VibeRotation 25

Here is a playlist dedicated to InTheRough staff's experiences that we've had and the songs that we've heard over the last few weeks. The kids' energy has been crazy at parties like Bounce 4 at Spirit Lodge in Pittsburgh or the 4.20 theme banger we threw in D.C. The time we've spent with young rappers like Blackboi and Zolo of the 'Burgh's Sanguine team put us in touch with new music. The communities' consistent creative outputs inspires us to find new artists to enjoy.

In VibeRotation 25, the music reflects ITR's D.C., Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh locations. The scene in D.C. is diverse with different moods that still hit on contemporary hip-hop. The genre-bending nature of the city influences the music. Pay attention to rappers SIR E.U in his song "Navy Blue coupe," as well as lineformation (M.I.L.F.). Across the coast, kids in L.A. and elsewhere listen to Chicago native WARHOL.SS who gains national attention as a parallel to Chief Keef. JR also wants people to be aware of guitarist Steve Lacy who has credits on Kendrick Lamar's new "DAMN." album. Pittsburgh remains relevant with the help of rapper Slicky Williams and his pleasant tune "Me You Us." Slick always comes through with something catchy. Also, become familiar with more Sanguine members, like Ant Windu.

Listen to the playlist below and click on the artists' SoundCloud profiles. Explore new music more.

Know the Wave: blackboi, Zolo, and Sanguine Team

Zolo and Blackboi - photograph by Alex Young

Blackboi owned the steps in front of the Andy Warhol Museum. His navy colored dreads matched his navy sweatshirt, and his ensemble was complete and casual as Vans covered his feet. Zolo sat on the Warhol steps. He wrote lyrics in a wire bound notebook.

The two 17-year-old hip-hop artists were the attraction and not the museum as they gain attention for their rise through Pittsburgh’s underground hip-hop scene.

Walking past the Artists Image Resource and Boom Concepts Activist Print street-art installation on a building next to the Warhol, Blackboi and Zolo stopped in front of two composite photographs. In one, a seated, theater crowd wore 3D glasses, engaged with what they watched. In the other, a young black girl highlighted in yellow stood on stage looking back at them. The boys looked at the artwork, they too the object of people’s attention.

Ahead of his forthcoming “Astro O2” album, Blackboi has released a mixtape and a handful of single tracks in the promotion of his album which carries the premise that the world ends without creativity. His six-song tape called "some shit i made in my room" isn't the most recent thing he's dropped. Newly minted "tsukyomi flow," featuring rapper Ant Windu, hit Blackboi’s SoundCloud account over the weekend.

"I want to be the most versatile rapper to ever do it," Blackboi said. Production credits from producers abroad, like eestbound of Toronto, genre experimentation, and using his friends as inspiration play into his artistry.

Zolo sat in the back of a car with a notebook on his lap. Now, his earbuds were in. Writing to the beat “helps me find my flow,” Zolo said. Blackboi, officially Byron Stevens, and Zolo, Alonzo Cotton, rode around the North Side. Blackboi lives there and Zolo is a Garfield native. The rappers handled the aux chord. They listened to new music by St. Louis, Mo. crooner Smino and District of Columbia rapper GoldLink.

Blackboi and Zolo are friends, and they make music as members of the Sanguine team. Sanguine is comprised of 20 young musicians and artists. All of them are talented. They met through schools like Perry and Allderdice, as well as KRUNK Movement, a micro-enterprise located in Hazelwood that supports youth and hip-hop through media production.

KRUNK made their musical acts “refined. We couldn’t cuss,” Blackboi said. The organization guided the artists in the studio, and they received platforms to perform. Blackboi, Zolo, and other Sanguine members debuted their “fist in the Air like the ‘60s” song, a message about activism, last summer. The track featured as part of the Center of Life non-profit’s Rap4Reform project.

Creating in the city with talented friends, like “Keith,” the founder of Sanguine, or designer of D.R.I.P.P. and rapper Aaron Owens, encourages Blackboi to “reach my goals.” He’s “never felt like an outsider. I love Pittsburgh,” he said.

Blackboi, Zolo, and the numerous members of Sanguine expand the ‘Burgh’s hip-hop community. Their music pushes collaboration because they use each other as inspiration. “In Sanguine, my girl, Bird, influences me the most,” Owens said as they are often pictured together wearing coordinated D.R.I.P.P. outfits.  “These other cities know how to help each other out,” Zolo said. “I’m trying to get people to look at Pittsburgh like they look at Atlanta,” Blackboi continued. The way to do that is by supporting each other in any way the group can. Sanguine teammates feature on each other’s songs and in their music videos. Their Instagram pictures highlight everyday moments with each other and their creative processes.

Cool moments in Blackboi’s music attract listeners. He often references popular cultural heroes like actor Jet Li. Authenticity features in his songs about love. “This girl is the underlying topic to a lot of my songs,” he said.

Though Blackboi steadily adds to his music catalog, Zolo writes and records to perfect his work until it is ready for public ears. He will release his first ever single called “10” on April 21. “I’m real nervous,” Zolo said. “Nervous about how people will react and vibe to the song,” which he calls his last love song “for a while.”

Whatever happens, Blackboi explains that Sanguine will have “positive attitudes in bad situations” as they pursue notable music careers.

