We ready for action! My favorite online consignment boutique from across the bridge eightonethree is starting the new year off with a neutral tones collection of socks, comprised of 3 neutral colored sport socks for a low key but fashionable look.
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I love the classic look on these socks, allowing them to be rocked on low key levels, as well as on some high fashion shit. Since it’s grey gang all day you already know I am going to scoop up a pair or two of these.
The almost felt green color way is a vibe. These would pair well with a pair of Stan Smiths, or any all white sneaker. The eightonethree logo really hits on these.
The white socks featuring the eightonethree logo in the same green mentioned previously is a dope contrast from the other pair. These give off a tennis court vibe, furthering that luxury sport esthetic the brand is known for.
With each release eightonethree is craving out their own vibe, making them one of the premier shopping experiences in the Tampa Bay Area.
Following up their teaser ad, Before The Storm unveils the upcoming “Brain(Storm)” collection available on 1/21/2022.
🏕💯 🧠 ☔️ 🏕💯 🌪
At first glance you already know I need that grey hat featuring the secondary BTS logo. Definitely will get heavy rotation in the streets and podcast. Not much of a bucket hat guy, but you might see around the burg, rocking a BTS bucket once the drop goes live.
Need that grey one
The mug has been shown off in a few story posts, making it an essential accessory for any storm chaser.
It appears two new tees will be available in black and white color ways. The previous radar tee is one of my favorites, so I am really exited to pick up this black version. Really interested in this new hurricane character the team came up with, which is featured on the other tee in a black and white color way.
With chilly season still in full swing in Tampa Bay, the new long sleeve and hoodie offerings will come in clutch for sure. That white hoodie with the pink hits is a vibe for sure. The fonts on BTS shirts are some of my favorite details so that long sleeve will be in the rotation.
Vertigo vibes
No strangers to the tote game, these brand new black totes feature a design reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo”. Still have my orange tote from the the “In The Desert” drop, but this one has my eye for sure.
Storm Chaser
Not sure if the rumored umbrellas will be apart of this collection, but I feel these will be the statement piece accessory for the brand once they are released.
Before The Storm Studios is starting off 2022 on a strong note. The accompanying commercial as well as the story being told with the pieces, shows the growth the brand has seen within the past year. Don’t miss out on this drop Storm Chasers!
Scott Andrew Fisher and the rest of the team over at SAFDS have been hard at work with new pillows, prints, and pieces.
Pushing Plum🏕💯🏎
These brand new handmade Plum Leather mono stripe pillows just hit different. Purple is my favorite color so I can dig the plum shade on the leather portion of the pillows. The 23 X 23 X 9 pillows aren’t incredibly huge, allowing versatility with placements. These are a limited run of 20 so definitely don’t sleep.
Pushing Prints 🏕💯🔫
After starting his vintage paper target collection back in 2015, Scott began adding his own touches to the pieces incorporating floral patterns, which in Scott’s eyes “brings a contrast against the aggressive nature of the subject.” The illustrations of William Morris also inspired the pieces. Each piece is 28” x 43”, numbered and signed by Scott himself. Limited run of 50 per piece.
SAFDS X KIND🏕💯🍵
To mark their first collaboration, SAFDS has teamed up with Kari Kinder of KIND Studios to create a hand made box set. Sharing a love of coffee the duo fused their mediums into this set, featuring four wheel thrown ceramic cups that come neatly wrapped in a American black walnut box.
📸s by Marti Martin
With all of these new pieces being featured in the studio as well as the, Backlot Breakfast Club hang outs that happen every second Sunday, SAFDS is brining to become a main fixture of the creative scene in Tampa Bay, not only for the studio itself but for the creatives that come through and chill as well.
Darkaire is kicking off the year with a stacked show at the BTMVLE. Featuring artists on the Darkaire roster as well as a few new faces, this is primed to be Darkaire’s biggest event yet.
🏕💯🥂🐅 🏕💯🔥
The show is being headlined by Baltimore’s own Bill Carl Boomer. Dabbling with an NY Drill sound, Boomer makes the sound his own on tracks like “RIPMARY”. I have seen a couple clips of him performing, getting the crowd hype to fan favorite “New Era”.
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Darkaire’s own Sage The Fox is one of my favorites right now in the entire Tampa Bay scene. I can expect him to perform tracks off last years “Genesis”, but with a rumored EP on the horizon dubbed “Take A Risk”, fans can hope for a live sneak peek at a track or two of the project.
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I am fairly new to XIIIDOLOR, but the few songs I have heard from him are pretty dope. “Solace In The Rain” is a banger! We definitely need to hear this one live. “MoonGirl” will get the crowd hype as well, especially on the “flex” part of the track.
