“Hit ‘Em in the Head” is a track that was brought to my attention via Twitter by Leon The Professional recently, and it’s featured on the local rapper’s new mixtape, entitled (B)EAST, which is available today. Following a classic spliced-sample intro, it’s the first actual song on the release. I was immediately reminded of an old Big L track (“All Black”) the moment I heard the opening horn bleats. I was also reminded of East Coast hip hop in general.

Trying to confirm these theories, I emailed the appropriate links to a FrontRow colleague who hails from the East Coast, and someone I know to have firsthand understanding of that specific area’s hip hop as it actually evolved. While he agreed that “it does have a Big L feel to it,” he also added, “that may be a bit high of praise.” Understandable. Comparing anyone to Big L is risky.

We last heard from the Dallas-by-way-of-Canada rapper in May of 2011, when he released his Breakfast mixtape and opened for Bone-Thugs-n-Harmony. In the piece I openly wondered “where Leon The Professional ultimately fits in with Dallas Hip Hop,” since his style was a little more lyric-driven and traditional than a lot of what one hears on “97.9 The Beat” or a lot of the tracks that raised awareness of local hip hop outside of the city. Which is not a value judgement; simply an observation. But since then, there have been various signs of Dallas actually getting recognized for various styles of hip hop that fall outside of the single-based mainstream, whether it be A.Dd+ getting praised on Pitchfork, or even the Texas tour that same group recently embarked upon, which saw them opening for the likes of legends and celebrities of the genre such as Bun B and Paul Wall. And next they’re headed on a significant month-long tour with celebrated emcee, Black Milk.

This all bodes well which for Leon, since he is as far-removed from currently popular radio rap as A.Dd+ seem to be. That’s where the similarities end however, since that group still tends to stay focused on a decidedly Southern-influenced sound, and Leon has a deliberately unmistakeable East Coast influence; one that borders on tribute. It’s a style full of sampled horns, strings, RnB vocals, and beats that wouldn’t seem out-of-place on an early 90s hip hop record. Which is a high compliment, of course, but again, I wonder where it places a rapper that lives in a city that gave the world a popular track where the main sentiment repeatedly being expressed is “F*** Everybody.” Which certainly gets its point across, but in a much more direct way than Leon, who has the a new song called “Not That Scary.” And in case there is any doubt to whom Leon is referring, he even explains the song on his Bandcamp page thusly:

I’m definitely not a scary individual — unless you’re tryin’ to test the son.

So, Leon, sounds more reasonable than threatening when it comes down to it. Which is fine. I’m just looking for quality local artists, not recruiting for Blackwater.

As for how Leon feels about the  competition in North Texas, he’s more lighthearted and comical than vicious. On his site, he has a series of infographics and charts with made-up statistics such as:

In comparisons, it would take:

9=1

Nine emcees to equal the talent of one Leon the Pro*
*Based on comparison to the standard Dallas rapper

He also contends that “yelling ‘swag’ isn’t the only key to having a short career.” It’s interesting that Leon wants to take on such a widely-used word in hip hop. Though I don’t necessarily have a problem with this expression, it’s commendable that he is so willing to buck a trend. Actually, I do have a problem when music journalists say it, I admit.

So, he’s not exactly shy about his talent, but the hyperbole seems to serve the idea that he is a particularly unique entity in Dallas hip hop, as opposed to the flat-out best rapper in town, which is a pretty safe claim to make. I don’t hear an obvious East Coast sound in most of the Dallas hip hop I ever hear, especially now days. As for my original thought regarding his style, I felt pretty validated after reading a little explanation for the mix-tape’s title on Leon’s website:

“The ‘B’ is for Bass, and East represents the style and flave of hip hop. So, it’s East Coast Beats with some bass…It also stands for B-Boy from the east — or Northeast rather.

You really can’t spell it out any more than that. In that same rundown, Leon also adds that the recording features “some major cats you might’ve heard of…” And apparently that isn’t just hollow bragging. Because I’ve certainly heard of Freeport, New York’s Busta Rhymes.

Leon The Professional’s (B)EASTwill be available for download on Thursday through the artist’s website.