Quelle Chris never disappoints me. When I found out the nomadic, erratic MC had found a proper home with respectable indie imprint Mello Music Group, I was happy. Up until now, all his material has been released in uncompromisingly DIY and lo-fi manners. Whether it was hand-drawn vinyl covers or no-mix Bandcamp releases, everything the Q-meister has put out has been the rawest of the raw.
It seems that’s about to change as Quelle preps 2Dirt4TV Episode 2: Niggas Is Men, which is actually a prelude to his formal full-length MMG debut. The first taste of the very tactfully titled project is “Long Tokes,” a collaboration with new rhyme homie Cavalier. Over production that sounds like equal parts late 90s indie boom-bap and Saturday morning cartoons, the two MCs take turns telling you just why and how they inhale that good good.
Fuck with Quelle. He has an impeccable ear and in a pleasantly refreshing turn for a rapper, he’s not too self-conscious to let himself go completely into the moment, whether it’s emo-rap, boom-bap or whatever. Plus who’s the last MC you’ve heard to reference Gonzo in a verse with a straight face?