Kool A.D. releases 'Not OK' mixtape

Reflecting on the state of local music in 2013, SF Weekly’s Ian Port recently wrote, “Acts, whether they play rock, dance, or increasingly hip-hop, are now defined by the particular slice of the past they evoke.” While I agree legions of local garage rockers constantly try to evoke the past, there’s a growing supply of Bay Area hip hop that is constantly looking to the future. Bay Area native Kool A.D.‘s Not OK is a great showcase of a Bay Area hip-hop scene that is continuing to move forward. Kool (aka Victor Vazquez) enlisted several local producers to provide beats, including Amaze 88, Toro y Moi, and Jay Casio (of RNB Millionaires). There’s a wide range of beats here, with nothing fitting into a traditional mold of any era. Vazquez’s rhymes are cerebral as usual, and he changes up his cadence quite a bit to keep it fresh. Not OK is below, along with the visuals for “Swole” – keep a Wikipedia tab open while you listen to look up Kool’s references. Kool A.D. will be in person at 1192 Folsom on January 4 with Amaze 88 and Issue.