Dallas' Chucky Sly is one of the most respected lyricists on the scene. He built his name in the early '90s in the group Native Poet (which also featured Tahiti).

But now Chucky's working alone, and his first solo release, The Unseen Mechanism, came out on Halloween.

During a Sure Shot preview of the record, we noticed traditional hip-hop sounds mixed with traces of classic rock, R&B and dancehall.

"I like to make my music digestible, even for people who don't usually have hip-hop in their rotation," Chucky told us. "The trick is in keeping the raw feel and keeping the listener highly entertained, while at the same time making them think."

"Most people, regardless of their background, experience many of the same kinds of events, and I don't feel that a genre should get in the way of that expression."

On tracks such as "Supa Nova Sun" and "Jimmy Is About to Die," the rapper finds a balance between the cerebral and braggadocious approaches of hip-hop.

The album's producers include S1 (Strange Fruit Project), Illmind, DJ Second Sense, Dubb Crawford and Sly himself.

Listen to The Unseen Mechanism at chuckysly.bandcamp.com.

Washington Redskins wide receiver and Fort Worth resident Trent Shelton drops his Welcome to Shellyworld mix tape this weekend. Hosted by Bay Bay and DJ Asap, it features a slew of grimy Fort Worth rappers including DFlo, Big Tatta, C4, and Marvo the Menace. The release party goes down Friday at the Tru Lounge in Funkytown. Download the mix tape at datpiff.com.

Dallas hip-hop trio Shabazz 3 has leaked its "Where We From" single, which serves as a preview to the long-awaited album, Late Night With Shabazz 3. The tune, which gives props to the D-FW scene, is produced by group member Ty Macklin. Hear it at myspace.com/shabazz3.

Send local hip-hop buzz and info to delanow@gmail.com.

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