
A film about Northwest hip-hop from 2016
Romaro Franceswa
Mirror
I have one of Romaro Franceswa’s “NO ENEMIES” shirts that I wear all the time. In the current climate, it’s a message I like to project. His latest release, Mirror, strives for a certain audio maximalism, There’s an unrelenting quality, rarely a quiet moment. It’s like you’re in the mind of Romaro’s cover protagonist, worked up, nervous, twitchy, steeling oneself with liquor, afraid to look up. The opening of “Forgive Me” starts with a few mumbled lines and then there’s a joke I always laugh at about Kanye getting back to making records. On headphones, there’s lots to listen to, multiple instruments constantly moving in multiple directions. Some great collaborators here: Parisalexa, Ryan Caraveo, Warm Gun, and Ariana DeBoo. A great release from the always stellar Black Umbrella collective.