Long relegated to New York City’s shadow, garden state hip hop has struggled to find its way. And with the entire industry scrambling to find their place and follow these new rules the eager voices of grassroots movements are often obscured in the chaos.
Enter Lewie 2 Stacks’, aka Jaryd Lewis a 20-year-old Kean student, “Power Play,” a mixtape that is as earnest as it is refreshing.
This effort from Trenton’s own may contain familiar beats, but the vibe is something totally original. “Power Play” addresses everything from the ambiguous “movement” to the plague of gang banging through the lens of the artist’s lifestyle. This is not copy/paste hip hop.
A versatile reflection of the artist’s skill set, “Power Play” has everything needed to thrust this local talent into the spotlight.
But the real standout appears with the seventh track. A somber tale of a promising young woman shattered by the streets, “Everdene” doesn’t feel like an obligatory attempt at nineties-style social consciousness, but a true picture of what’s happening in our communities today.
The diverse tracks that precede it are solid. If 2 Stacks has more of these candid portraits to offer New Jersey hip hop might be in for a serious surprise.