If you haven't already figured it out from the links in my header and the obscure references in my posts, I am both a beer and hip-hop nerd. When I'm not busy working or being a husband/dad, you can typically find me cracking open a craft beer while perusing the latest rap releases and pirating legally acquiring the best of what I hear.
So, as a break from the usual parent and family posts, I hope to make 'Beats and Beer Friday' a weekly post that talks about what I'm drinking and listening to. Hopefully it inspires some of you to go outside your comfort zone and try something new, whether it be in terms of a beverage, an album, or both.
Without further ado, my selections for this weekend are:
Beats: Tech N9ne - All 6's and 7's
Tech N9ne is an independent rapper hailing from Kansas City. He's been making music for a long, long time and as a KC native, I've been listening to him for almost as long. However, it's just been over the past few years where he's finally starting to get the recognition he deserves.
Tech has gained the status of being the "Number one independent hip-hop artist", and it's a well-deserved title. I honestly don't think this guy ever stops touring. It seems like he performs in KC at least 3-4 times a year on different tours. He's built an entire brand out of his Strange Music label, and has an avid group of fans that he lovingly refers to as 'Technicians'.
'All 6's and 7's' was just released Tuesday, and while I've given it a once over, I hope to fully dive into it this weekend. My first impression was that, while it isn't his best album, it's very good and would be a great 'gateway' album for the average music listener to get into his music. This album is distinctly different from his others in that he has features from a number of major hip-hop artists such as Lil' Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Twista, Yelawolf and more. The songs on the album are a mix of dark, poppy, crude and introspective. A great mix of style that I believe allows even the most discriminating music fans to at find at least one song they enjoy.
Recommended tracks: Check out 'Worldwide Choppers' below, and if you want to hear more, you can listen to 'He's A Mental Giant' on 2DopeBoyz.
'All 6's and 7's' is available for purchase on iTunes as well as in Best Buy and other major retailers. You can find Tech N9ne on Twitter and Facebook.
Beer: Firestone Walker Double Jack
This weekend will be my first foray into trying Firestone Walker Double Jack, but before I even open the bottle, this beer already has a few things going for it.
1) I love IPAs, Double IPAs and Imperial IPAs
2) Every beer I've had from Firestone Walker thus far has been fantastic. Firestone Walker 14 and Abacus (which is now The Beer Formerly Known as Abacus) shot to the top of my favorite beers list and I can't wait to drink them again.
3) It has a rating of A- on BeerAdvocate and a 100 on Ratebeer.
So yeah, if I drink this beer and end up not liking it, I'll have to assume it was somehow tainted by a crafty miniature beer demon or my taste buds were the victim of some kind of sporadic medical anomaly, rendering them useless.
On their website, Firestone Walker lists Double Jack as being available in CA, NV, OR, WA, AZ, MO, Chicago, MA, NJ, NY, VA, PA, DC and MD. If you are in these areas, ask your local liquor store and I'm sure they can tell you if it's being carried currently.
Firestone Walker is based out of Paso Robles, CA, learn more about their beers by visiting their website. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.
1 comments:
LOL once again I feel like your writing exactly what I would say. The more I listen to the album, in the car, on a good system, the more I like it. It's growing on me daily. As for Firestone Walker, couldn't of said it better myself. I tried the Robust Porter last weekend, and once again, wasn't disappointed.
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