Tune in: Nappy Nappa Live on Adult Swim / November 9, 2017 by Maxwell Young

During the 1970s, the District of Columbia proudly bore the moniker "Chocolate City" as it was the first majority black city in America. With respect and admiration, Southeast rapper Nappy Nappa looks like he's coming straight out of the Chuck Brown Go-go. He's been spotted wearing his trusty, white Nike Blazers, Kangol hats, berets, zipped up (or down) track jackets, and most confidently, bell bottom pants at the local scenes like Uptown Art House and Backbar.

Nappy Nappa boasts credits including The Washington Post and The Fader, as well as featuring in ITR's 'Sounds of D.C.' playlist. This evening he adds another, performing on Adult Swim's Bloodfeast live stream, a daily show "exploring the mind through perspectives on art, sexuality, psychology, spirituality, and relationships."

Nappy Nappa stopped by 'Rough' for a brief performance. Photographs by Maxwell Young

Nappa's 30 to 45-minute set begins at 10pm and is being broadcast from Atlanta. Fans of the "rawdog" can view the show by downloading the app here.

Rapping, "I done spilled mumbo sauce on my 993s in the CFP/Dawg, I'm too D.C./Said I'm too D.C," there's no telling what homegrown aesthetic Nappy Nappa debuts for the internet. Tune in and support the national push.

Brothers Join to Make Hits / September 27, 2017 by Alex Young

The Keymakers | photographs and video by Alex and Maxwell Young

Since moving to Boston for jobs after college, Jerome and Justin Barnes have logged many miles traveling between Beantown, Miami, Toronto, and Pittsburgh to make music.

Their time spent is worthwhile though as the duo, officially called The Keymakers, release their debut single "Good For You." To celebrate, the 25-year-old Jerome and 22-year-old Justin returned to their native Pittsburgh for a music release party at Jay Verno Studios.

"It feels great to come full circle and share this moment with family and friends," Jerome said.

A post shared by Rome + Rederic (@thekeymakers) on Sep 22, 2017 at 11:45am PDT

The Barnes brothers started making music as kids. Jerome's father, James, recalled his son taking up piano in middle school and high school at Shady Side Academy. "When he went off to college, he played us songs that he sang on. I was shocked. 'This is really you?'" James said. Jerome sang under the name Rome Alexander.

On the other hand, Justin was a drummer. At Shady Side, he joined a band called One Car Pile Up. Once they separated, he began to DJ and mash songs together as his own mixes. "It's one thing to take other people's songs, but it's another to produce your own music," James said of Justin.

As the brothers found their sounds in college, Washington University in St. Louis for Jerome and Depauw University for Justin, who is better known there by his DJ name Rederic, it made sense to combine Jerome's singing ability with Justin's production after graduation.

Professional guidance came from Always Money Always Gorgeous Collective, an off-shoot record label of Cash Money Records operated by Cash Money representative Anshuman Sharma. Sharma critiqued The Keymakers work each time they visited his plush studio in Kitchener, Ontario only 60 miles from Toronto. "Your energy isn't there. The energy doesn't match what you're saying," he said. Other AMAG team members such as Jesse Christophr helped The Keymakers write lyrics. "Any great song is going to have many different people working on it," Jesse said.

The Keymakers create pop music and love songs like "Good For You." "Jerome wants to put out these sad ballads, but my production makes them more fun," Justin said.

"Why would I deceive her? She made me a believer," Jerome sings in the debut track.

While "Good For You" is the beginning for The Keymakers, "so many awesome people have helped us along the way to get to a point where we have so much music we're excited to share with y'all," Justin said.

Now, The Keymakers work to "build our name," Justin said. They plan to release a monthly single. Until their next track, listeners can enjoy "Good For You" on all streaming platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and SoundCloud.

Changing Pace in Atlanta / February 28, 2017 by Alex Young

"Atlanta, the city of the trap." 'Trap' references drug trafficking and a sub-genre of hip-hop.

