Audio By Carbonatix
Only 19, local rapper of County Grind’s affection J-O is young enough to be Debbie Harry’s grandson, which makes the strains of “Atomic” on his just-released mixtape Speakers Blow even more endearing. The song uncorking the Blondie snippet is “Make It Magnificent” — and it does. Other curiosities strictly on the sample front for the 23-track mixtape include bits of War and the Everly Brothers. County Grind has mentioned a handful of these songs before, but none other than the sun-sweetened “My Smoke Song” is the best pairing of his versatile flow with a jazzy loop. Elsewhere, J-O experiments with more straightforward, keyboard-heavy pop fare like “See It in Her Eye.”
One listen all the way through shows a fresh voice trying out a myriad of styles and songs and never betraying himself. Download the Speakers Blow mixtape over here.
