To the beat y’all! Portland’s MC Serge Severe is back with a new single, “Seasons”, off his forthcoming EP out on July 30th. Severe, Northwest Pacific answer to a scene smothered in its artifice, takes hip hop back to the basics of its 80’s heydays with his sharp rhymes effortlessly flowing over loops of funky jazz and soul instrumentals. No bling, no hype, no fluff, just a good beat, great samples and lyrics laid right. What more can you ask for, really? His old school feel-good raps, reminiscing Gang Starr’s style with a playful twist, keep it- to put it in his own words- “classic but so new”, a critical paradox vital to any artist engaging with retro aesthetics.
Entirely produced by Portland’s Zapata, the Silver Novelist EP introduces itself as a deeper take on Serge’s chilled-out signature. For those who fancy peeking further into the record, SS will be performing at The Hawthorne Theatre on July 23rd!- Tracy Mamoun