Harlem, New York’s Kyle Rapps releases his debut mixtape, SUB today (June 18). Sponsored by New York City’s Miska and entirely produced by Los Angeles, California’s Belief, SUB features appearances by Action Bronson, Murs, MFN eXquire and The Inner City Kids’ Aaron Cohen and Spaceman.
In an exclusive statement released to HipHopDX, Rapps describes SUB as “post-apocalypse boom bap shit” mixed with Trap and Electro sounds. “I wanted to come with a record that could make suburban hood niggas feel proud while still showing love to Harlem where I stay,” he said. “My friend Belief came through with all the production on the tape. I think we dug a little deeper without being all over intellectual and shit.”
Speaking on collaborations with Action Bronson (“Get It In”) and MFN eXquire (“Super Glue”), Rapps says both were “no-brainers” for the mixtape since he was able to build relationships with both early in their careers, prior to their increased notoriety. “Murs has always been one of my favorite artists on the West Coast and we share mutual friends, so getting him on the record was a great look,” he adds, describing the origins of his collaboration with the California-emcee (“Architecture”). “I owe some favors to my homies for reaching out, though.”
Despite the notable appearances, Rapps feels “the best part of the project” is the Jebediah Long-designed cover art. “A lot of painters and art school kids be mad full of themselves, but my dude Jebediah Long is a real person,” says Rapps. “It’s an actual painting, too. [Museum Of Modern Art] level quality.”
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Kyle Rapps was born in Princeton, New Jersey and began rhyming in 2001. In 2009, he began to take the craft seriously and has since performed with acts across New York City including Idle Warship (Talib Kweli & Res), Action Bronson, MFN eXquire, Soul Khan and more. “SUB” is available for stream and download below.
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