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Tall Paul Baby has been making a name for himself in the underground with tracks like “Fuck Em We Ball” and “At The Bends” on the cusp of classic status. Paul always get the crowd raging. Would be dope to have him start the set out with “Young Man” on some low key vibes. The city desperately needs that “Fuck Em We Ball” video.
🏕💯 🌚 🌬 ⏰ 📸 by Franks Been Dead
Outside World ENT’s rookie of the year Landkiss is hitting the stage for the first time. With her debut project on the way, as well as street smashes like “Tricky” and the Richie Guapo assisted “Pink Wax”, it was only a matter of time before Landkiss would grace the stage. Hope to hear a few tracks off her upcoming project, as a surprise treat for fans.
I am unfamiliar with DYINGOUTSOUTH, but very interested to hear them for the first time at the show.
🏕💯 🐸 🥂
Darkaire’s in house production duo THX. Comprised of AJ Peterson & Dr.Dredd, THX produced some of my favorite joints off of Sage’s “Genesis”, so I am very interested to see what they bring to the stage. I would be hype if they played some unreleased beats.
This is a stacked show to start off the “Year Of The Tiger”. You already know BTMVLE is the premier event space in the Tampa Bay Area, making for a great environment to just have fun and take in the culture. It’s really dope to see how far Darkaire has come, in just this little bit of time, with events like this playing a big part in that growth.
Grabba Gang & $EVAW representatives W R E C K A & Onlyonetwo finally dropped one of my most anticipated videos “PickUpAndLeave”, shot right here in the Burg by Dragonfly Tanner.
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W R E C K A has been teasing out this collab track with Two for a minute now so once it finally dropped I was on it. Shot in St.Pete, I loved the visuals of the Don and the view of the water. The beat is provided by Astro Bonez. The beat and vibe of the track have a motivational vibe anyone can relate to.
Grabba Gang 🏕💯🍁
W R E C K A did his thing on the verse and hook, bringing an echo flow to the beat. The hook “PickUpAndLeave” will be stuck in your head for weeks, adding to the replay ability of the track.
$EVAW
Onlyonetwo snapped on his verse as well, mixing in different flows and vocal patterns all in one verse. Features like this get me even more excited for Two’s upcoming projects.
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The wait was absolutely worth it. After only being out for a week “PickUpAndLeave” is already heavy in the rotation. It would be dope to see a small EP come from W R E C K A and Onlyonetwo, but until then I have this track to enjoy.
The team over at Before The Storm Studios just dropped the commercial for their upcoming “Brain(Storm)” collection. After winning Best New Brand of 2021, you already know I had to do a full breakdown of the ad, as well as a couple of the pieces rumored to be apart of the drop.
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The ad starts with a lab coated man setting up a table and work space, while a radio host gives the weather report. A mellow guitar instrumental provided by Chance Thrash plays in the background.
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The man wheels over a rack, featuring a number of pieces. It is not clear if those are the pieces featured in the collection, but I would assume so.
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Laurent takes his place at the work station, flipping up his MacBook Pro, while the lab coated man robotically brings over a drink for Laurent.
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Laurent begins to start working while the figure organizes the rack. It is at this point where everything becomes clear. I feel the lab coated figure represents Laurent’s Sub conscious, organizing and forming the pieces in his mind. The Brain(Storm) theme goes full circle when Laurent starts to work on his laptop, which is where the visions for BTS come to life.
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Now let’s focus on a few of the rumored pieces in the collection. I have seen these hats first hand, and they are already a must have. The new BTS logo is already iconic in its own right. With black and white color ways in the works, I hope to see a limited run of grey pieces make their way to the site.
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Dabbling into the accessories game, it was a no brainer to take it all the way with the storm vibes on these umbrellas. The hurricanes radar pattern hits different on the all black umbrella. These can work for the streets or the studio. Not sure how limited these will be but, definitely an essential piece for any supporter of BTS. Can’t wait to see a full photo shoot with these bad boys in action.
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Being a huge film fan, anytime visuals are used in a campaign it already makes a stronger connection with the audience. Whether it was with Pins and Pluses or now with Before The Storm Studios, Laurent and the team have always taken it to another level with releases. The “Brain(Storm)” collection will be live on beforethestormstudios.com 1/21/2022. Don’t chase the storm, embrace it!
i.B.O.M.S. kicks off the New Year with the first installment of his Blue Print Series 1 “Shigarakis Therapy”.
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Taking inspiration from Tomura Shigaraki, the main antagonist of “My Hero Academia”, Jabari asks the question, “Who envisions themselves as the villain in the grand scheme?”. A villain is only viewed as such by hero’s and the opposition.
With these prints Jabari seems to be reflecting on his work from the past, even hinting at characters from his own world with the “Ashi” reference in his written piece, a very introspective take from Jabari. The Blue Print minimalist style is a dope contrast from the majority of Jabari’s previous works, that are very colorful.
