"I will OWN any challenger, high level or amateur. It really doesn't matter, you challenge me, I'ma damage ya" -DaShade

The myth that there are no spitters in the South amuses me. As an underground head, I know better, and I gave up arguing about it long ago... I prefer to show not tell, ya dig? Da'Shade MoonBeam is sick with beats AND rhymes, so eff your stereotypes, labels and backhanded compliments, tough guy! Now listen... 

Da'Shade is from the fertile and under appreciated hip hop scene in Austin, TX. While he is well-known for rocking mics with Snyp under the collective moniker Blacklisted Individuals, he is doing it all solo on Just Me... as the name implies. I had heard of Blacklisted Individuals before through hip hop evangelist and rhyme animal Bavu Blakes, which SHOULD have been reason enough to get these dudes a permanent spot on my radar (I swear I wasn't hating on their MTV shine), but for whatever reason, I never wrote about them, and once they were out of sight, well... you know the rest. BUT, thankfully Da'Shade took a minute to send me an email that didn't look like SPAM and a link to this solo record, which is freaking phenomenal...

This dude has a serious handle on writing raps with multiple layers, and knows how to construct beats that serve as a showcase for what he can do lyrically. Da'Shade brings multiple worlds together in his music, making songs for nerds, hood cats, cool guys and fly girls all at once. Chicks will totally appreciate the seductive vibe of  Girl Song and Love (Reflective). He spits a totally different type of game on the nerdcore anthem Gotta Get On UP!  But for me, it gets NO better than the zombie invasion battle hymn They Are Coming...
There are only 7 tracks on Just Me... and one of them is a remix (the free promo track Fresh f/NOOK), but I can honestly say Da'Shade didn't put any filler or wack songs on this joint. His songs are headphone ready and also danceable, which is (apparently) a hard combination that he makes look easy. If you feel it as much as I did, you should click here to support with your dollar... 
you're welcome...
-samax.  

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