Yzal the Praxis, A Blue Chip Rapper

There’s no better feeling to me than discovering a hidden gem. I love being surprised by great music and Watching the Paint Dry by Yzal the Praxis was a project that absolutely blew me away. When friend and rapper Wst. Taylor sent me this project, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into but I never doubt Wst.’s ear for music. Considering Yzal and Wst. are actually homies from the west coast, I figured I was in for something good but this was something else, THIS PROJECT IS GREAT. I wasn’t expecting something so polished, especially considering that everything on this album outside of the features came from the talented hands of Yzal the Praxis himself. 

Being a sports fan, sometimes I like to refer to projects and artists that hit on elite levels of music production the same way sports recruiters refer to five tool elite level athletes; blue chips. 

Blue chips are a rare class, often in a league of their own. Think of Mookie Betts or Lebron James, someone who can beat you anywhere with their vast amount of tool sets. When it comes to hip hop, I consider blue chip artists to be multi talented artists like Kanye West, whose versatility is a driving force in music. It’s not just his rapping or beat making, it’s his creativity and ability to take you to a place you weren’t expecting. That’s how I feel about Yzal the Praxis and Watching the Paint Dry, this was blue chip level work by an underground artist.

The name of the project isn’t just a catchy title, but the central theme of a project released in the year of the quarantine, where we all sat at home as the paint dries on our walls and the calendar flips through months. There is a distinct sound and feel that connects each record, a consistency in sound and tone throughout the project that lends itself to a talented one man production team. As the rapper, producer, engineer, and cover artist, Yzal’s fingerprints are everywhere on this project. “You did this all by yourself Yzal? Wow” 

A true jack of all trades, and evidently a master of them all. Go listen to Watching the Paint Dry by Yzal the Great and let me know what you think.