Pop & Hiss Download: Tabi Bonney’s ‘Hello & Goodnight’

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Tabi Bonney’s latest album, “The Summer Years” (released in September on Bluroc Records), is a definite reflection of the West African artist’s personality: He’s equal parts street rapper, intellectual (he holds a master’s degree in biology), dreamer and pragmatist. The son of popular funk musician Itadi Bonney, Tabi Bonney describes his own sound as “sophisticated, futuristic boom bap,” but his tales of love, dashed dreams and hard work ethic belie a gloss and grit that surely is part of his lineage.

The D.C.-based rapper, who’s originally from Togo, earned his stripes with the East Coast label Organized Rhyme, making a name for himself in the underground rap circuit and earning a bicoastal following. Currently wrapping up a three-month U.S. tour in support of his new album, he plays tonight at the House of Blues in Hollywood as part of the Hip Hop & Love Tour featuring Murs.

Bonney has crafted a cocky, can-do attitude, which comes across in “The Summer Years,” and it’s clear that despite his diminutive frame, he doesn’t take his rhymes lightly. For proof, look no further than “Hello & Goodnight” -- a triumphant track that showcases Bonney’s classic hip-hop swagger along with easy-flowing rhymes and fresh beats.

Tabi Bonney’s “Hello & Goodnight”

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