Gender bending Hunnypot alum and Washington native Michete has a new video out for their song “Recognize This Pussy”! If you missed the performance at The Mint on October 3rd, check out this video to get in the Michete spirit. The track is filled with signature Michete pop culture references, including video games for the gamers out there, layered on a quintessential rap topic, getting that paper. Michete is concerned with two things in “Recognize This Pussy,” and those are, making money, and recognizing that pussy. It’s empowering, a gender-neutral take on popular modern adage, “fuck bitches get money.” This blend of witty and humorous lyrics on top of an unapologetically in your face manner of presentation forces us to rethink our ideas on gender and sexuality while simultaneously encouraging us to do life for ourselves.
The video was directed and edited by Ruby Paiva and Reed McCoy and features cameos from Seattle artists ZELLi, Worshiprr, and NAVVI frontwoman Kristin Henry. This crew, headed by Michete, traverses streets and parks together in the video to feature the strength of the pussy that ought to be recognized. Michete’s call to arms, “Where my ladies up in here that don’t need that?” is a rallying point in between the main lyrics of the song. Whether you’ve got a pussy or not, you’ll want to get in touch with your inner bad bitch when you watch this video!
Danny Brown is theatrical, raw and unfiltered. He is known for his distinctive characters: one defined by a deep voice and more serious subject matter, and another high-pitched wacky character, all for partying, fame, and everything that comes with it. I became a fan after listening to his album Old a couple years back, and I’m honestly a little ashamed to be so late to the party. His new album, Atrocity Exhibition digs deep into the rowdier of his two personas, playing up the drama and of course, packing in tons of bangers including the pulsing “Really Doe” (featuring the beloved Kendrick Lamar) and soon to be dance floor breakdown “Pneumonia.” I, like many, been listening to his album on repeat almost exclusively since it dropped. For a rapper with such personality and such a great new release, I had high expectations for his live performance.
The crowd was one to tackle, as seeing between the plethora of 6-foot-or-taller men and catching a breath amongst the nicotine vaporizer smoke and suffocating testosterone was challenging before the dancing even started. The opener was decent but painfully cliché, and honestly made me question whether this show would live up to the expectation I built it up to be. However, when the lights shifted into place for his approaching set all my doubts went away, and I was tingling with excitement.
His set followed a pattern I had never seen before—working through his top hits from oldest to newest. Thus, as I am so much more knowledgeable about his more recent work, it took me a while to really get into his set. His performance was much simpler than I expected, with just a solid blue backdrop, and nothing on the stage but the DJ setup. Additionally, he had almost no interaction with the audience between songs other than when he stuck out his iconic pointy tongue and proudly thrust his hand in the air in a “rock on” symbol. However, something about his goofy presence was so endearing, the crowd went wild after every song. When he rapped he crushed every line, and even when he had the audience finish the lyric (one of my biggest pet peeves with rap shows) he looked so blissfully entertained that I never got sick of it. By the time he got to songs from the Atrocity Exhibition the audience’s energy was through the roof, and nobody in the crowd could stand still. I danced until I was drenched in sweat, going back and forth between moshing in the pit to getting down with my friends and then to the perimeter of the pit again. In the end, I could not have been more satisfied. With his simple set, likeable personality, and raw talent, Danny Brown has now become my definition for the perfect, quintessential Hip-Hop show.
-Veronica Irwin (Hunnypot Editor at Large)
@vronirwin
Photo Credit: Subterranean Suburbs
This video pick is coming to you from Danny Brown’s long-awaited fourth studio album. The second music video off Atrocity Exhibition-- just released in full on September 27th-- “Pneumonia” dropped today on major video services. The track focuses on drugs and sex, while the video portrays Brown shackled in chains, on which he is strung up like a puppet. He dangles from these chains in various positions, like a marionette being controlled by an amateur puppeteer, even occasionally being left on the asphalt. These moments are woven between clips of old political footage, as well as replicated footage made to look just as dated, of Brown in a suit behind a podium of his own.
