Tabi Bonney is dope.  It’s fitting that DOPE is the title of his new album, and it just so happens to be the title of my favorite song off his last album, the buzzworthy A FLY GUY’S THEME.  I first heard of Tabi when I saw his video on the internet for a track titled “Cool and Fly”, which is actually off this 3 song release he put out in between his two albums called DOPE MEETS FRESH…FRESH MEETS SUPERSTAR.  The video is shot where he was born, in Lome, Republic of Togo-West Africa (his father is a famous musician out there), but he is very much a Washington D.C. dude.  The beat immediately struck me for this song, as did his unique voice, and it made me want to go check out the rest of his catalog.  Indulge…

Bonney’s first album is definitely FLY.  It’s got a bunch of nice tracks on there, flooded with D.C. slang that I am familiar with due to my 7 years spent living in the area, like “bammas” and “syce” and “crucial”, and calling people “young” and “joe”.  I like it, and the production is pretty ill.  It has that east coast knock to it.  As a rap artist myself, I was impressed by Bonney.  Though his buddy Wale, a fellow D.C. rapper, seems to be getting most of the shine, Bonney definitely deserves praise too and is one to watch for, especially with his hometown getting so much Obama related spotlight.

Well now Tabi Bonney’s back with DOPE, which just dropped this week, and I’m feeling his new single off the album “Rich Kids”.  For an artist on an independent label, he’s getting good looks on MTV2 this week so keep your eyes open for him, and supposedly his video for “Rich Kids” is on the way, which I’ll throw up here whenever it drops.  For now, watch this great interview with Bonney (who also has is own clothing line by the way) to find out a little more about him, and hit up his myspace page to hear “Rich Kids” and also for more of his music and videos…

Cop that album!!!  And support your local artists, wherever you’re from.  Don’t be a bamma, young.