Experimental art rap that harkens back to golden era hip hop while dismantling conservative masculinity and stale production trends.
Rappers Lt Headtrip and Nigel Noire join forces with producer Fines Double for their inaugural collaboration, Nigel & Trip. The duo tackle topics of queerness, the euphoria and shackles of inebriation, traveling the country and self hate. Nigel smooths the edges of Headtrip's visceral, calculated wordplay with a devil-may-care aura and his own witty lyricism over a bed of
Lt Headtrip is a nationally touring hip-hop artist whose powerful performances and off-kilter yet thoughtful lyricism carry him to stages nationwide.
As a recording artist, Headtrip’s evocative mic presence, attention to detail, and unique beat selection contribute to his stand out albums that leave listeners with plenty to chew on, allowing for repeat listens and welcoming analysis. A master of many styles, each producer Trip enlists evokes a different flavor of from his extensive rolodex of recipes, leaving listeners a diverse discography. He’s also collaborated with members of Backwoodz Studioz, such as billy woods, Elucid, Premrock and Duncecap, as well as many other musicians nationwide and internationally.
Raised in Kent, Ohio, Headtrip moved to NYC at 18 where he cut his teeth collaborating with rappers, jazz musicians and punk rockers. After a over decade of writing, performing, producing, and engineering while becoming the go-to promoter of underground hip hop events in NYC, Headtrip found himself in Portland, OR, where he joined forces with local musicians (NorthernDraw, Fines Double, Bloodmoney Perez) and established a monthly, all ages in-store at the legacy record store, Future Shock. Now back east in the DC area, Headtrip continues to build upon his national network of musicians while running a home studio and touring regularly.
In his time as a touring artist, he’s shared bills with international stars such as Biz Markie, Slick Rick, Wheatus and Ghostface Killah. A sought-after artist, and diligent project manager, Headtrip has booked and performed alongside underground legends such as Armand Hammer, Open Mike Eagle, and Quelle Chris. He’s also shared the stage with international stars such as Biz Markie, Slick Rick, Ghostface Killah, and Action Bronson.
Fines Double is a Portland-based producer with (describe sound). Brag about dope feaatures and production credits. Espejismo, his follow up to producer album…
"Portland producer Fines Double has a defined style, delivering deft beats that hit sideways, building anxious tension from below, circling around, often looking for that knockout punch.
His 2021 debut opus, 'Flotar', is a serious demonstration of talent. It features a host of stellar emcees, including Defcee, Mimz the Magnificent, Brainorchestra, Big Flowers, Tracy N. Microokie, Bloodmoney Perez, and AJ Suede." —Crane City Music
Fines Double, Espejismo
(Cabbages Hip Hop)
Hip-hop producer showcases aren't guaranteed to be good, even if the featured rappers happen to be. Yet when the stars align, and a consistently solid beatmaker gets with some of the underground's deffest and baddest emcees, you end up something special. Assembled over the past few years, Espejismo (that's Spanish for Mirage, friendo) finds an assortment of supreme spitters like Old Grape God, Semiratruth, and Sleep Sinatra engaging with Portland Oregon's Fines Double unobtrusive yet original instrumentals. It begins with fellow Pacific Northwesterner AJ Suede ministering over the loping strings and bass of "Misantrophic Optics." The rest of the tracks travel cross country like a mileage run, with Brooklyn's billy woods rubbing his third eye on "Levant," Detroiter Mic Write schooling listeners on "Second Line," and Defcee out of Chicago finding his frequency on "Slow Crawl." Both members of ShrapKnel get their licks in too, with Curly Castro readying for war on "Sundown Science" and PremRock conjuring local color on "Good Credit." All the while, Fines Double matches their energy accordingly, a quality that can feel rather rare nowadays.