stefanoneder EP

Ripynt – On Second Thought Vol. 1 (2011)

Artist: Ripynt

Album: On Second Thought Vol. 1

Source: Twitter

Tracklisting:

  1. Looky Looky
  2. In My Dreams
  3. Best Of Me
  4. Get Addicted
  5. One Of These Nights
  6. I’m Back
  7. Hindsight (ft. Latin Rose)

Note:

These are the kinds of releases that make my day.  Short.  Intense. Dope.  Ripynt is an artist that has dropped consistently dope material in the past and I have kept my ears peeled for some new material.  He dropped A Mid-Summer’s Day Drive with Sinic in 2009 for free, in addition his first full length album, Re-Inventing Poetics, also dropped.  Both of those releases have great replay value.

On Second Thought Vol. 1 is really a continuation from Ripynt’s previous releases.  He delivers loads of clever lines and dope verses, but also the production,  especially on a couple of tracks in particular, is impressive.  This is the type of EP that takes no shorts.  You don’t get a lot of music but what you do get is concentrated hip hop.

From the jump you know Ripynt is going to bring you a high energy release with the track Looky Looky.  The piano riff and beat really make the head nod.  It’s apparent that the premise of this track was inspired by Nas’, I Made You Look, as it is nuanced in both the lyrics and the beat, but the rhymes and production on the whole are entirely fresh and inspiring.  Looky Looky forces the listener to pay attention.  Ripynt dares you to disregard him with this track.

One of the more emotionally charged tracks is, In My Dreams.  This tracks details the story of a boy who grows to a man by the name of Joe.   Joe encounters numerous instances of loss around him.  Close family members and friends die throughout the track.  But more than just a depressing story that focuses on negativity, Ripynt leads the character to overcoming these obstacles and succeeding.  The production takes a back seat as Ripynt tells this story until the sample croons “Hold me…In my dreams”.  It’s all together very powerful music.

The joint, Best Of Me, is lyrically the strongest of the bunch.  On this track you get the sense that Ripynt is pulling from somewhere deeply personal.  He has got some thoughts to get off of his chest and convey to the listener.  I thought his first few bars were very noteworthy of sharing so I thought I would jot them down for you:

It feels like the dark’s always above me / No sunlight, no heart to ever love me / I love Him but my God sometimes disgusts me / And still has the nerve to ask me to blindly trust He / He who doesn’t have a face / He who doesn’t show a trace / Of caring whether or note we get erased / But it’s He who gave me air in the first place / And it’s He who gave me the opportunity to be great…

Lyrically brilliant.

Ripynt embodies everything that is right about hip hop.  He practices his craft not only with precision and skill but with heart and feeling.  He is able to deliver rhymes that will shatter the competition but also embraces the opportunity to move the hearts and minds of his listeners.  On Second Thought Vol. 1 does in seven tracks what 22-Track mixtapes often fail to do, none of which more important than impress.

stefanoneder Video

Classified – Ups & Downs (Video)

Classified’s new album drops next week entitled, Handshakes & Middle Fingers.  This song will play the intro to that album so you can get the gist from where the man is coming from.  This man makes great music and some of the best videos in the last couple of years have come from his camp so please make sure you cop this album  ins support of what he does.  You can listen to the snippets now on Itunes.

stefanoneder EP

King Mez x Khrysis – The King’s Khrysis

Artist: King Mez x Khrysis

Album: The King’s Khrysis

Source: DJ Booth

Tracklisting:

1. Reaching Out (Intro)
2. Nightmare
3. Shine
4. From The South (feat. Thee Tom Hardy, Sean Boog & DJ Flash)
5. Something’s Missing
6. The King’s Khrysis (feat. Phonte)

Note:

King Mez’s release last year, The Paraplegics, produced entirely by Commissioner Gordon, was one of the best releases in 2010.  I became an instant fan of King Mez and swore I would try and make sure I listened to all his releases from here on out.   And sure enough, King Mez does not disappoint me one bit on The King’s Khrysis.   He is backed by one of the most established producers in the game.  Khrysis is excellent on switching up production, giving the listener a different look/listen within the same song. Case in point is the first track, Reaching Out.

Continue reading “King Mez x Khrysis – The King’s Khrysis” →

stefanoneder EP

Grynch – Timeless EP (2011)

Artist: Grynch

Album: Timeless EP

Source: DJ Booth

Tracklisting:

  1. So Long
  2. Timeless (ft. Jon Hope x La)
  3. All I Wanna Do (ft. Sol)
  4. Out Of Sight, On My Mind
  5. Randy The Ram
  6. Got Ya Numb (D-Sane Remix) (ft.  Wizdom)
  7. My Volvo (Sabzi Remix)

Notes:

I check for Grynch ever since I heard his first EP, Chemistry.  He’s got an above par flow and seems to work with dope producers.   The Timeless EP is probably his best effort to date and thus it was worth mentioning here.   I like the ‘chemistry’ (no  pun intended) with producer Jester.  Often times when an emcee works with just one producer on a project I find that the beats get stale.  That is not the case with Timeless.  There’s enough variation to make the whole EP very listenable.

If I have to pick standout tracks (which you know I will) I am going to go with  Timeless, Out Of Sight, On My Mind, Randy The Ram.  The vibe on all of these tracks is pretty mellow, but Jester uses different instrumentation to give each song a different vibe.

Timeless features the venerable Jon Hope who is really up there on my list of emcees to blow.   This guy hasn’t even come close to peaking so please watch out! Back on topic, Jester finds a very sonic back drop and then just enhances it with some piano and what sounds like guitar in some places.  I really feel the musical effort on this particular track.  Obviously, the emcees are putting something together that will stand the test of time and they use their verses to discern between the flash-in-the-pan emcees and themselves. Grynch says it s best:

…Look in the mirror, yeah you the flavor of the month / Years from now I’m trying to be a cat they saying they still bump….

Out Of Sight, On My Mind is an ode to the lady in your life that’s not where she should be: In your life.   Jester puts together a very engaging production that is layered in different sound.  He’s got some banging piano chords that drive the track.   Grynch details his feelings for a woman that is not around but he still feels that attachment.  Think of it as a love lost song without the sappiness.  I think most of us can appreciate a track about the one who got away, or went missing as the case may be.

Randy Ram is the joint for those of us who have ever considered  giving up on our dreams.  This is Grynch’s ode to making things happen and pursuing that elusive dream.  The title’s namesake is for Mikey Rourke’s  character in the award winning movie, The Wrestler.  A figure who only knew how to do one thing, and that was to entertain through wrestling.   Grynch isn’t trying to wind up disgraced like Randy The Ram.  He is trying to make moves and plans for his future doing what he loves.

It is a forgone conclusion.  Go download this EP and get acquainted with what Grynch is doing musically.  (Check out any of the links above to DL)  You can also check out his website to see videos and listen to previous releases.

stefanoneder Video

Vagabonds – Predictions (Video)

 

The Vagabonds put out an album called, Good Neighbors, in January.   I gave the album a listen and I enjoyed it a lot.  Unfortunately  I haven’t given it the shine it deserves.  But the group gave me another chance by putting the visuals out there for the track, Predictions.  It’s a dope track and indicative of what you can expect from the rest of the album.

You can download the album for FREE and you can cop the single on ITUNES.