The video follows up its predecessor, “When It Rain,” the first single and video off the new album, released in tandem earlier this year. The two videos share similar visual styles as befitting the catalog so far. After it rains, you get pneumonia. Atrocity Exhibition has already received a slew of excellent reviews across the board, and has so far peaked at number 77 on the Billboard 200 chart, and number 3 on the Billboard Rap chart. His unique vocal style and flair for the experimental culminate in this album that definitely deserves a listen. Check out the video for “Pneumonia” above!
Hot Tub Johnnie will be DJing at The Satellite on Monday, October 24th. Musicians Kosha Dillz, Mars and the Massacre, Black Crystal Wolf Kids, Pablo Dylan, and Alastair will be performing at this free event. With the vast range of sounds on tap, this show is bound to have something for everyone.
The Satellite is located at 1717 Silverlake Blvd in Los Angeles. The free show is ages 21+ and doors are at 8:30p.m. with show time at 9. Though the party will be going until 2a.m., make sure you get there in time to see these amazing artists. For more information, visit the event page here.
Kosha Dillz:
“His tracks, mainly produced via Jesse Shatkin (Sia, Murs, Santigold) have landed in various placements from Bud Light Superbowl commercials to the upcoming Sundance 2016 select The Skinny. He is even a playable character in NBA 2k11 / 2k13alongside Drake and Snoop Dogg, and his music has appeared on every website from Brooklyn Vegan to Billboard Magazine. He raps in Spanish, Hebrew, and English.”
Mars and the Massacre:
“Formed in early 2013, the group of martians has already gained a strong following in Los Angeles, being known particularly for their entrancing and unpredictable live shows. Members switching instruments is a common sight at a Mars and The Massacre show, as are bowed guitars, strange 1950s sci-fi samples, television sets, projectors, remote controls as picks, fake blood, and even fire dancing.”
Black Crystal Wolf Kids:
"Inspired by the audience participation of the Flaming Lips, the anything-goes attitude of The Henry Clay People, and the over-the-toppedness of 80s tribute bands like Fast Times, Black Crystal Wolf Kids are the world's first indie-rock tribute band, paying costumed, sing-along-encouraged homage to the best music of right now (from MGMT to Phoenix to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) as well as indie's storied past (Pavement; the Pixies; et al)."
Pablo Dylan:
"Pigeons and Planes, recently called Mulholland Drive "A New Anthem For The Kids" As a producer, LA-based artist Pablo Dylan has worked with OG Maco, A$AP Rocky, D.R.A.M., and Raury, but his favorite band is The Clash and he names Kanye West as an influence. His skill set and eclectic taste inform a sound that wouldn't have made any sense 10 years ago."
Alastair:
"Originally from Glasgow Scotland, Alastair has almost as much whiskey as he does electronic music running through his veins. His inventive style vaporizes minds on dance floors throughout San Francisco, Burning Man and beyond. Alastair tastefully blends the sounds of smooth Deep House with the rolling melodies of Tech House, dirty synth-driven Techno and unique flavors of Indie Dance/Nu Disco. This makes Alastair's sets a complex and vivid journey every time he takes the controls."
Death Grips might be one of the most polarizing bands I listen to. You either hate them or you absolutely love them. When I show someone who doesn’t know them for the first time, they are always shocked. The band is labeled an experimental hip-hop group, made up of rapper Stefan Burnett (MC Ride), Drummer and Producer Zach Hill, and co-producer Andy Morin. However the musical combination they create is somewhere in between electronic, hip-hop, and scream-o, with metal-esque drums over distorted bass-heavy beats and a rapper that yells more than he speaks. I, for one, have loved the group since I started listening to them this time last year. However their concert was, in a word, disappointing.
Perhaps I didn’t quite know what I was in for. When my friends and I were on the train, they all were talking about how aggressive the mosh pit was going to be. I assumed that I would easily be able to handle what ensued, somewhat taking the lead and telling my friends how to take care of themselves if they ended up having a hard time. However I, the moment the show started, pushed my way out of the general admission pit as if my life depended on it. I was cowering in the first non-moshing tier of general admission before the first song was even over. Amongst the events I witnessed from my new birds-eye view included a girl getting knocked-out by a flipping stage-divers Doc Martin boot and three separate people vomiting as soon as they got to the clearing at the base of the stairs. It was terrifying.
