Summer School: The Mixtape

Over the past couple of months, I have been engaging in a special project. As my love for most things rap grew, so did my desire to become a part of the art form I loved so much. And although I made a few songs by my lonesome, I admit that I lack the initiative to keep it up. Enter Tyler Franz, a.k.a. DJ Shake. He presented me with a great opportunity, to be a part of something new, fun, and creative. A homegrown producer, he produced a plethora of beats for Tyler Douglas, Carlton Logan, and myself, with which we made a lyrical playground. We recently spent an entire weekend recording Summer School: The Mixtape, and no blog post can make you understand the hard work that went into this. But I can try.The first session we ever recorded was a 2 day recording session at TD's house, which I like to think of as batting practice. We recorded one complete song over the course of the weekend. A nice upbeat rhythm, a catchy hook, nice verses, we considered the weekend a success. But after the short and, relatively speaking, unproductive session, we knew we had work to do. Our DJ left us in Richmond as he returned home to Raleigh, and there was a lull in the action.
And so we reconvened weeks later at Alex Helm's house for a one day session. Same crew, same objective. There we completed two songs, the John Mayer-samples "Gone" and the relentless lyrical showcase that is "No Hook." We decided to get together again the next day to record; however, a lack of a recording space denied us this privilege, and our DJ once again went home without his goal accomplished.
Until he devised a plan for a marathon recording session. One weekend in Raleigh. Twelve tracks. Three rappers. And success was imminent. With Monster and Bojangles Chicken in our systems, running on POW sleep hours, staying up late enough to watch the sunrise, we finished our project. From first hearing the ever smooth completed version of "Slowdown," to yelling and screaming on the hard-hitting "Drop the Mixtape," we went "ham" on that bitch. Constantly leaking songs to people such as the illustrious character that is William Charnock (one of the greatest men in the city, post on him coming soon), we created a buzz that could only be quelled with the release of the mixtape itself. So here it is: Summer School.