This week we had the privilege of interviewing New Orleans hip hop artist Slangston Hughes. Slangston has a style all his own that is reminiscent of 90’s backpack rap, but backed up by live instruments rather than the 808 kicks we’re used to in rap. This Thursday into Saturday night, Slangston Hughes will be performing at three different Triangle area venues for what he considers a “mini tour” to help bridge the gap between NC’s “pure hip hop community,” and his own in NOLA. He’s a major supporter of the material our local artists in the Triangle are putting out, and has worked with many of them on tours and collaborations.
Few hip hop acts since The Roots have had the audacity to attempt live instruments as part of their brand, but Slangston fearlessly goes in with lyricism and showmanship. The key to his success isn’t from traveling with a band, but recruiting talent from the cities he performs in to give his songs a local flair to wherever he is on stage. This is a unique approach to making music in a genre that usually puts a heavy emphasis on representation of an artist’s specific hometown sound.
Slangston Hughes will be performing this Thursday night at Pinhook in Durham (doors at 9pm), Friday night at Proof Five Points in Raleigh (doors at 9pm) with Eternal the MC for his “Age of Eternal” album release party, and a free show at Schoolkids Records on Saturday (starts at 6pm). Check out WKNC’s podcast to hear the full interview with this artist who is sure to put on a great show alongside our city’s strongest MCs.