A. Sesay is a prodcuer that I recently got put onto from the DMV area. I listened to his entire EP, A Special EP, and was thoroughly impressed. The whole EP is sensational and this song is the best cut off it. Enjoy and then check for the EP. It comes at a great price…FREE!
Black El x Durkin – Color Commentary
Artist: Album: Color Commentary
Producer: Durkin
Guests: Outasight, Jon Hope, Jelani
Best Tracks: Dead Poet Society, Go!, Sunday Drive
Recommendation: Must Have
Thoughts: Color Commentary sneaks upon the listener. I didn’t know much about the emcee or the producer but upon track three, I began to realize that a dope record was being achieved.
Consistency is the cornerstone to a great hip hop album and I have to say that each song on, Color Commentary more than holds it’s own weight individually. Collectively, however, this album is something remarkable. Durkin’s production talents on the album harken back to that boom bap flavor that so many of us enjoy but rarely hear. Black El uses Durkin’s talents to the fullest extent. His high energy vocals and above average flow and wordplay kept me engage from track one to track ten. There was no let down. The two proved to be a perfect combination on Color Commentary.
This album is banger after banger. It simply is a pleasure to listen to. The sound is dope through out but the content certainly is varied. Pride, for instance opens up the listener to not just one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but also the confidence that Black El has developed over his years. He speaks on the situations that have arisen in his life and his ability to step up to the plate and hold onto his pride.
Sunday Drive is the perfect cut to ride to. The beat for this joint is my favorite on the album. Black El speaks on the 9 to 5 grind and the ability to escape from time to time in your ride. The track had me slowing down my speed, rolling the window down, and just chilling. It’s a very therapeutic joint and a definite head nodder.
Arguably the hardest joint on the album is the posse cut, Dead Poet Society. The track features Jelani and Jon Hope. Each of these talented emcees drop solid verses and Durkin laces us with the darkest production on the album. That production is a little different than you will find on other tracks. While the rest of the album is that throwback boom bap, Dead Poet Society is more contemporary and is driven more by the keyboard than the hi-hats and snares. This really makes this track stand out for the better. Lyrically this track is one of the more superior joints.
I feel that this album is one of the more fun listens of 2010. I could enjoy the album track for track and not have to worry about the fast forward button at all. Give Color Commentary a chance and enjoy for yourself. (Stream/Download below)
Epsilon Project – Get Live Remix (Video)
Epsilon Project continues a very productive and ill 2010 with a video for the Get Live Remix. If you haven’t picked up the Audacity EP yet you are sleeping on an incredible release. You can stream it and then cop it below.
Versis: The Need (Video)
Some visuals from Versis‘ album iLLCANDESCENT, which can be purchased from his Bandcamp. I encourage it.
1982 (Termanology + Statik Selektah): You Should Go Home ft. Bun B and Masspike Miles
1982 is the joining of talents between producer Statik Selektah and emcee Termanology. This song is off of their full length, dropping on October 26th. The song is really smooth featuring a 16 bar cameo by Bun B and the hook done by Masspike Miles.
Versis: iLLCANDESCENT
Artist: Versis
Album: iLLCANDESCENT
Guest Shots: None
Production: T. Hemingway, Exile, BMB, fLako, Dibia$e, Listed
Best Tracks: Spittin’ In The Wind, Love Is Love, Life After You
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
Notes: Versis is an incredibly talented artist that seems to harken back to a different time entirely. At nineteen years of age, Versis has decided to take the path less traveled. While many artists his age are rhyming about status and possessions, Versis is talking from the heart. His emphasis is on the music itself. A truly novel idea!
iLLCANDESCENT is a jazz, blues, and hip hop hybrid. It draws from each genre to give you something special. His flow and style are similar to that of Blu. That comparison is not just a superficial “young west coast spitter” observation. Both emcees have roughly the same demeanor on the mic. They are not overly animated in their flows. They are subtle and more conversational.
iLLCANDSCENT is Versis’ first full length effort. He had an EP that dropped last year called Synergy that brought some buzz but you can tell that with this latest release that he has really honed his craft. Everything seems more polished in all facets. It’s very mellow and soulful. It’s not something that you are going to use to get you amped before a big event. It is more something the working man can unwind to. But enough talk about it. Why don’t you listen to it and if you enjoy it, cop it!
