Aaron!! aka Joe Average

There’s no telling why Joe Average chose the moniker he did. He’s far from mediocre.

The latest evidence of that is The Lullaby Goodbye. The newest project from OKC-by-wayof-Arkansas rapper Joe Average reads like the offspring of Kid Cudi and Citizen Cope, a soulful record that recalls Belize as much as Brooklyn.

“The Reaching,” an assured bonfire ballad that sounds like the few moments before falling asleep, is bookended by the party anthem “Joe Meets Destiny” and the Clams Casino-inspired, oil-in-vinegar production “3 Lies.” That latter track segues into the upbeat “Only for Tonight.” “Waiting” drips back into a cosmos of reverb and weightlessness before snapping back to Earth halfway in.

Average’s delivery shifts from lounge-chair soft to Ginsu sharp (most notably on “Something for You”) at the flick of a switch. For as laissez-faire as his sultry, eightsong effort first comes across, Joe Average must have had an airtight handle on things to make such a dreamy collection hit on every note. —JB - Oklahoma Gazette

There’s no telling why Joe Average chose the moniker he did. He’s far from mediocre.

The latest evidence of that is The Lullaby Goodbye. The newest project from OKC-by-wayof-Arkansas rapper Joe Average reads like the offspring of Kid Cudi and Citizen Cope, a soulful record that recalls Belize as much as Brooklyn.

“The Reaching,” an assured bonfire ballad that sounds like the few moments before falling asleep, is bookended by the party anthem “Joe Meets Destiny” and the Clams Casino-inspired, oil-in-vinegar production “3 Lies.” That latter track segues into the upbeat “Only for Tonight.” “Waiting” drips back into a cosmos of reverb and weightlessness before snapping back to Earth halfway in.

Average’s delivery shifts from lounge-chair soft to Ginsu sharp (most notably on “Something for You”) at the flick of a switch. For as laissez-faire as his sultry, eightsong effort first comes across, Joe Average must have had an airtight handle on things to make such a dreamy collection hit on every note. —JB - Oklahoma Gazette

Joe is better then average with lyrical creations and the beat seems that it was made exactly for him. Joe is one of the state's most know artist and thats proven by his fanbase, streams, and just his music in particular. Be on the lookout for more from Joe Average. - Welcome To Da Rock

Joe is better then average with lyrical creations and the beat seems that it was made exactly for him. Joe is one of the state's most know artist and thats proven by his fanbase, streams, and just his music in particular. Be on the lookout for more from Joe Average. - Welcome To Da Rock

Joe Average has one of the more unique sounds I’ve heard in a while. He’s got flashes of Yelawolf/Rittz vibes mixed with a Cudi-esque approach to the direction of his music. This is a mixtape that he dropped to prep everyone for his upcoming album. I’ve seen Joe a handful of times live and enjoy his music more and more each time it gets sent my way. Make sure to give this a listen. - Paradime Music

Joe Average has one of the more unique sounds I’ve heard in a while. He’s got flashes of Yelawolf/Rittz vibes mixed with a Cudi-esque approach to the direction of his music. This is a mixtape that he dropped to prep everyone for his upcoming album. I’ve seen Joe a handful of times live and enjoy his music more and more each time it gets sent my way. Make sure to give this a listen. - Paradime Music

