Much fuss is made over the so-called beat scenes of Los Angeles and Montreal. Same goes for the clutch of Chicago and Atlanta producers making that real trap shit. But hip-hop innovation can’t be defined simply by location or media-friendly narrative. Still, it doesn’t hurt to be from New York.
An outlier from a city considered the spiritual home of hip-hop, Steel Tipped Dove, a somewhat mysterious Brooklynite, has provided unusual and engaging beats for the likes of Antwon, Lakutis and Kool A.D., formerly of Das Racist. His latest beat tape, which we are proud to premiere today, reflects the producer’s dexterity as well as his inability to be classified or categorised. It soars to a start with soulful, springtime vibes, in stark contrast with the malfunctioning ‘Kaus’, the trembling boom bap of ‘Regulus’ or the glitchy tech of ‘Enif’. With tracks named for various constellations and other stellar phenomena, Already The Guts Of Some Star That Died A Billion Years Ago both channels and challenges the conventions of hip-hop, offering a potential argument for where it could go. Head to his Bandcamp for more.
