Underrated Portland rapper Braille (above, left) has a new project out with producer Symbolyc One from Texas group  Strange Fruit Project called Cloud Nineteen. The album, which dropped via Braille’s Hip Hop Is Music imprint, features appearances from his group Lightheaded, Strange Fruit Project, turntablist Rob Swift, Vursatyl from Lifesavas, breaks producer Shawn Lee and Theory Hazit.

To promote the album, Braille and S1 are embarking on a monthlong tour that includes community centers, churches and even warehouses. It may sound random, but at least they’re caking — instead of dropping free MP3s with bootleg Dilla beats and waiting for Def Jam to sign them.

Tour dates are below!

• 2/25: Calvary Fellowship, Mountlake Terrace, WA
• 2/26: Bendistillery Martini Bar, Bend, OR
• 2/27: Berbati’s Pan, Portland, OR
• 2/28: Vera Project, Seattle, WA
• 3/01: 10800 NE 76th St, Vancouver, WA
• 3/03: Bill Wilson Center, Santa Clara, CA (early show)
• 3/04: The Barn, Riverside, California
• 3/05: Salvation Army, Compton, CA
• 3/05: Little Temple, Los Angeles, CA
• 3/06: 3065 Bever Blvd, Ste. B-102, San Diego, CA
• 3/07: Salvation Army, Escondido, CA
• 3/07: Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA
• 3/10: Stray Cats, Tempe, AZ
• 3/12: The Dove, Flagstaff, AZ
• 3/13: Open Aired, Winterhaven, CA
• 3/15: Victory Outreach, Albuquerque, NM
• 3/18: The Center, Irving, TX
• 3/19: Rip Rocks, Denton, TX
• 3/21: George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Austin, TX
• 3/23: Fletcher Mission Center, Houston, TX

3/21: SXSW

Braille photo by Ohmega Watts.

Set to drop April 15 on Syntax Records (with distributon from Koch Entertainment), The IV Edition features spots from former Procussion J. Medeiros, Rob Swift, Speech from Arrested Development, Theory Hazit, and Manchild from Mars ILL. Producers include Ohmega Watts, the Are from K-Otix, Marco Polo, 88-Keys, DJ Spinna, S1 from Strange Fruit Project, Oh No, Kno from Cunninlynguists, K-Murdock from Panacea, and J-Zone.

Crazy lineup from a relatively unknown rapper, right? To top things off, Braille — who shares the Portland group Lightheaded with rappers Othello and Ohmega Watts — will jump on this year’s Warped Tour with Othello. Either Braille has made a backpacker masterpiece, or he just hired an incredible manager.

The “IV” in The IV Edition stands for international vision. Musically, much like Lightheaded’s work, Braille’s album promises to blend Christian and socio-political beliefs with bright, positive beats. The track listing for The IV Edition is below.

“The underground hip-hop base is a lot bigger than people think it is,” says Braille in a press release. “Sometimes when people think of the word underground, they think of basement albums that just get dubbed on tape. So I’m sticking to my roots. I believe that the audience for lyricism and good hip-hop is much larger than most people assume. I wanted to start with the hip-hop base and take it from there.”

• 1. “Beautiful Humanity”
• 2. “Submission Hold”
• 3. “Calculated Risk” (feat. J. Medeiros & Manchild from Mars ILL)
• 4. “The IV” (feat. Rob Swift)
• 5. “Main Squeeze”
• 6. “Remember Your Path” (feat. Rob Swift)
• 7. “Constantly Growing” (feat. Speech from Arrested Development, Surreal & Sojourn)
• 8. “Blessed Man”
• 9. “Many Stories” (feat. Barry Hampton)
• 10. “Raise the Dead” (feat. Poems from LA Symphony)
• 11. “Double Dose”
• 12. “Counter Attack” (feat. Theory Hazit & DJ Idull)
• 13. “Mental Guards (Snitch Blade)”
• 14. “Get It Right” (feat. Ragen Fykes)
• 15. “Restless”
• 16. “The Cure”
• 17. Bonus Track
• 18. “ADDvice” (feat. DJ Bombay)

www.myspace.combraillebrizzy