Lyon a 23-year-old Atlanta native, and musician describes the city to me this way because he represents one of the alternate sounds that resonates from the A's music community. Lyon's rap is intentional poetry that offers soul and a change of pace to a city where there is more to talk about than fast drug lifestyles and strippers.

Listen, though, there is a sexy and luxurious coolness to urban life in the Southern city. When you hear and watch "Bad and Boujee" by Migos, a rap group from Gwinnett county north of Atlanta, understand new money is in the hands of thousands of people who worked hard to establish their success. Childish Gambino's hit show "Atlanta" theatrically displays the vibrancy and regularity of the city's cultures.

Still, Lyon is not sold on the glamor. He describes Atlanta's progressivity as "bittersweet" because black excellence runs rampant and so does the disenfranchisement of Atlanta's black people. Issues like gentrification take advantage of black people and have taken precedence since the construction of the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

But, what makes Atlanta rich are the opportunities available to people of color. Black people encourage each other in Atlanta and the communities support a diverse group of inhabitants.

"It's a melting pot here now. You get different tastes from everywhere," Lyon says.

People are able to thrive and make Atlanta a place where both white people and people of color coexist fairly. Southern hospitality welcomes everybody and keeps the Georgia city humming.

Additionally, the rising success in Atlanta is an inspiration, and music is a definite area that ATLiens find success in.

Atlanta's musical heritage has roots in the church, Civil Rights movements, and the streets that run the clubs. ATLiens and Rappers Outkast, Gucci Mane, and T.I. speak to the different lifestyles that reflect through songs in hip-hop. Likewise Lyon represents the breadth of tastes amongst the new talents in the city.

Lyon's personification precedes him when we talk on a Sunday afternoon at Ponce City Market, an ex-department store built in 1926 that now functions with restaurants and commercial shops. I understand his style upon the previous discovery of Lyon's SoundCloud bio, "Just tryna bring soul back to the city," it reads. The stark contrast to tone that Lyon's rap presents against people trying to "turn the club up," as he says, creates a conversation.

Soul has affected Lyon all his life. If not for the drums in church or his involvement in the school band, Lyon says his mom is a big reason why warmth and musical instrumentation influences his music. She chose the stylings of George Benson, Al Green, and Marvin Sease to play for her son Brandon, who listeners and readers know as Lyon.

However, in the city of the trap, it's been a challenge for Lyon to trust his soul in the rap scene.

"I was doing trap music for awhile. I was doing the whole auto-tune vibe, all of it," he says. "That was high school, though, early high school. People wanted me to do that. Friends would hear me play around on a beat and say, 'Yo record that!' It was bad."

Besides, mainstream media has a fascination for trap music and how it occurs in the Atlanta neighborhoods. The trap is a real lifestyle and occupation that disenfranchised people support to better their livelihood. Rappers from the trap make it cool. But, the exposé and promotion of the drugs and violence that coincide with the trap can be damaging to the reputation of African American culture. Atlanta rappers like Future or 21 Savage, as exciting as their music sounds, sensationalize gangster ways of shooting people, selling drugs, and counting stacks of money.

ITR: If you as an artist talk about doing drugs or gunning people down, how do you feel responsible for what happens in the communities?

Lyon: I feel responsible. Essentially, kids are supposed to idolize their parents. But that's not the way it is. We love celebrities. I'm not 'gonna tell a kid to go do something. You see what drug abuse has done to all of us and in black music period. Look at all the greats, we are strung out.

The narratives are "beating a dead horse" and shows like "Noisey Atlanta" by Vice Media distort the dynamic qualities to Atlanta as people's attention focuses on the trap.

"You're happy to see brothers doing anything besides kicking in someone's door," but drugs are "not all that's here," Lyon says.

While sober, Lyon urges other rappers to "think about what we could do with the power."

Though the scene is "turn up" now, Lyon has gained confidence knowing that more empathetic music styles find audiences too. He enjoyed seeing artists like "Raury come up" in Atlanta, and naturally Kid Cudi is a major influence on Lyon as well.

