Klassy is an emcee from Los Angeles who is part of the Beatrock family. She first made her debut appearance on Bambu’s Party Worker, and then made another appearance on Ruby Ibarra’s Circa91. She finally released her first EP, Dirty Cortez, in 2019. Now, as we wait for her next project, Beatrock is giving us this short collection of early tracks, The Ashtray Session (Circa 2012).

When you hear Klassy rap on the mic, you might expect her to be older than she is, just because she has so much confidence and poise on the mic, and her lyricism speaks to a lot of grown issues. However, one quick look at the liner notes of this EP, and you learn that in 2012, when these song were recorded, Klassy was only fifteen. Yes, her voice is a little bit higher, and some of these tracks are a little raw, but the surprising part is that Klassy doesn’t really sound that green in these sessions. Named after the studio the tracks were recorded in, Klassy rocks over beats from Double Lyfe, Freddie Joachim, and Isick, who all give her some great West Coast boom bap beats for her rhyme over. We also get the inclusion of a freestyle from a cypher session, where you can really see that raw talent coming through, and you might be able to imagine how many heads were turning when this fifteen-year-old was coming for everybody on the mic. Any way you slice it, this is a great bonus release for any Klassy fans, letting you know that this isn’t new – she’s always had that drive and talent on the mic.

The Ashtray Sessions (Circa 2012) is a nice surprise from the vaults from Beatrock. It also lets us know that while Klassy might be young, she’s a veteran in this rap game, and she was sharpening her sword and taking this shit seriously at a very young age.