OurStage

So a couple of the guys from Neva Dug Disco had our eyes rollin' the other day when they handed us a copy of Stick Up Kids' latest mixtape, The Worst Day of Your Life. I mean come on, we don't have time to listen to some BS Dallas wanna be MCs acting like they're from Houston, right? Well, if you're as cynical about Dallas hip hop as I've been for most of my tenure in town, then you too may be in for something of a shock when you pop in Stick Up Kids' latest mix tape. Avoiding the disparate but common local hip hop traps of being either too backpack or too cartoonish street, Stick Up Kids bring it with both production and flow on one of the most surprising local releases of any kind I've heard this year. These guys aren't reinventing the wheel here, but that's not the point. This is a straight up party tape that compares favorably with many of the recent hip hop mixes I've heard from more reputable artists in more respected hip hop locales, forcing me to wonder whether these guys might be a slightly bigger deal if they were from Houston or New Orleans. Never dumbing it down or getting too cute, Stick Up Kids' three members, Molek Ular, Wordlife and E-Wize, seem to possess the kind of swagger and skill that might get people talking both within and outside of our little local music bubble. The mix tape covers a lot of ground, from chilled, old school inspired grooves to harsh, urgent street tracks and party starters that blend together as well as you could possibly expect from such a diverse group of sounds. The combo of gritty street appeal and imaginative, quality production is far too rare in this city, and the fact that the MCs actually have more than a respectable presence on the mic makes it even better. (SR)