TOWN LOVE is an online art museum dedicated to celebrating the vibrant past and present of Northwest Hip-Hop. You can browse by artist or browse by year.

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Tag: J’Von

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Thunderboy

Taylor Hart from West Coast cannabis hip-hop site Respect My Region selected Thunderboy as one of the very best Northwest albums from 2020, saying:

Since entering the world of pop music, hip-hop and the art of rapping has become diluted in the mainstream. Lyrics are being recycled and formulaic songs have taken the forefront of the genre. J’von is the opposite of that. He is an incredible and highly original lyricist who packs a nauseating amount of wordplay into his verses.

To this day, I’m discovering new bars within his album, Thunderboy, that I didn’t catch on the first few listens. I’m even still picking up on bars from his 2019 release, Dream Surfer, which also happened to land on my list of the top 20 albums for that year. Between the animated beats and J’von’s smooth delivery, Thunderboy simply puts me at ease and that’s why it’s been one of my favorites this year.

Thunderboy was created in and features appearances from:

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Dream Surfer

J’Von is a hella-talented romantic wordsmith, layering raps and vocals atop an atomized, 8-bit backdrop of guitars and bleeps and bloops. (He also draws his own anime-inspired cover art and videos.) Pot Holes In My Blog praises how Dream Surfer “weaves through loopy video game beats while spilling thoughts on love, lust, wants, needs and dreams.” Respect My Region adds that he’s “able to capture the feeling of childhood innocence in his daydream-esque instrumentals.” KEXP’s blog dropped a lengthy profile in October, stating that “J’Von is a force to be reckoned with.”

Dream Surfer was created in and features appearances from:

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HappYer Now

Dan’s Tunes says MistaDC is “one of the most dynamic voices in The Emerald City.” His latest upbeat five-track effort freshly remixes his unique formula of neo-soul, R&B, and rap, with help from collaborators Jamie Blake and J’Von. The release party was a sold-out celebration at The Crocodile Back Bar. The Stranger calls HAPPYer NOW “short and sweet” and highlights the groovy disco-infused single “Pretty Pink.” Respect My Region say this EP is “dance-centric. It boosts the tempo and screams ‘shake that ass for me!’”

HappYer Now was created in and features appearances from:

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Orange Suit

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Orange Suit was created in and features appearances from:

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Spacesuit

Spacesuit is the latest chapter in J’Von’s ongoing “suit” EP series, continuing themes introduced earlier in Yellow Suit and Orange Suit. EDM site Trillvo describes these records as “a great love letter to past relationships with memorable vibes,” told through “catchy horns, chill beats and steady lyrics.” Santa Cruz radio station KCSC says there are “seven songs that flow smoothly and effortlessly.” Dancing Astronaut praises how “the soulful, silky-smooth vibe of Spacesuit the top-notch harmonies and heartfelt production, push boundaries in innovative ways.”

Spacesuit was created in and features appearances from:

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Yellow Suit

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Yellow Suit was created in and features appearances from:

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Hodgepodge

Hodgepodge is a 2017 album from Samurai Del that came out back in February. It’s a polished showcase—a wide-ranging mix that demonstrates the versatility of “The Samurai” as a producer, while also featuring some of the top singers and rappers Seattle has on offer. This album was included in KEXP’s picks of the year which comes as no surprise. You’ll find sweeping synths, smooth EDM/hip-hop crossovers, and inventive sampling, like the vocals treatments towards the end of “Sailing to Japan on an Air Mattress” or the gorgeously sensual “Weightless” (featuring Kristin Henry). “What You Need” is a delightful surprise with Travis Thompson on the mic and also a banging dance number. The collab with J’Von contains one of my favorite verses of the whole year: “She’s like a breath of fresh oxygen, but if the concept of oxidization holds true, then over time I’m breathing toxins in.” (Damn, what a line!) I went to the launch party for this at the Croc 10 months ago and since this record has rarely been out of my rotation. Rappers and singers: Samurai Del is THE producer you want to work with on your next project. Hit him up. Hodgepodge is a treasure-trove of top talent.

Hodgepodge was created in and features appearances from:

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Potato

Potato from J’Von is a EP of melancholy breakup music from a man misunderstood. He raps on one song, “she misses the old me,” in a laid-back flow sometimes reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar, delivering rambling talk-raps and meditations on race and relationships against a backdrop of off-kilter beats, handclaps, and finger snaps. These songs contain the voyeuristic thrill of reading love letters that aren’t written to you. These are the thoughts and feelings of a man at home alone, writing odes of solitude like “Seattle Girl” and “Soda Can” to someone who doesn’t even listen to his music and will never hear these songs. It’s such a treat that we get to.

Potato was created in and features appearances from:

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Raw Sheep

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Raw Sheep was created in and features appearances from:

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No Motions

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No Motions was created in and features appearances from:

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Aura EP

There’re folks who rap on the beat, and some who rap offbeat, and then there are souls like Dex Amora who cartwheel whatever damn way they please like it’s the most natural thing in the world. A while back I was talking with some local hip-hop luminaries who referenced Dex as a cat to watch out for–and they are on point. The Aura EP pictured here is one of two short, and superb, records he released in 2014. Beautiful vibes, funky verses, and punctuated throughout with comedy dialogue samples that recall classic rap skits. Go get this one on Bandcamp. It was recorded, mixed and mastered by J’Von. Also, I’m just going to put it out there into the universe: I’d love to hear a rap battle/collaboration between Dex Amora and Dave B. How do we make this happen?

Aura EP was created in and features appearances from:

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Left

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Left was created in and features appearances from:

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Life Before

Seattle hip-hop blog 206UP picked this record as one of the “Top 10 Albums of 2014,” saying that:

A rich mix of sounds ranging from the heady, airy slap of “In The Wind” to the thick-as-gravy boom-bap “Distant Love.” Sinseer covers his life as he knows it: a quarter-life coming-of-age on wax, informed by love lost and found, and loyalties and promises made to friends that run as deep as familial blood ties.

Life Before was created in and features appearances from:

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