A.Dd+

Dallas duo A.Dd+ sound great over Burn One‘s dusky, slow-rolling-at-twilight production for “Where You Been,” a song that manages to capture the nuance and guilt that comes with leaving where you’re from to achieve the goals you want to achieve. It’s a pretty well-documented subject, but Slim Gravy and Paris Pershun manage to inject new life into it, rapping with bouncy pathos over Burn One’s twinkling beat. Fittingly, most of the video takes place in a parking lot. “Where You Been” is from A.Dd+’s upcoming DiveHiFlyLo, which will be out later this year.



Read more: http://www.thefader.com/2013/07/11/video-a-dd-where-you-been/#ixzz2njDRbEbS - FADER

It was just a couple months ago when we posted an A.Dd+ featured song, and I mentioned they were overdue for some new heat. Well they didn’t keep me waiting long as they just dropped their sophomore project, DriveHiFlyLo: Every Man Is King. The now back-to-back winners of the Dallas Observer Awards’ ‘Best Hip Hop/Rap Group’ award, come through with 16 banging new tracks for free.99. Slim Gravy and Paris Pershun bring along J.Pinder and Jaeson Greene for features, while production comes from Picnictyme, DJ Burn One, Blue, The Misfit, and more. Stop sleepin’ on these dudes, and check the album, below. - Okayplayer

Way back in January, Dallas duo A.Dd+ (pronounced ADD) held a release party for their sophomore mixtape, DiveHiFlyLo, but unexpected delays prevented an official release until last week. Now the tape carries a subtitle, Every Man Is King, and five new tracks, including "Dirty Cotton Candy", which splits the difference between the G-funk-indebted futurism of OutKast and the arid trunk-rattle of UGK. A disregard for convention is the star by which Paris Pershun and Slim Gravy navigate, versatility being the other, as Pershun boasts: "We could do it like this, or we could do it like that, you still gon' be on our dicks." Based on the evidence here, he's not wrong, as Pershun makes this boast in a drawl that stretches vowels into elongated smoke rings. He and Gravy weave in and out of the track's pocket with the effortless precision of Formula One drivers taking corners during warm-up laps. - Pitchfork

Dallas is slowly making its way into the limelight again with new artists such as S. Fresh. Get to know this duo who are shaking things up in the underground.
Name: Arrias Walls (short one), Dionte Rembert (tall one).

Age: N/A

Hometown: Memphis, TN and Dallas, TX.

We grew up listening to: Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat, 8 Ball & MJG, UGK, Hot Boys, No Limit, Jay Z, Ludacris, OutKast, Diplomats, Lupe Fiasco.

Most people don’t know we: Went on three tours in 2012 (Black Milk Tour, Red Bull Skooled Tour, Talib Kweli: Prisoner of Conscious Tour)

Our style’s been compared to: As an easy blend of UGK and OutKast with a splash of A Tribe Called Quest.

Our standout records and/or moments to date have been: Winning best hip-hop act in Dallas, TX two years in a row. [Standout records are] “Can’t Come Down” and “Where You Been.”

Our goal in hip-hop is: We just want to make a difference, innovate. We want to bring that light that always shines on places like New York, Atlanta and California, to Dallas. We want to bring real life back into hip-hop.

We are gonna be the next: We don’t want to be the next anything or anybody. We want to carve out our own lane and define our own style. We want to be recognized along with the greats and have longevity. We want people to not only fall in love with our product but also us a group and as individuals.

