Born & raised in Pittsburgh, Incyte has been an mc for the past nine years. He has performed throughout Pittsburgh including Station Square, Southside, The Strip District, Schenley Park, Oakland & East Liberty. In 2004, he performed in Cancun at the Oasis' MC Battle hosted by Method Man. Incyte has also performed at Slippery Rock University and out of state in West Virginia alongside NYC's DJ Kurupt at The Coliseum. As far as air play, Incyte is a five-time champion on local radio station WAMO 106.7's Battle of the Beats. He has already released one solo LP (Compliments Of Myself) & one mixtape (The Eye Opener). Recently, Incyte released an album that was recorded at I.D. Labs studio with producers Sound Boro & DJ Huggy. The album, The Write Away, has been critically acclaimed receiving rave reviews on well known hip hop website OKAYPLAYER.COM, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette & the Pittsburgh City Paper. Incyte is currently recording a new mixtape entitled "Cyte Beyond Sight" with features so far from Pittsburgh Slim, Shannon Alicce, Basick Sickness & PK Poo and production by Sound Boro. The mixtape is due out sometime in 2008. Be on the lookout for one of Pittsburgh's next up & coming mc's to make a strong impact on the rap game.
Incyte's The Write Away
BY AARON JENTZEN
The Write Away
self-released
"I know you're probably still sleeping, but I've been up for about an hour. And I just made the sickest fuckin' beat you ever heard in your life." If that message on Incyte's answering machine refers to the song "Numbers," then I have to say: Right on. On top of the song's audacious hook, sampling Sesame Street jingles for a sex jam is definitely sick.
But it's just one irresistible groove out of many on Incyte's second album, The Write Away. On nearly all the songs, Incyte's steady flow locks in with a big beat and Sound Boro's eccentric production style -- a style that incorporates Ken Weber's grungy guitar, the warmth of classic R&B, Latin flavors and Philly strings.
For the obligatory what's-up-Pittsburgh cut, "The City Slicker," Incyte reinterprets that plinky theme from "Another Day in Paradise," which results in some (perhaps unintentional) ironic interplay between Pittsburgh landmarks, Incyte, and well, Phil Collins. True, high-pitched vocal samples seem a little beat at this date, and "See the Sun" could've used more bake time. But overall, the music connects, especially on "Lonely Road" and the fake-emcees send-up "Marberry."
Incyte's tone and delivery are stellar throughout -- smooth, controlled and precise. His rhymes can be extremely literal, though, which sometimes makes listening to Incyte more like comprehending numerical data than having full-color word pictures explode in your head.
The Write Away is yet another high-quality product of I.D. Labs studios (DJ Huggy co-produces several tracks), and on the basis of this strong showing, Incyte and his team seem a safe bet to snag a record deal. Once Incyte's palette of images broadens, as I'm sure it will -- watch out, Wiz. And just about everyone else.
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