It is a known fact that I don’t mess with new Hip Hop. There are plenty of blogs and DJs that have that market cornered. There have been some exceptions though: Action Bronson, Danny Brown, Chiddy Bang, and Kendrick Lamar come to mind as I type this. There are a few I know I missed, but you get the point. I’m not a music snob, but I like what I like, and I try to be as open minded as I can. However, usually 70 BPM, slow drawl spitters don’t always do it for me. Maybe I’m spoiled because I grew up when Hip Hop was just starting or when groups like De La or Tribe were putting out classic bangers and PE was blasting out of a boom box at basketball practice. I admit, I am biased in that way, but I always will give credit where credit is due. If something is good, new or not, I will say so. Hailing from the clique formerly known as Robaffitti, and now called New Age, Chester Watson is one out of the 11 man crew that features rappers, producers, mixers, skaters, and filmers. This team started out just as a bunch of skaters but has graduated into beat making with their focus on their lyrical flow and hot beats. They have been putting out, Chesters own words “hella” music in 2012. Shout out to my man M.Fasis for passing this along to me. I’m knee deep in Cal Tjader records and shitty diapers at the moment, so it was refreshing when this came across my plate yesterday.

Although I’m not down with all the swag talk, I can get down with this beat. Picking up where his original single “Hobo” left off, “Phantom” proves via Sammsonite and Strictnine that a little spaced out keyboard and some hard hitting drums go a long way. While I’d rather see fat dookie ropes and truck jewelry rather than skinny girl jeans and Nike 6.0’s, I have to face reality and know that it’s the trend these days. At 15 years of age, Chester Watson seems to be ahead of the game among his peers with his rap game. One hopes that his flow and beat making will mature rather than go down the rabbit hole like so many promising Hip Hop artists have done in the past. His content can be suspect at times, but his flow is tight and he will only get better. His content might change once he actually gets out of high school. I see some potential in this kid and like I said earlier, I will give props where they are due. Let’s hope if he stays in the game long enough to make it.

Chester Watson “Phantom” produced by Sammsonite and Stricknine

Keep Diggin’!