

Dragon Fli Empire - Banff Avenue

This was a really nice surprise when I saw it posted on Instagram. I had the CD when it dropped back in 2020 and I have enjoyed it a lot since but it is extra dope that this got a vinyl release courtesy of UK imprint AE Productions. My jams are the title track Banff Avenue and the comedic Talking At The Movies. I am really happy this got pressed on vinyl. It is one of their best albums. I am going two for two tonight with another Classic Black Vinyl.

Classic Material

Graffiti - Rap Rap Music 7”

This isn't an old story but a very recent one but this obscure record purchase may just end being a really significant one. I had never heard of or seen this record before in my life. I was out with Noblonski at a local record store here in Saskatoon when I stumbled across it. I was instantly intrigued by the cover as it had words that I love on it like“rap rap music”, “rap attack” and “Graffiti”. It is European electro rap music from the early 80’s at its finest. It is super novelty in nature but charming. We instantly played it when we got home and then continued to use the phrase ‘rap rap music” during summer fling. It became the anthem and saying for everything.

Summer Fling was important in solidifying some really great online friendships in real life with Id Obelus and Noblonksi. onto last Sunday night before their departure the next day. Dren came over to play us an album/project he was working on with Id Obelus to solicit feedback and to share with us. It is super sick and I am excited for when it gets finished up and drops. We had been talking a lot over the weekend about creating an new crew moving forward as the majority of us that were together had previously been in Saskatoon Folk Rap Records together before the falling out occurred and the majority of us departed about a year ago. I don’t want to publicly air out those details. I want to keep things positive and focus on this new exciting collective that has emerged out of the conversations and event of Summer Fling 2023.

We decided to us the Rap Rap Music part from this record as it seemed really fitting and added the Saskatoon because that is where it once again came together. I am really excited to work formally with all the homies and build a fun and supportive rap music collective. Most of us had never stopped working together or supporting one another since the departure, but it is dope to form a crew again and do things in a more formalized manner. I am really excited to see what emerges from this new artist collective in the coming year. I am pleased to announce the following roster of artists in the crew. In no particular order; Dren, Noblonski, Id Obelus, MC Homeless, Parab Poet, Rove, The Gumshoe Strut and me (Chaps). I am sure we will pick up a few more people along the way but this is the roster we are launching with. I think we really built some amazing synergies this past weekend and the weeks leading up to Summer Fling. Thank you again to everyone for your continued support over the years! We really appreciate it and we look forward to creating the amazing music that you have enjoyed over the years.

Closing Ramblings

As always, thank you for reading and for the feedback!

**legal disclaimer all records and songs were run through the RAP NEST 5000 SUPER ANALYTIC COMPTROLLER MACHINE that is certified by the I.A.A.R.R.A (International Association of Analytical Rap Recordings Analysis) in layman’s terms, it means the machine is never wrong.

Catch you next week with more thoughts from the rap nest.

Peace

-chaps