Portland, Oregon, has long been an untapped hotbed of talent, home to acts like battle rap hero Illmaculate, and Asian-American rhymer Pete Miser. Though he initially hails from The Bay Area, rapper Edgler Vess—based in PO currently—is putting on for the scene. His last two albums, How to Die in Oregon Vol. 2, and The Hands Resist have each garnered 500k to 750k plays each, which is decent (as fuck), considering he’s indie. His base is expanding which each release; he’s not one to sleep on going into 2018.
His latest release, the 8-song Violet, is a blend of things. From the super cool “PM Dawn FM” intro, the funky “Purple Pico,” and the lyrical (and dark) “Sophia,” he has some quality content floating around his catalog. Start with the new release, and work your way down the line.