If there is a star in Pittsburgh’s hip-hop scene, “Keith believes in me,” Blackboi said, and Blackboi believes in Sanguine.

The Pi'erre Bourne Playlist

The Life of Pi'erre by Marko Visuals

Meet Pi’erre Bourne, a 23-year-old producer out of Queens, New York who has managed to cultivate a distinct sound for the likes of Atlanta rappers Playboi Carti and Young Nudy. In a short 3 weeks, the Pi’erre Bourne produced track “Woke Up Like This” by Playboi Carti featuring Lil Uzi Vert has over 11 Million plays on Soundcloud, and has received nods from the Fader and XXL Magazine. Bourne’s infectious instrumentals serve as the perfect platform for the emerging wave of today’s so-called internet rappers to effortlessly float over—and rank extremely high on our list in terms of replay value.

Hopefully we aren’t speaking to soon, but it seems as though the wait is over and Carti season is officially upon us. If the clear chemistry on the well-received “Woke Up Like This” is any indication, there’s no doubt the two will be frequent collaborators moving forward. Be prepared to hear more beats by Pi’erre Bourne on Playboi Carti’s highly anticipated forthcoming mixtape. 

As made evident by posts on his social media accounts, Pi’erre Bourne is constantly working, and that work is just beginning to pay dividends. So, take our word for it and familiarize yourself with who is sure to be one the biggest new producers in rap. As a prequel to the Carti tape and whatever else Pi’erre Bourne has been cooking up in the studio, listen to ITR’s “Pi’erre Bourne Playlist” below and watch Carti hint at Pi'erre delivering "that Carti sound" in an interview with Lil Yachty for Fader.

VibeRotation 24

ITR Tee photograph by @draie_96

+ Have a good music catalog that has a balance between classic and contemporary styles, as well as local and national artists

+ 24 of the 55 songs on this VibeRotation playlist were selected by Los Angeles staff, and the other 31 were selected by Pittsburgh staff - hear different styles of music in different regions of America/the world

+ Find Lil Traffic as a notable artist from the West coast

+ Pittsburgh artists like blackboi. light up the radar - 9 "Pixburghers" contribute to this crazy set (did y'all see Jimmy Wopo represent The 'Burgh on HYPEBEAST?) 

+ The UK been here

+ Most lit part comes between tracks 7-30 (yes, that many bangers)

+ Quality energies come from They., ALEICIA and Balance510

Get to Know the FairRose and Sussioty Collectives

Orian Villa x Prezident at The Observatory, Santa Ana, Calif.

In the sub-cultures of hip-hop, plagued by monotony, standing out amidst the sea of young, energetic rappers is no easy feat. Los Aneles rap collectives FairRose and Sussioty have managed to set themselves apart from the pack with a perspective and level of versatility, few-- if any of-- their peers possess.

Cohesively, the L.A. crews integrate, some of the artists have dual memberships to each collective and other bands. The FairRose members are as follows: Apollo, Cereal Witness, Gigi Envy, Nile Villa, Frankie Jax No Mad, and Xae. Whereas DJ Amack, Orian Villa x Prezident, as well as Nile Villa x PyramidKid represent Sussioty, pronounced like "suss" in suspects or suspicious and "ioty" like in society.

Essentially, collaboration is a core value for both FairRose and Sussioty. While Nile Villa creates music within both camps, he and Xae were previously in a punk group together called The Hungry Eyes. Cereal Witness and Gigi Envy are a separate duo called The Stonewvlls. Apollo and Frankie started making music three years ago, and they set the foundation for FairRose together last year. Nile founded Sussioty.

Both music entities are staunch symbols for the enterprising and candid spirit that fills L.A.'s air. "The name FairRose comes from the cross streets Fairfax Avenue and Melrose Avenue," Apollo says, which have to be among the coolest streets in the country due to the sub-cultural consumerism available in the district. "We represent a culture that is viewed as suspicious by the general norm," Orian says of Sussioty.

The groups float from show to show throughout Los Angeles, and they have established themselves as the go-to opening acts for some of your favorite rappers. "Opening up for the Suicide Boys at the Novo DTLA - That shit was banging," Sussioty writes to ITR in an email. FairRose recalls their experience opening up for GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan at The Novo as one of their most memorable shows. They fit the bill with other artists like Warren G and they can heat the stage for the underground elites like Xavier Wulf, who FR and Sussioty opened up for at The Observatory in Santa Ana, Calif. and another time at The Novo.

Moreover, give credit to FairRose and Sussioty for their many opening acts because they show that the groups' music can entertain eclectic audiences.

Further, their authentic and positive approach provides more performance opportunities. It would be hard not to feel welcome at a FairRose and Sussioty function when they "encourage free-thinking, independence, and creativity," Orian says.

Currently, the two hip-hop groups have the skill to establish themselves as premier entertainers with dynamic and expanding music catalogs. FairRose explains their style saying "Imagine if Common, Madlib, Fugees, Wu-Tang, Black Moon, MF Doom, and Atmosphere made a baby," and no one explains it better than that. Sussioty delivers a contrast citing Rob Banks, Xavier Wulf and Three 6 Mafia as comparable artists.

Coming soon, FairRose and Sussioty will both release group projects in the form of E.P.s and L.P.s, and they will continue to perform and collaborate together throughout the L.A. area and beyond, like Austin, Texas where Sussioty will have a performance at SXSW on March 16.