“Every verse I spit is a picture painted / My words never fade, they can’t be duplicated.” declares emcee DT over the classic industrial track, “Dig It” by Skinny Puppy. Philadelphia’s Sgt. Sass is back with a revamped distinct and unconventional blend of hip-hop on their newest mixtape, Art Fggt/Fggt Art. The tracks chosen for this new work are as diverse as the artistic legends that have an overall influence on the release; Andy Warhol, James Baldwin, Keith Haring, etc. Lyrically to date, we find the potent pair expressing their frustration for mainstream and underground cultures without being apologetic. Sgt. Sass means business but with Art Fggt/Fggt Art they continue to deliver their emotions with rhyme, wordplay, and style that everyone can truly relate to.| |Rewind selector to 2003. Sgt. Sass emcees KD and DT met through mutual friends while attending the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Shortly after, the two became roommates. Both KD and DT share an unconditional love for music, but their musical tastes appear to be very dissimilar on the surface—KD is a die hard neo-soul fan, while DT rabidly admires the feminist punk rock movement riot grrrl. This uncommon pairing proves to be the perfect match and musical motive behind the duo. Even with the name, Sgt. Sass, punk rock sheds an inspirational light. “The Sgt. stands for the militant and headstrong approach we take with our music. The Sass well, hell, because we gay.” states emcee KD. Hip-hop is the genre that exterminates any musical differences between the two artists, with shared hip-hop influences such as Salt-N-Pepa, The Notorious B.I.G., Lil’ Kim, and Missy Elliott.| |In early 2007, Sgt. Sass released the D.I.Y. single, “Homo Homie”. With “Homo Homie” came a fan made video from Sgt. Sass’s 2007 Philadelphia OutFest Performance. The video has since become a YouTube fan classic. Later in ’07, the duo dropped their first mixtape entitled, Double S 4 Mayor. An original track from the release, “Faggot Snappin’” alludes to the act’s frustrations with stereotypical gay night life, as they seek Saturday night fun in a predominantly heterosexual environment – regardless of what anyone thinks. 2009 saw Sgt. Sass progressing towards a signature style of rhyme and flow and destroying dance floors from secret warehouse to clubs with their ep, Body Rock.| |After performing their first show in the summer of 2007, the act has since shared the stage as openers for the likes of: Matt & Kim, Scream Club, The Death Set and a slew of others. In the fall of 2008, the popular music blog Palms Out Sounds and Brooklyn based DJ duo Finger on the Pulse sponsored a remix competition for Sgt. Sass’ version of “I’ll Take Your Man”, exposing Sgt. Sass’ voice internationally. The act has performed at various colleges and universities for related queer functions and has rock stages for various Pride events. In 2010 Sgt. Sass invaded California as part of the Boy-Girl Homo Evolution show with peers Foxxjazell, Drew Mason, Benni E, Mack Mistress, and Prince Cat-Eyez.
With Art Fggt/Fggt Art, Sgt. Sass channels the most impressive and innovative artists that are queer. Lyrically progressive and never shy of emotion, this new release will be a classic underground hip-hop staple for all. |
