When I peeped the cover art for TUNA, the new mafioso EP from Rochester, NY emcee Pounds, I had to pop my buds on ASAP and see what this guy had to say.
His arm resting on a small private aircraft, the imposing rapper — garbed in a black jacket, black kicks, black beanie and standing next to a, yes, black dufflebag — doesn't look like your typical diva rapper who cashes out his Papa John's check to flash some 20s on Instagram. This dude's the real article.
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Following a quick soundbite from the film Blow, Pounds introduces his raspy, deliberate flow on the EP's title track that just might be his best work on the project. Other tracks like "Money and the Power" and "Gone Tomorrow" showcase Pounds' predilection for street-savvy storytelling and evocative details that seemingly place you inside the same crime movies littered throughout the EP.
We also briefly hear a different side of Pounds on the project's closing number "Dues." Perhaps this more emotionally charged sound is a sign of what's to come on his future work, or maybe it's the rightful Carlito's Way-esque conclusion to a dope piece of art that inevitably has to come to an end.
Rest assured, Pounds has plenty of lyrical contraband left for those ears and even has some international tour dates coming up soon. In the meantime, be sure to cop TUNA on Bandcamp if you're funkin' with the flows, and check out his ill video for "Kill You" he dropped earlier this year.
Connect with Pounds: Official Website | Twitter | SoundCloud | Instagram
