Eddy P. releases EP

Never have I listened to an independent hip hop artist and felt so connected. Eddy P’s smooth and steady rap style lets the juices flow in the untitled five-track EP. Five songs is all it took for me to be hooked on one artist’s journey so masterfully prepared. Eddy P is one to watch.

Originally from Oakland, California, Eddy P is now based in Seattle, Washington. The Bay Area definitely presses its influence into the songs on the EP – drawing from Tupac Shakur, Too $hort and maybe even MC Hammer. The likability factor with Eddy P is that he’s a true wordsmith – his instant rapport with the listener is triggered in his easy to groove cadence and mixing beats with live instrumentation. He’s also great about giving the listener a taste of his personality with little digs here and there.

My favorite track, “Letters”  features a sung chorus: I’m going through these letters. With lines like “my mistake is part of what made me a man” the listener starts to wonder if he’s referring to why he left California and made the move to Seattle? The letters seem to trickle away, like the piano music bed. I was curious if he was sad, does reading the letters make him somber? I didn’t get that impression. The song felt like he was remembering all the people that have helped him be who he is today. I just got a kick out of the word structure like “impatient as I should, embracing what I can, each memory’s a weight, I’ll always carry like your hand”.

“Snowglobe” (the spelling on the track is one word) is a standout. A vintage sounding organ, possibly a church organ, starts the track. Eddy P raps “reality woke me up and said come with me, Eddy P, you in the snow globe, that’s why non one e’er escape, they in a snow globe.” Much of this track references prison and even Rikers Island (which is on the East Coast, interestingly enough). I can only surmise that he’s preaching that society needs to shake things up, and that the current reality of many black communities is a dangerous one.

My third favorite track, “Natty Gurl” starts out with a news clip, or recording of a women saying that “you just want to look a little bit artificial, a natural look isn’t what we’re going for.” Immediately, I thought, yes, so much societal pressures for females to fit a certain body type – the expectation to have Botox or “cheek fillers” is astounding. Ladies, rejoice, Eddy P prefers natural girls. He’s a little cheeky about it, and even throws out the memorable “Franken-breast” line, but overall “Natty Gurl” has pop-like beats and a solid groove.

“I Luv My Block” and “They Need Me” round out the EP. Both are great tracks, but the above three songs really impressed me. Eddy P mentions in his press materials that he’s planning a full album release Fall 2020. It’s one to mark down on your calendars.

Mindy McCall