| Bling Free 2 mix CD DJ Graffiti |
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 Hip hop's most slept on DJ |
Graffiti and I go back for a minute and have become friends over the
years, so yes, there’s a potential conflict of interest here. But beyond
the personal level, I’ve always dug his work as a DJ and producer. Since
I’m always writing about people I don’t know, why not pump up one of the
homies?
As the self-titled “Underground Mixtape King of Detroit,” Graffiti covers artists from all over the U.S., with nice representation from the D on this 34-track CD. He even dips into Toronto, showing Eternia some love. As a special bonus, we get several exclusive joints from the likes of One Man Army, Obie Trice, Athletic Mic League and MC Lyte. All put in exceptional performances, with Lyte putting a new spin on DJ Quik’s “Addictive” beat. Outside of these exclusives, there’s a nice mixture of hip-hop staples including tracks by KRS-One, Defari, Jurassic Five, J Live, and Atmosphere. Graffiti even picks up the mic a few times himself, with a few choice words for the haters out there. Damn G, do I detect a little angst? There are some minor downsides to the CD, including an unnecessary live recording of Slum Village, but I’m nitpicking ‘cause Bling Free 2 has been getting many a spin in my circles, which says a lot. As the title suggests, if you’re looking for the big label artists clogging up the airwaves, this might not be the CD for you. If you recognized even one of the aforementioned names, you shoulda’ been had this. -Domingo Yu |
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