EP: Blanco, Kokane and Husalah – Tortoise And The Hare (Prod. by DJ Burn One)
Legendary G-Funk Crooner Kokane Joins Blanco, Husalah for Tortoise and The Hare EP, Available for Free Download
06.17.2014
The EP:
Bay Area rapper Blanco has been heating up the airwaves with last week’s release of “Block Party,” a collaboration with YG that’s produced by Cookin’ Soul. Featuring a vocal sample from 2Pac‘s “Old School,” The FADER praises the track, saying it “shoots for a traditional Cali vibe, but maintains a sheen of menace.” Prior to that yet-to-be-titled, forthcoming collaborative project, the rapper known for a suave yet gangsta approach delivers a G-Funk, abstract-sounding EP entitled Tortoise and the Harealongside fellow Bay Area rapper Husalah, LA crooner Kokane, and Atlanta production wizard DJ Burn One. Similar to the album’s title, all of the songs were named after fables. “This album was heavy on the storytelling aspect. We liked the contrast of a slow, mopey, drugged out turtle and a high-strung, fast-paced rabbit,” explains Blanco. “Over a smoke sesh we listened to each track and thought about what fable would best correlate with each song.”
With a dream-like substance and a reflective approach, the Cali rhymers intrigue listeners with sentimental, political and flashy tales of the lifestyles that they lead. The EP is introduced with the mystical, chime-heavy track “Fox Without A Tail,” which enforces a mischievous vibe. In doing so, the trio use vivid imagery and storytelling metaphors in both the titles and tracks within the project. Songs following the same pattern include “The Cat and The Mice,” which holds as a sentimental tune that discusses political views and caters to a won’t lose type of attitude. Feeding into this persona, the rappers further this notion in “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” which shows a more paranoid, consciously aware side.
With the SPIN premiere of the first single “Grief and His Due” and the second single ” The Butcher and His Customers” via The Smoking Section, the group had given fans the perfect taste of what they’ll hear on Tortoise and the Hare. “That laid-back, West Coast chill vibe is a sound that never goes out of style,” says The Smoking Section.
Recently, Blanco sat down with HipHopDX for an exclusive interview where he recalls his rise from a high school drug dealer to a legit multimillion dollar businessman – all while fighting a federal case and continuing his musical career. “I’ve always been, for lack of a better word, a hustler,” Blanco explains. “When people say, ‘Oh you grossed $26 million,’ I just say, ‘Well two million of that is sales tax. Another million of that was income tax.'”
Download Tortoise and the Hare for free: http://www.audiomack.com/album/blanco-2/the-tortoise-and-the-hare
Listen to Tortoise and the Hare: https://soundcloud.com/iamguerrilla/sets/tortoise-and-the-hare-blanco-husalah-kokane/
Purchase Tortoise and the Hare on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tortoise-and-the-hare/id885169677
Read Blanco’s interview with HipHopDx: http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.2432/title.blanco-says-his-50-million-medical-marijuana-trial-changed-the-war-on-drugs
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/39989739″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]Please contact Michelle or Rory if interested in talking with Blanco.
Blanco Background:
Blanco (formerly Benny Blanco) is a rapper born in Berkeley, California but bred throughout the Bay Area. Fascinated by gangsta rap at an early age, Blanco began rhyming at 17. In 2004, he and his brother founded hip-hop label Guerilla Entertainment, which to date has released upwards of over 20 mixtapes and albums. As a member of rap trio The Yay Boyz with fellow label mates Taj-He-Spitz and Lil Hyfe, Blanco released Got Purp (Volumes 1 and 2), The Wizeguys, and full-length album Nosebleed Muzic. He has gone on to release several solo projects, including Blanco’s Way and American Pyscho, and more collaborative albums, including Jonestown with Messy Marv and Jacka, and his latest, Raw, with Nipsey Hussle. Blanco has also collaborated with Gucci Mane, Redman, Freeway, Freddie Gibbs and Styles P, and released projects with Araab Muzik and Yukmouth.
Links:
official site | twitter | facebook | youtube
Stream Tortoise and The Hare EP: https://soundcloud.com/iamguerrilla/sets/tortoise-and-the-hare-blanco-husalah-kokane/
Download Tortoise and The Hare EP: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tortoise-and-the-hare/id885169677
Stream One Hunnid EP: https://soundcloud.com/iamguerrilla/sets/one-hunnid-blanco-the-jacka
Bio, pictures and streams available here: http://www.audibletreats.com/blanco