Menu Search
Author

I’m a semi-retired rhymer/producer turned educator, writer, and photographer. I fell in love with beats and rhymes when I was a kid, and these days I strive to keep boom-bap alive. I’m probably “wrestlin’ with words and ideas” right now. Find me at gunnerphi.com

Follow Travis gunnerphi.com/

Articles by this author

Article Oct 16 2019

Way Back: Resurrection (1994)

“Over the global, my vocals be travelin’,  unravelin’ my abdomen” – Common on “Resurrection” On October 4th, 1994, Common released his second album, Resurrection, on Relativity Records. His 1992 debut, while solid, had minimal cultural impact. His clever flow was still undeveloped and his subject matter skewed comedic more than serious. He began to put […]
Article Sep 18 2019

Way Back: So Tough (1994)

“So they conspire, to murder for hire Is the world just a big cup of water tryna douse the black fire?” –  Freddie Foxxx on “So Tough” 1994. That’s the first thing Freddie shouts on his quintessential track “So Tough”. He says it with the confidence and conviction that the year would be his. In […]
Article Sep 13 2019

Way Back: Connected (2004)

Oftentimes, when a member of a group pursues other projects it serves as the precursor for a full-fledged solo career. That was not the case for Little Brother’s, Phonte. Between the group’s first and second albums, Phonte chose to broaden his horizons with an unexpected collaborator. Before social media completely took over, people took to […]
Article Sep 13 2019

We Miss You, Mac

Malcolm McCormick, or Mac Miller, passed away one year ago last week on September 7, 2018. I was a bit late to the party with Mac. I saw a flyer for a show he was doing around my school in 2010, but I disregarded it quickly. A rapper with a backpack on and his pants […]