But beyond my own crowd-created fears, the general presentation of the show was disappointing as well. There were absolutely no visuals (come on, their music videos would have been GREAT material), and only incredibly minimal lights that altered between two colors. Yes, they say that they design their shows to be deliberately minimal (like in their interview with Pitchfork). But this production wasn’t minimalist, it was just boring. The sound was muddled and overwhelmingly loud, to the point where it was hard for me to distinguish what song was playing. I like Death Grips because of the delicate balance they display between artistic quality and brutal intensity. However in their live performance, they lost that element all together.
What did make the show worthwhile, however, was the talent of the individual performers themselves. MC Ride could have not been a more charismatic frontman, convulsing and fist-pumping with so much energy that I am shocked he didn’t faint. Drummer Zach Hill plays faster, more precisely, and with more rock-star intensity than anybody I’ve seen before (my mind was blown). And the on-stage producer Andy Morin, although possibly given the most difficult performance material, kept up with the rest. They could not have possibly given more in their performance, and the crowd without a doubt fed off that energy.
Overall, the quality of the performers themselves kept the show running, but I don’t know if I would purchase tickets to see them live again. If you’re a huge fan or maybe going to Camp Flognaw and have them on your festival lineup this year, they’re worth seeing. I am glad that I got seeing them live out of my system. But if you’re going to sacrifice $65 for a ticket like I did, your money is better spent somewhere else.
-Veronica Irwin (Hunnypot Editor at Large)
@vronirwin
Today’s video pick is D’Aftaparti’s “Rip It.” This new group is out of Cleveland, Ohio. Though they’re fresh on the scene, their music hits the ground running. “Rip It” is the first single off their upcoming freshman album release in early 2017. In collaboration with Visible Art, a Cleveland video production company, D’aftaparti’s latest video effort follows their first video, “Work Hustle Grind” which was released two months ago.
Where “Work Hustle Grind” was full of tight rap verses and guitar licks by Billy Morris, “Rip It” is its natural follow-up, with catchy lyrics and an easygoing vibe. The video itself encourages a good time, predominantly in a party setting. The familiar scenes to any partygoer are entertaining and encourage at the very least, some head bobbing and foot-tapping along to the catchy beat.
This week we have another video from our favorite gender-queer rapper Michete (see our coverage of her newest video, "Come Get it Daddy," here). Though perhaps less peculiar than "Come Get it Daddy," this video makes us dance like no other. In front of a colorful circus-esq background, Michete and her friends pose, twerk, and "smeyes" at the camera in a way that makes us all feel like the badass b*tch Michete so embodies. Don't miss her Los Angeles Debut with us at the Mint October 3rd!
Here at Hunnypot, we have always had a taste for politcally motivated musicians whose messages share the roles of artist and activist equally. Be sure to check out MIA's music video for the newly released single "Go Off" produced by Skrillex and Blaqstarr, and directed by none other than MIA herself!
Michete, a transfeminine non-gender-pronoun-abiding rapper hailing from Spokane Valley, WA, violates dolls and minds in his new video "Come Get It, Daddy." The song showcases Michete diss-rapping about a cycle of seduction and repudiation over the synthy techno beats of DJ Reverend Dollars in a fashion that not only makes you dance, but also makes you think. Michete was previously identified as having one of the "Best 50 Hip Hop Albums of 2015" by Spin, a magazine which also picked "Come Get It, Daddy" as one of "The Best 66 Songs of 2016" last Sunday. Check out Michete's video, Don't miss Michete's return to Hunnypot Live at The Mint 10/2/17!
Check out the video for “When It Rain”, the latest single from hip-hop artist Danny Brown. Rapping at high speeds over sinister electronic beats, he does not disappoint with his first release in 3 years. Brown began his career in Detroit as a member of a group called Reser’vor Dogs. Gaining attention on his own, he broke away to record and release his first solo studio album, “The Hybrid” in 2010. Brown is best known for his unique sound, being described by MTV as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory".
"When It Rain" was produced by U.K. musician Paul White, and the video was directed by Mimi Cave.