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ChiefDVB Stokes The Fire On “Arctic Emberz” Mixtape
The Vegas Emcee Puts His Art On Cassettes For His Latest Release
The bass from ChiefDVB's latest outing, Arctic Emberz, is more apt to boom from a pyramid buried under Arctic Ice than a cassette. Cassette tapes conjure nostalgia for many. Hip Hop fans vividly remember Raekwon's purple tape. Arctic Emberz is an ocean blue tape, and the confidence needed to record and manufacture cassettes in 2022 should not go unnoticed. The limited press run exploded on social media the night of it's release. After unearthing my own mini boombox and pushing play, Arctic Emberz shook me with indelible grooves and clever wordplay, which at times border the spiritual, and other times are just plain fun.
In the title track, ChiefDVB's lyrics are a serious matter of craft and composition, an architect ready to build something substantial in the midst of superficial digs. The emcee proclaims: "They in a pub tryin' to start a lecture, though these bars pure architecture." Architecture and formulation builds not only physical worlds, but also scaffolding of the mind. ChiefDVB bears the burden of promising listeners Vegas nights, cars on the boulevard, smoke-filled venues, and glimpses into his soul. Though citizens are not allowed to visit Antarctica without permission, the Vegas emcee plans to take you there.
"Valuable Linenz" provides cuts that are missing in much of today's Hip Hop. "Black Pearl," produced by the remarkable Wave MMLZ, contains a hypnotic drum pattern which is the perfect texture for ChiefDVB to evoke the spirits of Captain Jack Sparrow and The Flying Dutchman. With its underwater bass and pirate content, the cut could easily pass as a brief sequel to The Roots' "Lighthouse." On "Tube Sockz," also produced by Wave MMLZ, ChiefDVB forays into fashion, reversing the trend from ankle high basketball socks to tubers. "Tube Sockz" is proof of the emcee’s grindin' as he drops: "Yeah, this that smoke sumptin' on the rooftop, a lot of feet been covered on this leg like tube sockz."