To check out more of our music go to: Follow us on Twitter (@addhoe), SoundCloud, Facebook and Tumblr. - XXL

A.Dd+ may turn some heads with their debut album When Pigs Fly… and rightfully so. Hailing from a city that is primarily known for dance music and one-hit-wonders in recent years, these Dallas natives have shocked the region with a sound that fuses the city’s trap culture with a creative breath of fresh air. With Dallas producer Picnictyme on the production, Paris Pershun and Slim Gravy have churned out something funky and fresh that’s reminiscent of OutKast’s early years.
When Pigs Fly is an illustration of the duo’s versatility, composed of fifteen tracks that play smoothly throughout. The album covers an array of topics, satisfying every potential listener’s needs. Whether you are looking for something that jams in the truck, gets the club jumping or makes your brain spin, chances are you can find it in this project. Picnictyme’s production only furthers the pair’s ability to appease the listener’s needs, straying from Dallas’ traditional trunk rattling beats with his own unique sound.
To put it simply, the Dallas natives are no one-trick-pony. They demonstrate that they can make music that not only makes the listener think, but music that you can just wild out and break your neck to. “Likeamug”, the duo’s first single that features fellow Dallas up-comer Brown of Sore Losers, exemplifies how A.Dd+ can keep it real while still having a good time on a track. Slim is the first to go in on the bass heavy track rapping, “You don’t want no problems, I don’t think you want ‘em either / Rollin’ with my partners, I don’t think you wanna meet ‘em / Rollin’ up the reefer- blowed like a mug / Throwin’ up our middle fingers and don’t give a fuck.” Mixed with a variety of elements, including Texas’ homegrown screwed technique and a catchy hook by Paris, you would think “Likeamug” could be a potential success nationwide.
One of the better songs on the album is “Erica & Jamie”, a smooth song that features Paris rapping as if in a drunken stupor. Picnictyme laces the track with a jazzy beat highlighted by a trumpet sample that is almost as important as Paris’ alcohol induced monologue. The unconventional structure of the track meshes well with the hook that sounds as if it belonged on Stankonia . Paris lets you feel his pain as he raps, “Am I takin’ the right steps? Maybe I am, maybe I’m not… / Bitch! I’m not an alcoholic… I just drink a lot / Seems like the thing I love in the world the most is you – cuz you love me back / I can feel you in my liver… / We look so good together.” Once again, the production on this track allows the listener to truly visualize a drunken Paris trying to work his troubles out. With sounds of glasses chiming while he’s in the bar, crickets when he is outside looking for his car, the jingling of his keys, and the sound of liquor being poured into a glass throughout the song, “Erica & Jamie” is truly an illustration on wax.
While When Pigs Fly has just a few features, but each makes a significant contribution. “Smell My Cologne” features the project’s producer Picnictyme and veteran emcee Money Waters, a staple of the Dallas rap scene throughout the years. Money comes in on the second verse with his countrified flow, lazily rapping, “She tell me, she smell me ‘fore I came around the corna’ / I told her, ‘I ain’t mad’ cuz I only saw her ass!” Picnictyme comes in right after, showing listeners why he should be respected for much more than just banging production. With his fast-paced flow, he pays homage with a rhyme scheme that directly replicates the classic D-Town anthem “Crook 4 Life” by Mr. Pookie.
Overall, When Pigs Fly is an excellent debut by the Dallas duo. The young pair still has some polishing to do to with their sound and style, which is to be expected. With that being said, they have succeeded in catching the attention of not only their region, but the underground scene as well. A.Dd+ has an abundance of untapped potential and, with time, could become the next highly sought after act in hip hop. Songs like “Mary Go” and “Satellites” prove that they have the mainstream appeal necessary to go far in the music industry, while still staying true to themselves by making the music they want to make. Underground heads, industry players, and all in between have every reason to pay close attention to A.Dd+ and be excited for what is to come in the future from the Dallas natives - Kevin Nottingham

Dallas, Texas duo A.Dd+ (pronounced “A-D-D,” silent “+”) triumph with a much delayed project of their own. When Pigs Fly was scheduled for release last year, before the crew went back to the lab with producer Picnic Tyme to rework some material. The resulting fat-free platter strikes an impressive creative balance between Third Coast bravado (the nasty single “Likeamug,” the bass-heavy anthems “Smell My Cologne” and “Southbound”) and self-deprecating quirkiness (the self-explanatory “Greedy,” the dour booze fest “Erica & Jamie”). In theory, A.Dd+’s stylistic dichotomy can be traced to the distinct personas of members Slim Gravy (gruff, brash) and Paris Pershun (artsy, thoughtful) – that is, until you listen and realize that they’re less distinct than they are complimentary pieces essential to a greater whole. As P announces on “The Rapper & the Poet,” “Our melodic notes make everybody jump for hope/And haters look at us different because we don’t take the same approach.” Super-duper Fly. - XXL

