Baltimore:

18-year-old tiny rap spitfire Rye Rye dances like a maniac and rhymes just as fast. M.I.A. protegee and tour-mate, she’s garnered as much attention for a Youtube video of her schooling a crowd at a Harlem dance party as for her collab with DJ Blaqstarr, Shake It To The Ground.  Her album is set to be released on M.I.A’s N.E.E.T label (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) this March. Her verse on a Paper Planes remix, with M.I.A. and Afrikan Boy, proves she lives up to the hype.

Rye Rye w/ DJ Blaqstarr – Shake It To The Ground

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M.I.A. feat. Rye Rye & Afrikan Boy – Paper Planes

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Diplo f. Rye Rye – Wassup (Crookers Remix)

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Bay Area:

Local hero, Zion I, has released a new album called The Takeover, with a round-up of notable guests like K-Flay, Brother Ali, and Devin the Dude. The album weaves between soft, meditative tracks and high energy club anthems, like the electronica-heavy ‘DJ DJ.’

www.myspace.com/zioni

Brooklyn:

5-piece Brooklyn band Apache Beat’s post-punk gets taken up a notch (and brought to most people’s attention) thanks to remixes and recommendations, and these Neu!-bies count Crystal Castles and Deerhunter among their a-list fans. They continue to keep excellent company, touring the UK with School of Seven Bells to promote their new 13-track album, Last Chants (which was recorded with the help of Martin Bisi, who has worked with Sonic Youth and Afrikaa Bambataa). The album comes out in April on Summer Lovers Unlimited (Crystal Castles, The Teenagers).

Apache Beat – Tropics

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