With his most diverse beat selection to date, and equally so, his most strikingly powerful approach to each record, Blake Anthony’s debut EP is a strong step forward for the Midwestern native MC now living in Tacoma, WA as of the last 5 years. Production credits range from legendary artist/producer Vitamin D of former Seattle duo, Ghetto Chilldren to Dreamville Records affiliate DJ Grumble, who recently produced “New Apartment” off of Ari Lennox’s newest album, creating a plethora of vibes and moods that guide you throughout Blake’s newest story of evolution.
After an echoing “Now, though I was a stranger, I was home...” Vitamin D’s production on “HEAD UP” smacks you in the head with massive subs and dark choir hymns, dropping you into the black galaxy that is Blake Anthony’s music; the journey begins. The trials and tribulations are felt, yet loosely touched upon as Blake simply states, “I keep my head above the water” singing his way out of the song, and into an even darker, more sinister track: “Ziploc”. The intro starts with a shadowy chant, “Oh me oh my, Top City birth I, trip 6 on god”, trip 6 being the first 3 numbers of his zip code back in Topeka, aka “Top City”. After a dark, angry bounce with “ZIPLOC”, we step into the Jazzy single “Black Coffee” released first quarter 2019; from here, the album takes a groovy boom-bap turn, inviting sunny vibes as DJ Grumble steps into the spotlight during the second half of the EP, bringing the groove with his three credited tracks: “Black Coffee”, “Cycles”, and “Slabs”; until a sudden juxtaposition: an eerie Fred Hampton chant bleeds into a clip from the Topeka Police Department, shooting and killing Anthony’ brother’s cousin Dominique White (2017). The EP closes with production from Tacoma’s own basement DJ & Vinyl connoisseur Wffls “Stoopside”, in which Blake wraps up his thoughts in a short, 2-minute journal entry. Beyond this, a bonus track, recorded in 2016 with Yodi Mac, is given light to truly end the EP on a beautiful starry evening, riding with the homies late night, “… breaking bud in [our] millennium”
Intro - James Baldwin's "No Name in the Street"
Head Up- Produced / Mixed & Mastered by VITAMIN D
Ziploc ft. Yodi Mac- Produced by LiftedBeats253 / Mixed by Sendai Mike, Remastered by VITAMIN D
Flawless- Produced by John Savage / Mixed & Mastered (& additional production) by VITAMIN D
Skit - Gil-Scott Heron interview
Black Coffee- Produced by DJ Grumble / Mixed by Sendai Mike, Remastered by VITAMIN D
Cycles- Produced by DJ Grumble / Mixed & Mastered (& additional production) by VITAMIN D
Slabs- Produced by DJ Grumble / Mixed & Mastered (& additional production) by VITAMIN D
Stoopside- Produced by Wffls / Mixed & Mastered (& additional production) by VITAMIN D
Late Night (ft. Yodi Mac)- Produced by Luis David / Mixed & Mastered (& additional production) by VITAMIN D