Wrekonize: A Soiree For Skeptics
Artist: Wrekonize
Album: A Soiree For Skeptics
Guests: Bernz, Co$$, Snave Nayr
Production: Wrekonize, Miami Beat Wave, Stro, DJ Sharpsound, Plex Luthor, Erik L, Tzarizm, Rudi Goblen
Best Tracks: One Foot In The Grave, Let Go, Winding Road, Children’s Games, Fugitive
Recommendation: Must Have
Note: I can’t front. I can’t even hide the fact that I am in love with the music on A Soiree For Skeptics. Everything screams, ‘classic’ about this album.
Wrekonize is a unique talent. His soul and his passion for music just shine thru. But so much to making good music is more than just having talent. There are a lot of emcees that can flow and have amazing lyrics but what Wrekonize can do where others have fallen short is making a GREAT song. As a matter of fact he made at least sixteen of them on this release.
A hook can ruin a song and rarely can it contribute, or so I thought. Wrekonize turns that theory on it’s head. His ability to melodically do his own choruses enhances every track. He has a soulful vibe that should resonate with every listener. His lyrical parlay is equally as impressive. He has a mastery of the English language. His lines aren’t merely littered with metaphors and similes, they are laced with complex rhyme schemes, filled with idea and purpose, and flow effortlessly. His thoughts drift from the state of the ‘new’ hip hop artist on Winding Road to his perception of war on Children’s Games. His horizons are indeed broad as you listen to the album from start to finish.
The production is equally incredible. The album has the bangers (One Foot In the Grave) which will have your head nodding as well as cuts that make you feel like you are in an old smoke filled jazz club (Let Go). The one constant throughout in terms of production is that is all dope and fit Wrekonize like a glove.
Wrekonize is not a one trick pony and and A Soiree For Skeptics will demand your attention more than once. It has been in steady rotation here since Tuesday. This album will have staying power as long as you give it a chance. I promise you will not regret your time. Classic material in a day and age where that really means something.
The Perfect Formula: The Goodness EP
Artist: The Perfect Formula (Marion Write + DJ Finyl)
Album: The Goodness EP
Guests: Nique, Verbal E, Fame, The Remede
Production: DJ Finyl
Best Tracks: Love/Hate, Higher
Recommendation: Recommend
Note: Refined Hype is becoming one of my favorite places to scope out new hip hop, so many props to them. The Perfect Formula has a short but sweet EP that I think heads need to pay attention to. The first thing that you will notice when you listen to The Goodness EP is the fire that Marion Write brings to the mic. That type of spit game is inspiring. When emcees flow with the kind of refinement and energy as he does on Love/Hate, it just gives the listener goosebumps. He is part of the newly formed “super-group” called Flo Deep, which caused some major noise on Refined Hype’s compilation that was already covered here.
Also to be noted is DJ Finyl’s skill behind the boards. He drops some slickness on my favorite joint Love/Hate. He incorporates subtlety in his mastery of the music. He uses strings to fuse into piano and then uses what I will call an “operatic” sample to finish the track off. There is dopeness in simplicity as he never overpowers the emcee. It is flawless fusion. On the track, Higher, he is able to craft a more high octane production for Marion Write and his cohort, Nique. The horns blaze through the track and you can’t help but bump this track. It gets the adrenaline pumping.
Overall, this is a good taste of what the artists can do and we look forward to hearing more of their music.
Various Artists: Refined Hype 1st Anniversary Edition
Artist: Various Artists
Album: Refined Hype 1 Year Anniverrsay Edition
Guests: Marion Write, Radio Ramone, Wordsmith, Harmony Muzik, Jason James, Concise Kilgore, Mike Schpitz, King Mez, Rapsody & Sundown, 810, The Black Sunn, K. Sparks, Fresh Cut Collective, Dominique Larue, K-Beta, Sketch, Quantum Suicide, M-Dot, EMS
Producers: Certified, Mydus, MizfitSoundz, IlL Meel, Gajos
Best Tracks: Monster Music, Out Of My Mind, One Thing, Never Over
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
Note: This is arguably one of the best compilations this year. So many compilations and mixtapes get released from the blogs/websites that it gets hard to distinguish one from the other. I think that Refined Hype did a great job with it’s selection of emcees. There was a number of strong joints on the album and nothing that I could even call average. It seemed that everyone who appeared, made a mark.
Monster Music was the show stopper in my mind. The beat was remarkable with it’s intensity and the emcees were brutal (in a good way) with their wordplay. Wordsmith definitely impressed me with his bars on Out Of My Mind. His delivery seems way ahead of the pack. His ability to flip verses just seems so fluid. There really is so much to like with this mixtape. You will have your choice of dope cuts to listen to and you can run through the whole thing without a skip.
