Whenever I listen to hip-hop from the South, I’m reminded of one of my favorite Lil’ Wayne lyrics. On the track “Shooter” which features the hyper sexualized crooning of Robin Thicke, Weezy finishes off his second verse with a line that’s about as politically charged...
![REVIEW: Young Devi – “Get Rich or Kill Tryin” [2012]](http://demencha.com/wp-content/themes/widezine/thumb.php?src=http://demencha.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/DEVI-EDIT.gif&w=200&h=200&zc=1&q=80&bid=1)
Reviewing hardcore street rap can be weird, particularly in Kansas City. For one, it seems as though a lot of the more authentic characters on that side of our greater local hip hop scene don’t really give a shit about reviews. Additionally, there aren’t a lot of outlets...
Grab your most moody apparel and prepare yourself to embark on a journey to a dark place of energetic bang. FS, the talented musician and producer from the duo Ming + FS, just released his solo album Half Android (Play Me Records) this week. I have to admit this album is not...
Naming your band after the largest rodent in the world when you hail from nowhere near the creature's South American homeland is strange but somehow endearing. There are certainly more disgusting strange mammals I could think of to grace an album cover though; a Sloth...
![D/L: New Albums From heRobust [Atlanta]](http://demencha.com/wp-content/themes/widezine/thumb.php?src=http://demencha.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/heRobust-EDIT.gif&w=200&h=200&zc=1&q=80&bid=1)
When heRobust was visiting Leonard DStroy in Kansas City last summer, I was fortunate enough to meet him and bounce ideas between the three of us. As a bright individual, heRobust's beats shine similarly. Bass-driven, tastefully-eccentric compositions encased in a kind of...
![RECOMMENDED: The Skeptics – “1990Now Mixtape” [Mixed by Johnny Quest]](http://demencha.com/wp-content/themes/widezine/thumb.php?src=http://demencha.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Skeptics-EDIT.gif&w=200&h=200&zc=1&q=80&bid=1)
Topeka, KS-based hip hop group, The Skeptics, have only been active for about a year-and-a-half. But they nearly sold out their show at the Jackpot in Lawrence just a couple of weeks ago, according to Lawrencian, Johnny Quest. This is not a small feat, especially when...
Local singer-songwriter Kurt Viers (stage name, "Kurt Vee") comes from the old school of punk. He's studied at the school of hardscrabble living and has the rock and roll image down, now he just needs the fame. It might be hard to imagine anyone with just an acoustic guitar...
![ALBUM REVIEW: Archetype – “Red Wedding” [Out Today on iTunes]](http://demencha.com/wp-content/themes/widezine/thumb.php?src=http://demencha.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/archetype-pic-EDIT.gif&w=200&h=200&zc=1&q=80&bid=1)
I'm not sure how many readers are already familiar with Archetype, the Lawrence duo of Jeremy Nesbitt and Isaac Diehl, or Nezbeat and iD. I'm not gonna get into much of a biography about these chaps, because I did some of that when I reviewed their first single from Red...
![On The Horizon: Dojo For Crooks (KC) [photos courtesy of Emilie Farris]](http://demencha.com/wp-content/themes/widezine/thumb.php?src=http://demencha.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Dojo2.jpg&w=200&h=200&zc=1&q=80&bid=1)
Kansas City has seen its fair share of youthfully exuberant bands. The obvious ones that come to mind are The Get-Up Kids and The Gadjits. While The Kids are now only young at heart (one would hope) and the Gadjits are now professional Architects, both groups once displayed the...
The newest member of Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang, younger brother of Project Pat and Academy Award-winning recording artist, Juicy J, dropped one of the more anticipated hip hop mixtapes over the past few months just a couple of days ago. Of Three 6 Mafia fame, Juicy is back...
