If you don't know who the fuck A-1 ( @adamraps ) is, then you really haven't been up on your Westcoast hiphop game. SF native A-1 aka AD1M aka Adam Rashid Traore, is your favorite SF native emcee that you might not have heard of yet, and that's okay, but truthfully speaking he's the brightest talent from the Bay that we've seen in a while, so you need to get familiar.
For the past several years A-1 has put in major studio work, releasing one ill mixtape after another, gaining Youtube recognition initially for his refreshing flows on mainstream rap song instrumentals (many of which were disputed to be even better than the original artists' versions), but quickly amounting masses of followers after he released The After School Special, a fun 90s cartoon-themed mixtape in which he rapped over many of our generation's favorite back-in-the-day cartoon classics. However, it wasn't until A-1 released the next mixtape, The Book of Adam, that we began to digest that he was neither a gimmick or a novice, but instead a legitimately seasoned emcee whom would garner more than fifteen minutes of internet fame. If The After School Special was the introduction, then the Book of Adam was the solidifier of his presence. His latest mixtape THURL (Think - Hustle - Understand - Really - Live) which took us towards a more introspective and reflective place, has become a mantra for his league of followers. His videos and mixtapes have become regular write ups on notable music blogs like Okayplayer, Fader, Complex, The Smoking Section, and A-1 was even voted one of Thizzler's 2012 Bay Area Freshman 10. His latest interview was a full feature in the SF Weekly. Amidst putting out bangers, he's clocked in a significant amount of stage time, touring up and down the coast, to Canada and back opening up for the likes of Zion I, Roach Gigz, George Watsky, and Equipto.
By the looks of it, he's poised to become the next biggest name to know. Here's a recap from his sold out headliner show at Slim's in San Francisco last month. Even Andre Nickatina had a little something to say about the show:
With another show at the historic Fillmore in SF on 4/25, SLO for the Rock n' Flow festival on 4/27, Oakland at New Parish on 5/10, and Santa Cruz at the Catalyst on 5/17, it seems quite obvious that this isn't the last time you'll be hearing about A-1.