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So far the 5/5 hand embellished prints are already sold out but you can still pick up some of the original prints. Due to the limited run and Series 1 status, I would highly recommend picking up one of these prints before they are all gone.
Not sure if it’s his written takes working as companion pieces to his work, or just how his pieces have been hitting me lately but, i.B.O.M.S. work is connecting with me on an even higher level than before.
The 2021 Statement Piece of the year makes its short but sweet return this week as REACH unveiled a small restock of the coveted “Cigar City Champions” fitteds.
🏕💯🙌🏼📸 Anti_fl
The three color ways we know and love are making a return with the Red, Ice Blue, and Dark Blue all making a comeback. Personally I own all these fitteds myself, so when I tell you this is my favorite fitted series of all time you know I am not cappin. I rock all 3 about the same depending on the occasion.
📸 Quinton2times
You already know that “Ice Blue” is my favorite hat of all time, even making an appearance on Ep.3 of the “Bonfire Podcast” with Moose In The Burg and Cowboy By Takeo. I love the versatility this piece possesses, allowing me to rock the fitted with pretty much any fit.
📸 Quinton2times
The “Dark Blue” color way is a vibe for sure. I think I rocked this one the most at the Rays games since it goes very well with their dark blue jerseys. I dig how the hits of red pop on these.
📸 Quinton2times
Whenever I rock the “Red” color way it’s mainly when I have other REACH pieces. The color is pretty much synonymous with the brand at this point, making the “Red” fitted essential for any supporter or collector of REACH. This piece also has rockability at Bucs games, especially when it’s a all red game.
Tha REACH Way
This will be the final time the “Cigar City Champions” fitteds will be released, so make sure you don’t sleep on the drop. Shout out to the homie Quinton2times for dropping another dope ad campaign and commercial for the fitteds, the first one is classic. Hype to see what this year brings REACH, they already started out 2022 applying that pressure, but I would expect less from the homies. Everything is Made In REACH.
Outside World Ent & Fettisuo open up the vault on “Jackpot”, a project compromised of 8 unreleased joints and 2 singles, just enough to hold over fans and fellow artists until the full length drops.
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“Jackpot” starts off with “Jumping” produced by the man himself. Off rips I love the slot machine sound at the start of each track, I really brought the theme of the project to life. The “Casino” style beat has Suo talking his shit. You already know he’s making mad plays if his phone jumping. The whisper flow is a vibe for sure.
One of my favorite tracks off the project is “Perfect Dark” produced by Suo. The beat is one of the best I’ve heard this year so far, as well as featuring a fire sample. The way Suo approached the track shows the struggle he comes from, but it made him stronger in the long run. Great track.
My other favorite track on the project is “Rolling Loud 19’” produced by OSWs own AYO8. This track is a straight banger. I really dig the more aggressive flow towards the mid point of the track. Suo destroyed this beat. Sometimes you just need a good banger on a project, this definitely one of those.
“Chase” featuring Flex Winter is a barrage of bars from both Suo and Flex. This track has a bit of an NY vibe to it. Suo once again provided the production.
“Steam Em” featuring SmaccNice is on some big Outside Shit. That whistle beat from Suo is spazzing. SmaccNice did his thing on the hook and verse, bringing mad energy and grit. The whisper flow returns for Suo, which was a pleasant surprise.
“Clarity” featuring Baby Corleone is on some grimy shit. The piano keys in the beat paint the picture Suo is forming with his words. This joint is directed right at the opps.
“Kno Tha Name” featuring JusFinesse. The beat is another one of those Casino vibe tracks. I really dig the way Suo spits over the track, bringing one of my favorite hooks on the project.
“Money” featuring Macy Slick was a nice change of pace, adding some feel good vibes to the project. Macy Slick snapped on the opening verse. That Slick line from Suo was a standout bar on the track.
“Bags Up” featuring CMazin is on some introspective vibes, with both Suo and CMazin reflecting on the success they have both seen thus far. Really dope track, showing how versatile Suo can be.
The final track on “Jackpot” is “WOW (White On White)” featuring Richie Guapo, YZM, and fellow Outside World member Frankie X. Off rips Guapo is on that PrettyboyGuap shit, that hook been stuck in my head ever since. YZM’s went in with a bonkers flow, and some dope vocal touches. Frankie brought mad energy to the track, repping the set to the fullest. Suo closes out the track with his own swagger.
A couple of these joints have become my favorite Fettisuo tracks to date. If these leaks are any indication on what his upcoming projects sound like, they instantly become highly anticipated projects of 2022.
