Black Asian. Yeah, that's right, Black Asian on the rhyme tip crisscrossing through the streets of Nicetown. Hence the title of the song Nicetown Connect. The moniker certainly makes you pause to contemplate the dynamics behind it and the 411 on that tip this Illadelph emcee was on. There's an alluring rawness to their sound that harkens back to an earlier time when Hip Hop was more insular and excitedly consumed with its growth.

Yo, for real, this is good sh!t right here. Nicetown Connect is the kind of summer song that you creep through the streets blasting repeatedly in an attempt to play that cool whip rollin' persona. That's not to imply that this cut is one dimensional as it also carries enough BPMs and bounce to make it a no brainer to keep people on the dance floor. The third segment that'll feel this song are the scores of Gully corner boys that dot the landscape and with the weather breakin' and the oversized white tees about to come back out of the closet you can expect to come across this Black Asian creation in multiple locations of the 215.

Nicetown Connect works in large part because of the raw energy it exudes. It's difficult to pinpoint the mathematics behind its intentionally unpolished sound but you'll feel it when you hear it. Lyrically we find a street savvy emcees who seize the moment and remind us why there's a division of the rap music industry and the purity of Hip Hop culture. This is the style of the streets that the major label execs could never comprehend. Thankfully, there are still enough of us fighting in the trenches to appreciate their contribution. Unfortunately, tragically, and all too familiar to us in the City of Brotherly Thugs, Black Asian passed away in his prime in May of 2002. The brother was only thirty years old. Respect to his family and friends. We may not have known him personally but we know enough to know that he was one of us.

Like the neighborhood Black Asian represented so well, Nicetown Connect is rough, rugged and raw. Sometimes it be like that… thankfully. Thankfully, through the wonders of modern technology the brother may be gone but his heart and soul lives on through his Hip Hop creations...


Listen to "Nicetown Connect" at Da Black Asian's website

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Review by Funk Wizard Snow
Editor- PhillyHipHop.com
April, 2003