Colton Bell’s music has the ability to time travel. The destination: Pacific Grove High School circa 2001 – the place rap battler The Saurus first started spitfiring his lyrics. The elder PGHS graduate continues to be a source of inspiration for Bell, as does the community.
Bell is releasing his first professionally-recorded hip-hop album, What A Day, on Thursday, Aug. 27. The seven-track album sequences a day in the life of the Pagrovian 23-year-old, from sunup to sundown to sunup again. Musically, it takes cues from some later 2000s hip-hop, with a delicate use of autotune but pairing smooth beats with smoother lyrics and transitions that you can get lost in.
Bell isn’t alone in this production, collaborating with local musicians like rocker Katherine Lavin, who lends some rap poetry on the ending track, “Reprise” and Alex Lee on the mid-album track “Schmoke.” The project was produced with help from Jon Bom and Juicy The Emissary and spearheaded by local DJ and music maker Steb Montez, aka DJBadDJ, whom Bell considers a mentor.
“I’m very fortunate I got to link up with [Montez],” Bell says. The two met at bar/record shop Pop & Hiss one evening when Bell was drafting song ideas with friends and Montez happened to overhear the conversation. Shortly after that meeting, album production began.
Nothing is extraordinary about the day Bell sings about on the album, but in the routine are revelations about his life. “I don’t want to say they’re spiritual because that’s corny,” Bell says of his songs with a laugh. But at 23, he considers himself a little older in the hip-hop scene, which means his artistic career should take him somewhere.
What A Day is underscored by simplicity in Bell’s life, but finding intensity as the day goes on. From waking up with ambition on the first track, “Light,” to crushing on a barista on the second track, “Energized,” Bell finds moments to be grateful about. He says the overarching message is to not let apathy get the best of us.
Where Bell goes from here is still to be determined, but the artist is continuing to work on singles. He’s thankful for the community he grew up in and which opened the doors for his hip-hop career, carrying a legacy of other artists like The Saurus.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.