Comprised of Iamsu!’s DJ/rapper Azure, Clyde Shankle, and Dayvid Michael, Down 2 Earth’s “Powers” is a bonus track from the forthcoming re-issue of the group’s Wildfire mixtape, which dropped earlier this year. The project boasts features from fellow HBK Gang members Kehlani, Iamsu!, and Jay Ant. One of the last songs to come out of Wildfire sessions, “Powers” was recorded with producer Kuya Beats and Bay Area singer Simmi, who adds a brief but hypnotizing chant on the track’s chorus.
Sure, they’re from the Bay Area, but unlike many of their peers, there’s an edgy, battle rap influence that’s immediately evident in Down 2 Earth’s music – and if you don’t hear it, you’ll see it in their SF Weekly-premiered video for “Powers,” where crew member Clyde Shankle sports a Wu-Tang t-shirt. “As a kid I would recite Eminem and Ludacris lyrics in my mom’s room where there was a big mirror,” says Azure. “Eventually a friend from high school convinced me to join freestyle circles, and I even started going to local battles with him.”
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