Cut of the Day: "Do Not Disturb," Illmaculate

Let's state the obvious: local rapper Illmaculate is very good at battle rapping.

The bite-sized MC has won two World Rap Championships and been involved with some of the greatest battles and devastating punchlines ever caught on tape. My personal favorite remains when, in a 2007 battle, he said to an overweight opponent, "It's the truth I know, if this fat-ass takes one more step we'll be battling in the living room below!"

But, as he proved with his debut, Skrill Talk, two years ago, Mac isn’t too shabby on wax, either. The album stood up to the stigma that battle rappers can’t make good records. His new single, “Do Not Disturb,” the first single off his upcoming Clay Pigeons project, further dispels that notion. On it, Mac is in straight blackout mode, spitting darts of truth serum over a heavy, space-aged beat that sounds like something of an apocalyptic sci-fi flick. Mac plays the villain, questioning a variety of concepts held dearly by our country’s leaders, from freedom to democracy. At one point, he barks, “The real terrorists came out of the Mayflower,” and you begin to realize the scope of his lyrical crosshairs.

These no-holds-barred statements will undoubtedly make up a large portion of the appropriately titled Clay Pigeons, which drops March 11, and that's a good thing. After all, they helped crown Mac a champion on the battle circuit, and they're also what makes him such an intriguing MC. 

Illmaculate plays Blue Monk this Saturday, March 1, along with Mikey Vegaz and another outspoken MC with Portland connections, Luck-One, who just dropped his new mixtape, Curse of the Pharaoh

BONUS! 

Check out footage Illmaculate rhyming beneath the St. Johns Bridge, shot by The Oregonian's Casey Parks as part of a upcoming documentary. 

WWeek 2015

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