FREAKSho is Warrbuckss Lead MC & Vocals, Will Gettcha MC & DJ Sloppy 2nds. They all grew up together in Oklahoma City and went to Putnam City High school. After High school Warrbuckss & Will Gettcha both moved to Dallas and were in on the underground rap scene there for a few years while Sloppy 2nds was in School at Baylor. They would get together and rap at parties on the Baylor party scene and around Dallas. The group split up for a few years and then they all ended up linking up in OKC again. After growing tired of the cover tune over saturated Oklahoma City Music scene FREAKSho decided to emerge again. Oklahoma City has plenty of good local rappers such as Nada Problem, Josh Sallee, L-Smooth, The Rumor & Jabbee but none with set lists long enough to book regular paying gigs. FREAKSho mixes rap classics with their own party rap tunes. Also they join forces with other local rappers to usually have a good opening act and several guest appearances at each show. With Hip Hop at the forefront of popular music why cant someone have a fun hip hop show that gets regular gigs in this market? After their full fledged reunion show at VZDs the buzz has grown. Many old fans plus new ones are coming out in full force to support the trio. FREAKSho shows are not your normal hip hop crowd. You will see hot blonds and a mix of age 20's and 30's. Warrbuckss calls their style"party rap, its just music to dance and have fun to" . Though sometimes they may shock you with dirty lyrics its all in fun and mostly for shock value. FREAKSho has been getting national attention and been asked to open for scarface, devin the dude & Mickey Avalon (one of the hottest rappers out right now). They are also signed to a local indie label called Talent Show. They are in the studio currently recording their first studio albums FREAKSho "The Rebirth" & Warrbuckss solo project "Almost Famous" When asked about signing with a major label they said. "why leave okc? We love this place!" Both agree OKC has plenty of talent to be exposed here and feel that people shouldn't have to leave town to be found. "We follow the lead of Jabbee, Nada Problem and Clark Deal with Chaotic productions, make em come to you! This is our town and big things are gonna happen here!" After seeing a show you cant help but feel like your part of something big and you re glad to have them on the local scene while it lasts. As warbuckss says in one of their songs "count it down were about to explode" you cant help but believe it! - Oklahoma City Scene

Not every rapper is cut from the same mold and Waylon Clark — aka Daddy WarrBuckss — has taken one of the more unconventional routes to finding his flow in the Oklahoma City rap scene. The emcee’s path began with a traveling troupe of bluegrass musicians.

“I grew up around music. My parents were in bluegrass, which is obviously another end of the spectrum, but my dad, my grandpa, my brother — they were all traveling while playing bluegrass music,” Clark said. “That helped me because I have a wide spectrum of music I like, as well as understanding production and how to survive in the music industry.”

Clark formed Freaksho with Chad Hoskins — aka DJ Sloppy — when he lived in Dallas. At first, the sole intention was to start a party rap group focused on having fun, regardless of where the members were playing or who might be in the crowd.

“Being at a show with a crowd that might not be used to hip-hop at that venue, they will still respond to it if it is fun,” Hoskins said. “Even if hip-hop isn’t your favorite type of music, you’ll still enjoy the show because we do stupid stuff to keep it fun.”

PALER APPEARANCE
It’s become expected within the greater hip-hop community for white rappers to downplay the novelty of their skin color in hopes of being taken seriously. Clark and Hoskins are a bit more comfortable with their paler appearance and say crowds have responded to Freaksho’s indifferent demeanor and their appearance as goofy guys who just have fun onstage.

“We are definitely something different,” Clark said. “It’s not every day you see two guys that look like us breaking out a hip-hop show, but we can blend in with about any crowd. We could do music festivals no problem; it’s just all about having fun.”

When the group formed in Dallas, it was mostly just to play the occasional house party or rap battle. The act called it quits after the members finished college. But earlier this year, a promoter eager to fill out a concert lineup asked Freakshow to re-assemble for a reunion show. The gig went over so well that Freaksho began booking two to three shows a week, and recently entered the studio to record an album ahead of a West Coast tour slated for January.

While many rappers focus their energy on Internet promotion, Clark said he’s taken a tip from his traveling bluegrass family and hopes to build a following through live performances wherever Freaksho can book a show.

“Hip-hop is one of the most popular music forms out there and is what most kids are listening to these days. It’s what people our age grew up listening to,” Clark said. “There really is no viable hip-hop scene in Oklahoma City, but there are plenty of people that want to see fun hip-hop, party music.”

Freaksho with The Rumor perform at 10 p.m. Friday at VZD’s Restaurant and Club, 4200 N. Western. —Charles Martin
- OKC Gazette