Rap is often ignored or marginalized in Austin, especially during SXSW. There are a few acts here and there, but most of the week is filled with indie rock and more indie rock. If you’re looking to step away from that for a night, head over to The Independent tonight to check out Balance. He’s a bay area rapper who has collaborated with Chamillionaire, Dre, and others. This will be his third year playing SXSW, and he’ll be participating on a panel on Friday.

I had a chance to talk to Balance a couple nights ago about the show, SXSW, and his music. While we only had a few minutes to talk (my fault, SXSW is killing me!), I could tell that he’s well above that “bitches and hoes” (his words) style of songwriting and rapping that the genre unfortunately gets known for. Balance uses the tools and vocabulary at his disposal (he mentioned “I won’t shy away from saying ‘bitch’ in a song, as long as it has meaning”) to create songs that tell a story. He’s very much about making it in the music business, collaborating with other artists, and getting his music out there. He said he’d rather give his music away for free than sell it if it means that more people get to listen to it. Sounds like he fits in quite well here in Austin.

Balance is dropping a new mixtape on March 30 called “We All In”. Check out the title track below; its available for free download.
Balance – We All In (feat. Freeway & Jay Rock) by TwoGroove