Currently, Lyon becomes relatable to publics through his music because he is not afraid to be himself. "Be weird. It's 2017 and it's OK to be weird," he says after referencing how he was the only one of his friends who rode skateboards.

Thoughtfully, Lyon's songs mean "life is bigger than us," he says. "I want it to be about the music, not me. I want the music to speak for itself [and] things people are afraid to embrace."

Since learning how to make beats in the fifth grade and starting rap in high school, "Paper Planes" sits as the only mixtape on Lyon's SoundCloud page. The song "Greenlights (+peerpressure)" means the most to him because it reflects upon his trying personal moments.

With entertaining and expressive lyrics, nostalgic and passionate scenes feature in Lyon's imaginative work.

“So many coveted rhymers know that they lying to us. They dishonor their occupation, but, honestly, honesty wasn’t obligated from the jump. But, I ain’t mad at y’all because after all the whole generation was raised on Adderall and G.T.A. I wonder how many cheat codes I need to keep me safe. I wonder how many lost souls are ‘gonna see the day.”

— Lyon in "Greenlights (+peerpressure)"

Cuts like "Fxckschxxl(rest.)" set expansive themes, and Lyon's tone challenges listeners to think beyond what society sets on our plates. He wants people to feel motivated beyond "school or your job," he says.

Ultimately, Lyon's next music output will be his debut project, which fans should look for later this year. He calls his 2015 "Paper Planes" tape rushed because he had lost his job at that time two years ago, and he will "put more time into the debut's production." His newer tracks like "Wake Up" supply groove to his affectionate words.

Despite the community's attention on the "turn up" trap music, Lyon hopes to find a niche to perform in front of. "The vibe is there," and areas in Atlanta like Little Five Points, Edgewood, Cabbagetown and Midtown could support his act. "Atlanta has always been supportive of the artists. People throw mixtapes through your window. We got that pull," he says.

Observing a Gang of Wolves / January 4, 2017 by Alex Young

Gang of Wolves photographed by Alex Young

Success can happen with numbers just like success can happen individually. While readers here know success in Pittsburgh's creative community feeds off of support and togetherness, Gang of Wolves legitimizes the pack mentality as an artistic collective.

Comprised of outgoing twenty-somethings, G.O.W. operates as a multimedia production group delivering graphic, music, and video content. Jacob Finch is the creative director who manages Dillis, Pk Delay, and Patches all of who rap.

Essentially, Gang of Wolves aims to enhance the outputs of a co-working network of artists. Before Dillis, Pk, and Patches linked together they were acquaintances working in the 'Burgh's hip-hop community. Each of the youngsters carries a contemporary persona that appears in photographs, on stage, and on the internet. The G.O.W. artists "understand how to use the internet as the place to go to establish their brands," Finch says. Pk has executed multiple wearable merchandises on the net that have accompanied his music. His "Dad" hats symbolize the smart marketing habits available to Gang of Wolves. Dillis and Patches are clever too. Their latest work, "We're the WET BOYZ, and You're Watching Disney Channel," is so nostalgic with its imagery that the album cover is perfect advertising for a playful project. On the fast-paced web, marketability is valuable for getting attention to specific people or projects.

With training in photography and multidisciplinary graphic design, Finch organizes the Gang of Wolves to be funny and smart in their media on a consistent basis. Inside the building that was formerly known as Allegheny Center Mall on Pittsburgh's North Side, Finch and videographer Alden Roth made G.OW.'s efforts visually cohesive as Dillis, Pk, and Patches wandered around the sprawling facility.

As a group, Gang of Wolves makes its mark with "Grand Opening," video and animation that assists new music singles. Along with promoting music, the gang entertains their audience with thorough visual content to compliment the rappers' lyrics. Music mixes will also be available on the group's SoundCloud. Working in a pack makes Gang of Wolves more efficient in their delivery.

For 2017, those who are interested should look for editions of "Grand Opening" weekly. To learn more about G.O.W. go here or follow them socially here. Introduce yourself to the group with the trailer below shot by Finch.