The Key Studio Sessions: Sugar Tongue Slim

It’s very fitting that the words “Poet Laureate” are tattooed on Sugar Tongue Slim‘s neck. The charismatic Philly rapper has a way with words, a gift of gab, and it plays tremendously into his music and his persona. For the Key Studio Sessions this week – performed with his longtime collaborator DJ Bear One – Slim gives us a thorough overview of his brief but illustrious career, dipping back to 2011’s The Illustrious for the roof-raising jams “Sugar’s Here (Make Some Noise)” and “WWW” (try getting that amazing song unstuck from your head after hearing this performance), as well as the slick Phantogram-sampling “STSIsGold.” But you’ll also hear selections from his recent, critically-acclaimed EP We Can Talk Politics and World Affairs (the title is a lyric from “WWW”) as well as two jams from the forthcoming White Gold: 215’s In the Trunk project he’s getting ready to release, the crafty “$5000 Dolla Coat Shit” and “Raise It Up,” a short and punchy closer.

Slim tells me the White Gold series of mixtapes is going to be an homage to the places he calls home, starting with Philly – where he’s been based for years – and continuing with Atlanta – where he was born and raised, and got his start. We’ll hear more from White Gold this Saturday, when slim plays the Jump Philly-curated Sound Select Showcase at Underground Arts with RJD2 and Marian Hill. His Key Session should give you a good idea of the energy the man has onstage, as well as what a character he can be – the between-song bits of banter are priceless and just go to show what an authentic guy he is. Stream and download the set below.