Hood to Hood 2013: Kingdom Crumbs

With their shifting, phased-out sound, local urban poets and Cloud Nice members Kingdom Crumbs have become of the 206's leading hip hop groups. (In a recent Stranger piece, our own Larry Mizell, Jr. called the group "hands-down full-stop one of the very very best groups our town has.") The Seattle quartet meld Dungeon Family's eclectic, synthesized beats and the sharp groove of '90s West Coast G-Funk into a spacious, heady storm over which the four unique emcees - Tay Sean, Mikey Nice, Jerm D, and Jarv Dee - drop lines that are distinctly Seattle: intriguing and hazy verses over loose but controlled soundscapes. Across their 2012 self-titled debut, the group runs through a number of tempos and sonics, never missing a step when they shift from a nebulous interlude to a furiously spit up-tempo cut. Just like in all things, a lot of people in hip-hop do one thing really well, but not everyone can do it all. Kingdom Crumbs can.

And they did... during their afternoon set at UW's Red Square for KEXP's Hood to Hood broadcast during Huskyfest. The fresh, funky rhymes were a nice respite from the gloomy weather. The performance had a futuristic feel to it, especially the syth beats of "God Body". All four switched between manning the computers or throwing out a rap behind the mic. The amazing speed of their flows was evident during "We Don't Sound Like Y'all" - and they really don't sound like anything we've head so far today.