2021 was a great year for the entire Tampa Bay Hip Hop scene. So many new sounds and styles coming out of both sides of the Bay, with artists new and old putting on for the city. These are my Top 15 Albums of 2021.
No.15
It’s was a great year for the whole Outside World ENT family, most notably with Three D Swayze dropping “King Boo”. Have always been a fan of Swayze but it was dope to hear a full project from the homie. “Cash Coma” and “Starfox 64” are always heavy in the rotation.
No.14
Dark Aire’s own Sage The Fox really came into his own this year. The darker vibes on “Genesis” made it stand out this year. The energy Sage puts into his music is unmatched. I personally can’t wait to see him perform some of these joints live.
No.13
How do you follow up a smash hit like “Oyasumi”? Well you team up with Teen Slug to create some futuristic shit. Muji is already rocking shows and making a name for himself in the scene, with “True Harmony” playing a big part in that. We need a “President Muji” video next gang.
No.12
Building off the work he put in on Zhudaru1963’s classic record “Sky Zhone”, Mackey Emmanuel proved he is one of the cities premier MCs with “Feelings On Fuck It”. Mackey is able to dominate the streets and the club with his vocal delivery and street savvy lyrics.
No.11
I really dug Young Mop’s growth on “MOP”. Coming off “St.Creaturesburg” I had no idea which route Mop was going to take his sound. The more guitar heavy production was a vibe for sure. “DiAMOND iN THE ROUGH” is going to be on replay well into the New Year. We need visuals for that ASAP.
No.10
St.Pete’s Trillest Kent Loon went full force in 2021. Enlisting Chester Watson for features and Production as well has a few unexpected guest spots made “Bittersweet” one of my favorite projects of the year. Loon’s Trill esthetic is needed for sure in the city. I really respect how he’s got videos for a majority of these songs already, Loon stays applying that pressure.
No.9
One of my highly anticipated projects of the year HeyeYella’s “Strange Noize” lived up to the hype. “Goat Cheese” is heading towards classic status, while the rest of the album contains some of the best bars the city has ever seen. Energy, Frequency, Message!
No.8
Ever since I was put onto Deleteeglitch by Outside Illz, he has been a favorite of mine. The sound and vibe he brings to the Tampa Bay scene is very needed. His artistry can go toe to toe with the underground’s best. I am not sure what he has in store for us in 2022, but if this project and “Primordial Soup” are any indication I am hype.
No.7
Pusha Preme was already dominating the scene with his last project “Before I Say, I Do”, but his companion piece to the project “Red Oktober” proved his staying power. This is a project a feel everyone can vibe with, whether you are in the streets or in the club. It’s got anthems like “Outsiiide” and “Never Thought” as well as the more mature introspective tracks like “Heavenly Father”. Tampa Bay will win!!!
No.6
Not the only time Adama is making the list but I had to show love to his collab project “Easy Money” with Tjaru. If “Patient” wasn’t enough to put it on the list, all the “Tab Rap” vibes the homies are putting down solidified it. Who would have thought we would see a “GM” reunion in 2021.
No.5
Gat$ has been a favorite of mine ever since his collab projects with Jxpvtty. He is hands down one of the best lyricists in the whole game. “Robbed” is the best produced album of 2021, mainly due to tracks like “Moonlight” and “Irreversible”. I wasn’t able to due a solo review for this project, but that just means I have to kick the 813 classics series off with this one.
No.4
Drogotdoe and 9henom are two of my favorite people in the world, so when I heard they was doing a collab record I got super hype. “Drugz” is one of the best tracks I have heard from Dro, and that’s saying a lot with his body of work. The production on this project is A1, I really dig that Giallo style sample on “Onlyfans”. Full review coming to The 9layground very soon.
No.3
Bro dropped back to back classics. The original “Hot Boy” project brought Trill back to Tampa Bay. Hot Boy 2 was even bigger. With Guapo handling most of the production himself, he was able to get out his full vision. With tracks like “Waffle House” and “Candy Red” maintaining that Trill esthetic, it was a no brainer to put it at No.3.
No.2
This project was very nostalgic for me. Mari is still on his pimp shit but coming from a more mature place. “Off The Shits” brought me back to those Local Muzik days, while “Chanel” had a “BMW” part 2 vibe. It was amazing to hear the Young Local$ back, and you already know Spade killed his verse. The Local Muzik Dynasty lives.
No.1No.1No.1
Bro had the best run of all time. All five of the albums he dropped could have been the Top 5 but I wanted to mainly focus on “The Effects Trilogy”. I felt like Johnny found his sound with “The Adama Effect”, perfected it on “Side Effects” and then matured it on “The Aftereffect”. I hope to see some visuals for a couple of these songs to bring the vision even more to life, but no matter what I will always have these projects to go back and enjoy. Best in the game.
