On a rainy Saturday night, pictures of the late DJ Clark Kent and ODB adorn the walls at Fly Private Social in Brooklyn. Patrons young and old down classy drinks in the warm, intimate lighting. The mood for the night is a mix of new and vintage, grown and sexy. Hugs, daps and laughs fill the air as a hearty YEEEERRRR cuts through the crowd. Announcing the beginning of the mixtape listening party, an introduction to the nights host, Ms. Oxtail Gravy and the nights’ star: Southside Jamaica, Queens rapper T-13.
Style
A singer and emcee, T-13 weaves between both forms effortlessly. Her syrupy flow and raspy tone adding a sensual touch to her inescapable wit. Her past as a poet preceding her on tracks like “Prime”, where she raps “I’m a person not a purse, I got dreams, I got trauma, I got shit that still hurts me”. Of her influences, she notes an eclectic cast and crew.
Praising the songwriting abilities of Stevie, vocal stacking of Brandy and the raw vulnerability of DMX. The influence of the latter evident in tracks like “It Was Written”, an emotional track she admits evoked in her more than a handful of nerves. Noting it as a personal standout, speaking on acknowledging the frailty of her parents as age unveils their mortality.
Substance
With “Sugar crystals wrapped around [her] lessons” don’t let the transparency fool you, 13 also has a pension for slick talk and braggadocio. Traits pre-installed in a Queens native. Accordingly, the soundscape laid by Bronx and Queens producers Benji Socrates and DewSoCozy respectively, present the perfect playground.
The jazzy backdrop embraces both the vintage and the modern. A mix of traditional boom bap (Ode To Yvonne), drumless loops ala Conductor Williams (Prime) and more upbeat bops (Talk to Me). T-13 is much, much more than a nostalgia merchant or one trick pony trying to restore the feeling.
There may be temptation to compare her to many rappers past and present but there really is no need. As she affirms herself, “You don’t gotta like me, but understand this. I’m different than anything you’ve ever seen come out of Queens”
Queens Get the Money
As a Queens-based writer myself I’m excited to see where T-13 continues to leave her stamp in the future. As of yesterday though New Moon is available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
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