Buried Alive: Underground Hip-Hop in Albany
by Laura Sarsfield
The Albany Pine Hills neighborhood is home to many local underground rap artists and the scene is flourishing this Spring. Local talent in the area have been busy writing, producing and performing. In the coming months, there are many shows to attend and albums that will be created right here in the community.
“The commercialization of underground hip-hop hasn’t quite happened here yet, so the 518 underground remains more honest than some more popular areas,” said local rap artist Masai of Against the Grain.
“ATG” Sticker found on a wall in Bogie’s
Against the Grain is a collective of seasoned local rappers that work together collaboratively in an attempt to make music that is both relevant and unique. Walking around Albany, it would be hard not to pass by one of the “ATG” stickers that fans and group members have plastered throughout the city on light poles, signs, buildings and anything else in plain view. They’re just one of an ever growing network of crews, groups, labels, and organizations focused on making hip-hop music and getting their music to the masses.
Masai’s latest album “Almost Home”
A resident in the Pine Hills community, Masai is heavily involved in the local scene. In addition to working on group albums with Against The Grain, Masai released a full length solo album in February entitled Almost Home. It consisted of 15 tracks featuring collaborations with a number of local artists and producers, including Mike Arson, PJ Katz, and Knowl’ege to name a few.Almost Home is the final album completing a trilogy of solo albums by Masai (the others being Almost Gone and Almost Back). “Home” is deeply personal – it is dedicated to his late mother who passed away on February 13th last year – the release of the album coincided with the anniversary of her death. The album is at times intimate, comical and opinionated. The official release party, held late last month at the Bayou Cafe on Pearl Street, featured other well-known local crews: Trusic Music, SMGs, and Beat*Shot Music. This show was a big success for Masai.
Next up for Against the Grain will be on Saturday May 25th at McGeary’s for the EOM (End Of Month) Hip-Hop Show. Masai welcomes everyone with an interest to come to the show, “My target audience is anyone willing to listen. I personally think we have a diverse audience of fans compared to some other local artists. We try not to pigeon hole ourselves within any given niche.”
One of the most prominent venues in the Albany scene, Bogie’s, at 297 Ontario St., hosts local underground Hip-Hop artists regularly.
Outside of Bogie’s
They offer an outlet for these artists to reach the community and have their voices heard.
This month Bogie’s hosted an event with Masta Killa from the Wu-Tang Clan, along with local rappers JPlus, Mic Lanny and others.
Mike Valente of Upstate Black N Blue Productions/Bogies had the following to say about the local rap scene:
“Hip-hop shows are more frequent than people think. We host an open mic hip-hop event every last Thursday of the month called Bottles and Beats. We don’t just host any hip-hop. We support a certain qualified talent of hip-hop artists. We are the only place that I know of that continuously brings in larger underground acts. The 518 talent is some of the best in the country and Bogie’s gives an outlet for them to prove themselves to the national circuit.”
Bogie’s has been a part of the Albany music world for more than 25 years. “The local scene is much different than it was 15 years ago. It is much more organized and accessible for hip-hop,” said Valente.
Climate Control – Winter Edition
Last month, Bogie’s hosted Shyste and DeeJay Tone, well-known local artists who had a release party for their new album entitled Climate Control: WinterEdition. “This is a unique series of album releases that correspond to the seasons. These guys are by far two of the most prominent hip-hop figures that the 518 has to offer. This show also featured underground legend RA the Rugged Man. We had a phenomenal turnout for this event,” said Valente.
Shyste, who has been involved with rap music since he was 16 years old said, “When I first started there was literally a hand full of hip-hop artists in this area and no scene at all. hip-hop got absolutely zero run around here unless you were a DJ. I made a name quickly with local artists back then. Of course, there was very few of us. I had the option to pursue music in Virginia Beach for 2 years and South Beach, Miami for 4. When I decided to move back,
the scene had definitely grown, there are a lot of new, energetic characters.”
Shyste Performing
Shyste is excited about what’s to come involving local Hip-Hop and believes that there is room for everyone, “There are different styles and pockets of Hip-Hop all over the area code. I’m excited about our future. We have ‘newer’heads getting involved and networking like Iron Bar, The SoundBombing crew, and ATG. Producers are amazing around these parts. If rappers outside of this area knew the gems that are being created around here, they’d be climbing over the Egg to get a piece,” said Shyste.
There is no sign of things slowing down for him, “My year-long project with DeeJay Tone, Climate Control has just startedwith the release of the winter edition. Climate Control: Spring Edition is next up and the release party is scheduled June 8th at Albany’s Red Square. I’ll be wrapping that up with a national tour in late October. Along with that project, I have an album I’m releasing at the very end of the year with Fword Records producer Raw Threat called “Area 51(8),” and also a project with Albany producer, Absolute, that’s going to be amazing. Then, just when you think I’m finished, me and PJ Katz are gonna drop a gem,” said Shyste.
The rap scene has been growing steadily over the past few years. There seems to be a sense of camaraderie between many of the rappers, but this can also be a circle that is hard to gain respect in; it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become an accepted member of the community.
“The artists that I work with are a very tight knit group. Many have tried to break into this group, but crack under the pressure. The first thing that I tell a new prospective MC is that they have to come to the last Thursday of the month to work their way in with some of the crème of the crop. They need to politic and pay a little bit of dues at these, and then they can be added to a decent show,” said Valente.
Local rap artist Emcee Graffiti (Jason Williams) of the Iron Bar Collective said, “I’ve been all over the country. I’ve seen dozens of other music scenes. I’ve vibed with countless people from all walks of life. The local music scene is on fire. There have been a number of artists from different genres that have been able to make a living off of their art from here. On top of that, the Hip-Hop scene specifically is growing and getting stronger. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had artists from other areas tell me ‘I wish my scene was as tight this. You guys all rock like a family’.”
Iron Bar Collective Performing (Photo Credit:Brian Tromans)
The Iron Bar Collective is another group of artists that are based in Pine Hills. They have a unique sound and are well liked in the scene. They have a good working relationship with the other local artists in the area.
Emcee Graffiti spoke about the future of the Hip-Hop Scene in Albany he said “Not to toot my own horn, but since Iron Bar Collective has been really working over the last year, I feel like we’re going to go places with our art. I honestly believe that Iron Bar Collective will be the ones to grab the spotlight and force it to be centered on the 518. We’re bringing every one up with us. Then again, even if we aren’t the ones to do it, another one of the local cats that we rock with will do it and will represent this area so strongly that you’ll have to see the rest of us. With crews like Pig Food Records, Beat*Shot Music, Final Word Records, Avid Agencies/Foster House Records, Against the Grain, and Iron Bar Collective– I can only imagine that this scene will be flourishing soon.”
Emcee Graffiti released a brand new solo song his first since 2009 on March 13th, titled Only a Drop Left.
Emcee_Graffiti_-_Only_a_Drop_Left
The future looks bright for the local Underground Hip-Hop scene, we will just have to wait and see what happens.
Masai, Shyste, Emcee Graffiti
For more music and videos from the featured artists visit:
Against the Grain:
Shyste and Deejay Tone:
http://deejaytone518.bandcamp.com/album/climate-control-winter-edition
Iron Bar Collective:
Albany Pine Hills 