Every Wednesday night, Aych hosts "Da Cypher," one of the Tampa Bay area's most well-attended and longest-running (5+ years) hip-hop open mic nights. Whether he's helping other local talents pursue their musical dreams, or joining regular slingers in a good-natured freestyle battle, Aych is a force to be reckoned with, his passion apparent in the original material he writes and in his calculated slow-burn style. This party celebrates the release of Real Rap. His latest recording and follow-up to his recent Cure II mixtape includes tracks like the slick sax-fused grind of "High Off Life," where he asserts against the closing beats, "I said I'm high off life (I might be drunk on dreams)," and "My Story," a narrative reflecting on the reality of adulthood ("Money on my mind, real hard times, a couple homies shot, a couple doing time"), Aych's verses bookended between a full-throated female vocalist's soulfully delivered refrain: "My pain and my pleasure my life goes on forever, my ups and my downs, this is my story…"
Details: AYCH 2.0 Record Release Party, Fri., June 17, 9 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $5.
This article appears in Jun 16-22, 2011.