Ever since I first got into music blogging I have had a particular fascination with the different scenes that make the greater underground rap community into a whole and I have had a lot of fun watching loose collections of artists join together into a cohesive regional unit that takes their city from obscurity to prominence, or in the case of the Bay Area, back into the national limelight. Artists like Caleborate, Bosslife Big Spence, Offset Jim and a host of others both bigger and smaller in relevance make up this new era of the Oakland/San Fransisco underground and are marching forward with their distinct bounce and style, preparing for a new era for the Bay.
I have been keeping an eye on this group for some time now and the foundation has been long set for this scene to make the jump from locally beloved to nationally recognized and at the forefront stands one of my favorites, WADE08. I found out about Wade on my trip to San Francisco last year thanks to a tip from California dot-connector and cultural impresario Zini who sung Wade’s praises, particularly pertaining to his 2018 TUCK MODE EP that was one of my favorite extended-plays that year. Wade calls his distinct soulful yet bouncy style “futuristic hyphy,” and it has clear roots in the Bay while taking obvious influence from more of southern hip-hop’s desirable qualities, as well as some dance music infusions.
In addition to his rapping skill, Wade also is the undeniable architect of this sound and he has produced almost all of his catalog to date, proving his well-rounded skill in every facet of hip-hop. WADE08’s newest project BLAP builds upon these prior successes and pushes his sound forward while staying true to his sonic roots. After the intro, BLAP opens with a traditionally bouncy track entitled “Spazz Out” that shows Wade focusing in on this sound and simultaneously making something anyone can dance to while keeping a level of lyrical substantialness in his work. The subsequent “All Gas, No Brakes,” continues to feature his technical rapping skill, performing lyrical gymnastics over an energetic instrumental. “Quick Spazz” incorporates a spellbinding vocal sample and haunting piano melody that makes for the most interesting beat on the entire tape.
I think the biggest hit from this project outside of “Spazz Out” will be “InDihBih” because of Wade’s enchanting delivery combined with a beat that is sure to turn any party up. The lone features on BLAP come from Stunnaman02 and Lilbearrubberband who each complement Wade nicely. The outro “Pure Blap” is another track that is sure to stick with me after my initial listens and is a perfect way to end the solid mixtape. I am very, very impressed with Wade’s development from my introduction to him and am can’t wait to see where this project takes him.