It's surprising that more Seattle hip hop fans haven't heard of Champagne Champagne. The trio of emcees emcees Pearl Dragon and Thomas Gray and DJ Gajamagic has quietly put out two of my top three favorite tracks released out of the Emerald City over the past ten months. The problem is that they often don't get they're proper due as both songs came as guest artists on other emcees' albums. The first, "Kings," came on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' critically acclaimed Vs. EP, the latter, "What You Asked For," was released on State of the Artist's Seattlecalifragilisticextrahelladopeness.
While SOTA's sophomore album was largely disappointing, "What You Asked For," still proved to be banger, mostly due to the lyricism of CC's emcees (look for it on That's That Mixtape, Vol. 9, set to drop on Saturday). Likewise, "Kings" proved to be the stand-out song on the stand-out EP of 2009. Although Ryan Lewis' sample of Arcade Fire's "My Body of the Cage sets the stage for the epic track and Macklemore drops a one of his best verses, it is Pearl Dragon and Gray that steal the show with a pair of stellar verses.
While neither of the above songs are represented in this post, "Soda & Pop Rocks," off of the group's self-titled 2009 debut, is a perfect example of the group's artistic niche--a blend of punk rock and electronic stylings with top-notch hip hop lyrics that results in intelligent party rap. Those in the Town who have yet to hear of Champagne Champagne should soon be familiar with the trio, but don't expect them to stop there. The group has shown the potential and artistic progression to make a name for themselves on the national scene over the next couple years.
Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,
Notorious Noah
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