GRUNGECAKE TEAM
In the South, Hip-Hop and Rap have been commercialized. Its scene is a force to reckon with, especially in the city of Atlanta. Real Hip-Hop and Rap heads should already know about the early days of So So Def Records, Kilo Ali and The King of Crunk, Lil’ Jon, but what others may not know is that Atlanta’s Underground Hip-Hop scene is growing right before their eyes and it only gets better. It’s almost the best-kept secret within the city. Popular venues around Atlanta like The Apache Café, Urban Grind Coffee House and the Little Five Points shopping district have always been the premiere spots to catch emerging musicians. Those are the few dwelling grounds of true creativity and authenticity.
P.U.R.E. is one of those spark plugs of creativity, a student of the game and he’s a never ending source of intelligence. Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised on the eastside of Atlanta, P.U.R.E. has always been influenced by the Trap sounds of Atlanta, and everything else in between. Making music started off as hobby but it wasn’t long until he decided to chase his dreams.
“I didn’t start rapping seriously until after high school and that was in 2009. I recorded my first song in 2010. At that time, I felt like I had to record and if I didn’t I felt like I was going to die.”
Looking at his background, P.U.R.E. went on to say that he could have easily gone the Trap route and he had the experience to but he wasn’t comfortable with that. He didn’t want to make cheesy beats, dumb-down his lyrics and have spoon-fed material. He knows that he might have a harder time making a first impression because the material he raps about but he’s willing to stay the course that he’s currently on by making music he likes. Music has always been an outlet for him to vent and to connect with other creative individuals. Always surrounding himself in a creative atmosphere, it was only right that he made conscious and artistic music. With the route that he is on now, he’s extremely confident that his hard work will pay off.
Some may wonder what makes him stand out from the rest. It’s his creativity and work ethic that should be well-noted. Long hours in the studio led him to producing and writing way more than he usually did. Whatever free time he had away from his academic studies, he was writing or performing at coffee houses and cyphers. Shortly after recording his very first song, he found his way into a Rap trio by the name of subConscious aka SbCncS with other members Sha’Lil and Kaedus. Through that, P.U.R.E. learned about himself more and his place in the Hip-Hop game.
“It was around 2012 when I teamed up with subConscious. My time with the group was definitely a learning experience. I learned about the game more and the politics that comes along with it. It gotten to a point where we as a group had to just walk away from it. There was never a dispute or beef between us; we just had to let it breathe.”
The SbCncS group may have ended too soon, but it is definitely the beginning of who is P.U.R.E. is trying to become in the long run. People close to the underground scene in Atlanta knew about SbCncS and their works and fans still ask about them until this day. Not too shaken from his past, he remains positive about his future. His work ethic alone is great, but gift of gab is definitely one his best attributes. I mean, he is a rapper though, but a nice one with potential that shoots through the roof. He’s constantly looking for ways to sharpen his skills and Hip-Hop heads all alike should highly respect that.
“I’ve always knew that I was born with a Shakespearian tongue, I’m just trying to find better ways I can use it and music is definitely one way. I’m still figuring things out.
Recently, P.U.R.E was able to put his gift to use by releasing his first solo project, P.U.R.E Presents: Omlette du Homage pt. 1: Soul Food From Me To You. This ten-track tape shows off P.U.R.E.’s versatility and lyricism. If anybody is looking for a rapping Swiss Army Knife, then look no further. The styles come in bunches, from the introspective material and the bombardment of bars, to the showcase of conscious lyrics. This tape provides evidence of his well-rounded abilities.
“Omlette Du was a gift that I wanted to give to my fans. This project is for my fans and the ones that supported me since my subConscious and Conscious Collective days. Everyone was waiting for me to drop something. I named the tape From Me To You because I wanted to give a piece of me to the ones that were waiting on me and I wanted to offer some nourishment to the listeners.”
This chef with the Shakespearian tongue definitely has his head on straight and more projects to come towards the future. It’s artist like him that gives the Hip-Hop culture positivity and he’s not the only one doing that. P.U.R.E. has allied himself with his former SbCncS partner Kaedus Hines and another upcoming artist by the name of Bias the Black to form a Hip-Hop collective, The Raven Corps. that is sure to make some noise in the Atlanta underground scene further down the line. There’s some other members to the collective but it’s almost a mystery to who they are exactly but we’ll find out soon enough.
“The Ravens is a collective of dope MC’s from all over Atlanta. Whenever we rap, we represent the Ravens. If you know who they are, just peep the dog tags.”
P.U.R.E. is Hip-Hop. He lives it and it runs through his veins. If anybody else disagrees, just tell him so. He’s very open on criticism, that’s how focused and determined he is. He wants to get better and there’s nothing in his way will stop from reaching his destination. With a strong circle around him and his passion for the game, he’ll be around for a while. Be on the look out for his next EP, Omlette Du 1.5: The Fixins, along with a video for his single “Kiss or Kill Society”, a secret EP and a beat tape.
Writer’s note- Conscious Collective is a performance art club that he help found at his local college. P.U.R.E. may look like an acronym but there’s no meaning to it just yet he says. SbCncS broke up in 2013.
Feel free to listen to his music via this link.