The rap-duo ideal has always been modeled on yin and yang. Complimentary opposites. Q-Tip, the Abstract and the Phife, the Five-Footer. The Pimp and the Bun. On their focused debut, Dallas' Paris Pershun and Slim Gravy of A.Dd+ are the rapper and the poet, the spawn of UGK and OutKast, combining street and cerebral. "Smell My Cologne" borrows its hook from a legendary Pimp C radio interview, and the album's extraterrestrial voodoo comes courtesy of ATLiens. There are Eddie Hazel guitar riffs, "Lodi Dodi" samples, and B-Boy scratches as producer Picnic Tyme teleports via Erykah Badu's Cannabinoids crew and projects an acid-boiled strain of soul music. Paris and Slim proclaim themselves the new Beavis and Butthead, "just a little tanner"-- and like fellow Lone Star Stater Mike Judge, A.Dd+ know how to strike the perfect balance of smart and dumb. - Pitchfork

A lot of quality indie rap got buried under all the early-2011 Odd Future think pieces. How else do you explain a mixtape like When Pigs Fly slipping through virtually unnoticed? In any case, while every rap internet commentator was busy scratching around trying to think of something clever to say about Tyler, anybody with half a brain should have been closing their web browsers, firing up a house party and inviting A.Dd+ around to host the whole event.

But nobody was, it seemed. Slim Gravy and Paris P had sat on this Picnic Tyme-produced tape for a year while they built up a profile in their hometown of Dallas, and still the release hardly registered in the wider rap community. That’s a shame because rap music as rambunctious, fun-loving and just straight up good doesn’t come around every month. Picnic Tyme’s meaty, funked-up productions couch A.Dd+’s flows but rarely dominate, allowing the inside-out charisma of Paris and Slim to run rampant. Like Meridan’s Big K.R.I.T., A.Dd+ know how to balance boasts with self-effacement, although they go about it an altogether more breezy fashion.

In another dimension this record would have easily crossed over into the mainstream. “Brain Sex”, “Likeamug” and “Mary Go” all have the making of killer singles, whilst “Under” crimps Little Dragon’s “Twice” to create one of the sweetest downbeat rap cuts of 2011. As it turned out, When Pigs Fly has required the back-up of a steady stream of new material throughout the year to help push A.Dd+ over the line and into the critical spotlight, but as 2011 draws to a close the number of people discovering this mixtape finally seems to be on the rise. A good thing too: it’s nothing less than essential. - Passion Weiss

This afternoon, an e-mail from one of my favorite up and coming rap groups, Dallas’ A.Dd+, appeared in my inbox. It contained their latest freebie “Genocide.” I was ready for it to be good, but I wasn’t at all ready for what I heard.

“Genocide” is, for lack of a more descriptive word (and believe me extended metaphors are coming shortly), strange. It sounds like a combination of Busta’s “Touch It,” some Southern tinged house drums, a healthy heaping of Outkast, and a dash of the experimentalism that typified indie East Coast music in the late 90s (in particular, I’m thinking of Anti-Pop Consortium and some of the noisier noise rap that came out of Def Jux and co.).


This afternoon, an e-mail from one of my favorite up and coming rap groups, Dallas’ A.Dd+, appeared in my inbox. It contained their latest freebie “Genocide.” I was ready for it to be good, but I wasn’t at all ready for what I heard.

