Na Palm

In recent years, hip-hop and electronic music have inched ever closer to each other, cross pollinating healthy scenes for a fresh sound that is winning over countless fans of both genres. Yet few rappers have effortlessly melded true lyricism with house and electro-infused beats….until now.

“I put lyricism into electronic music, we call it Electronic Hip-Hop” Chicago’s Na Palm says. “It’s not all just ‘let’s go do shots and pop bottles.” Nationwide, young fans are responding. Na Palm is on the rise and is buzzing beyond Chicago this year, thanks to his infectious, pulsing “Two Days Straight,” whose forthcoming video boasts a cameo from fellow peer in the electronic-rap scene, Flo Rida.

“We usually like to go 10 days straight but we had to tone it down a little bit,” he jokes of the track, whose sex-soaked, ready-for-the-club feel has made it a go-to underground record for the party set.

But “Two Days Straight” is just one weapon in the rhymer’s growing arsenal of infectious tracks. Na Palm’s debut album, “Late At Night,” boasts multiple songs that span several genres…appealing to fans of hip-hop, pop, house and electro alike.

“We have a genuine appreciation for electronic music,” Na Plalm says.“We’re finally starting to see that it’s here in America and we’re glad it is.”

To be sure, Na Palm and his crew don’t need to look to Stockholm or Miami for inspiration. Chicago’s healthy rap and house music scenes set the stage for Na Palm to explode years ago. “What really influenced me was the underground house music scene in Chicago,” he explains. “I started out performing at clubs where my friends DJ-ed, like Stone Lotus and Spybar, so I naturally tried to make music that kept the tempo of the club up.”

An early example of that fresh fusion is the previously released “GoGo Girl.” The track, which features vocals by Ben One, recalls the best of progressive house artists such as Kaskade, while still managing to stay hip-hop at heart. It’s a trance-soaked, addictive mélange that did not go unnoticed (MTV’s “The Hills” used the track last year in an episode).

Over the past two years, Na Palm has taken his message from the underground Chicago club scene to the rest of the country: performing live to new and older fans alike via opening up for larger artists and headlining college shows.

In 2011, he was rewarded for logging months on the road via passing the 250,000 “fans” mark on Facebook gained largely through touring: no small achievement for an independent artist. This year, the rapper has set his sights even higher, and “Late At Night” delivers dirty beats sure to reward those down with Na Palm from day one. The free album crackles with energy, from the sure-fire party-starter “Believe (In Having Sex)” to the Cool and Dre produced “Things I Haven’t Told You,” featuring up and coming Memphis rapper Don Trip, to the rebel-anthem “Sex, Drugs, Hip-Hop”. The Nitti-produced “Going, Going, Gone” provides further evidence of exactly how big Na Palm’s album is. The synth-heavy track features Na Palm at his best reflecting on how his life has changed while focusing on what the future will entail as his career begins to take off.

“I keep my shit positive and I stay in my lane. I’m just doing what I do…rapping about girls, partying and the struggle to come up, over the music that inspires me,” he says.

That party is rapidly heating up for Na Palm in 2012, and all of the World is invited.