“Genocide” is, for lack of a more descriptive word (and believe me extended metaphors are coming shortly), strange. It sounds like a combination of Busta’s “Touch It,” some Southern tinged house drums, a healthy heaping of Outkast, and a dash of the experimentalism that typified indie East Coast music in the late 90s (in particular, I’m thinking of Anti-Pop Consortium and some of the noisier noise rap that came out of Def Jux and co.).

Of course, it also sounds like none of those things.

It’s a genuinely refreshing and vital take on what a hip-hop song can sound like, not just a skin graft that places some rapping on a Dubstep beat or samples a Pitchfork favorite and pretends to be cool. It’s the sound of actual inspiration and even if you can’t stand it, with its complete chaos, buzzing bass, and off-putting rhythm, “Genocide” forces you to at least pause for a second and go “What the fuck is that?”

Which gets me on the road to my point. A.Dd+ has been putting out quality music since the beginning of 2011. That’s not a particularly long time, but in an era when ASAP Rocky can literally appear, release 6 songs, and several months later get signed (which is no slight to ASAP, congrats to him and I’m hoping for the best to come) that could be an entire career.

Why don’t people seem to be more interested?

They’ve got a couple of killer songs, which many of their peers are arguably missing (hell, J. Cole just sold 200,000+, and I’d argue he hasn’t recorded a song that could be considered a proper calling card…and don’t say “Lost Ones” or “Work Out”…on a sidenote, J. Cole probably gave one of his finest beats to Kendrick Lamar for “HiiiPower,” giving K Dot a signature song in the process). “Likeamug,” “Greedy,” and, now, “Genocide” stand as diverse, fantastic representations of a young group that deserves praise and recognition far beyond what it has gotten thus far (and to be fair, they’ve gotten love, but it’s hard to feel good about it when Future is apparently driving Ferraris around and YC is signing million dollar major label deals).

So, rather than providing baseless conjecture as to why they haven’t broken yet, or how they can best break on through, I’ve got a plea for you: download their music. Download their debut album, When Pigs Fly. Download their collection of free singles, Loosies. And for the love of the hip-hop gods download “Genocide” and blow your speakers out.

And, for the record, I am not a paid A.Dd+ spokesperson. I am not related to either of the members of the group. I’m not even close to being from Dallas. I’m just a fan with a platform. So I hope you take the time to check out A.Dd+’s music and that you get as excited about it as I do. Along with a handful of other artists, A.Dd+ proves that Hip-Hop isn’t artistically bankrupt. It’s just no longer a viable business. We’re in the midst of exhilarating creative times, so stop complaining about Lex Luger’s drums and Flocka’s lack of deep content and open your ears. - RESPECT Magazine

​Speaking of new albums that are worth their substantial hype, allow us to point you in the direction of another big recent local release: A.Dd+'s When Pigs Fly. That album came out this weekend, with the duo of Slim Gravy and Paris Pershun's a-couple-years-in-the-making masterpiece finally earning its release at a free Friday night party at The Loft.

And make no mistake, the new disc very much is a masterpiece. Writes Nic Hernandez in his album review (on newsstands now!): "When Pigs Fly is a showcase album, a snapshot of an important turning point in local hip-hop." Meanwhile, that's just the start; he also goes on to call the album "fantastic" and, in his conclusion, that "the album is nothing short of a classic."

High praise -- enough to give a reader some pause, no doubt. Except, that, well, it is true. My perspective: When Pigs Fly might be the best hip-hop album Dallas has ever released.

And it's not hard to give it a listen and find out if you agree: The band is releasing the album, in full, as a free download. Grab it here.

You can buy it, too -- and, if you do so on Bandcamp (it's also available for purchase on iTunes), you can get a whole bunch of freebies, in addition to a hard copy of the disc.

Regardless, it's well worth the download -- if not for the smart beats from Picnic or the clever rhymes and flows of this impressive young rap duo, then for DJ Sober's included on the album "I'm So Dallas" mix, which mashes together a whole collection of sound bites from Dallas hip-hop's biggest names, from Lil Wil to Big Tuck and Big Chief to, of course, Ms. Erykah Badu. - Dallas Observer