I didn’t realize this cut from Iron Curties album, Modus Operandi, was given the visual treatment? I just shared it as a single but let me get this song with Daniel Son out again because it’s that kind of dope. Don’t front and check the album.
Jamo Gang – Go Away (Video)
Are Jamo Gang (Ras Kass x El Gant x J57) responsible for the best EP of 2018? I am going to say yes. These guys are monsters in their profession. Their self-titled EP is nothing but bangers and this track is just a piece of the pie. Plus you get visuals from Skrewtape. This is a win for hip hop fans of all ilks.
Curly Castro x Zilla Rocca – Billy Batts (Video)
This is my favorite track off of Curly Castro and Zilla Rocca’s Grift Company EP which dropped in April. Really glad they gave it the video treatment. The production for the track is absolute bananas and Castro and Rocca have a commanding presence on the mic along with excellent chemistry.
Def3 – El Fin Del Mundo (ft. Ramon Fernandez) (Video)
I have to tell you all that I love Def3’s 2017 album, Small World. It really is amazing music. It has such an easy vibe and the day this video dropped, I was actually listening to the album.
El Fin Del Mundo, if you can’t tell by the name, has a very latin flavor introduced by producer Late Night Radio. This joint is festive and like most of the album, features introspective lyricism from Def3. He is another artist that really can connect with listeners.
Check out this album!
M-Dot x DJ Nelson – Tedium (prod. by Zoom and Rectape) (Video)
Well what do you know…it’s another M-Dot sighting on a dope record. Fancy that. As redundant as I sound, if M-Dot is a part of your project, it’s going to be good.
On Tedium, M-Dot goes in over a Zoom & Rectape production discussing the issues and circumstances in our lives that cause us to teeter on the edge. Musically, this song has a lot going for it with snapping drums and ill scratched from DJ Nelson. Lyrically, you know M-Dot is going to do more than just hold it down…he excels over the rhythm.
This cut can be found on Zoom & Rectape’s album, Delivery.
Vic Shadez – Empty (Video)
Vic Shadez is a new name to HHD but he is exactly the type of artist we are trying to promote here. This song, Empty, is one that suggests how bland life would be without hip hop music. It’s got a tight beat with a nice little Supreme’s flip, and Shadez can rock a mic proper.
I am definitely going to check out his release, Uncontaminated.
Nelson Dialect x Must Volkoff – Storm Boy (Video)
This song is illy of the best kind! I am really loving the vibe. The production from Must Volkoff is almost like taking an auditory vacation. It lets the mind drift a little, while the lyrics from Nelson Dialect keep you guided on the journey. It’s just beautiful hip hop being made.
Really enjoying this so I am probably going to enjoy the album Magnetism when it drops on June 22nd.
Australia representing!!!
DJ Ready Cee x ILL DOSE – Kobe (Video)
DJ Ready Cee and ILL DOSE lace us with some laid back illness which still manages to smack you right upside the head. Good vibes and hard rhymes!
Longshot and Lazerbeak – Here For A Reason (Video)
Longshot and Lazerbeak release a little optimism and a lot of purpose in their latest single, Here For A Reason. It’s uptempo and high energy track that will leave an indelible impression upon you. Not a lot of people are making music in this fashion, so we have something that is unique, yet irresistibly dope.
Longshot has been doing his thing in Chicago for quite a while and I have oft thought about him as an unheralded talent. But I think there is some more recognition coming here.
New collaborative album arrives on June 8th, Parades.
Skeptika – The Hour of Death f. SPNDA, Relentless and REKS (Video)
Oh now this is ill on so many different levels! Skeptika concocted a toxically addictive brew by fusing that boom bap and some East Indian rhythms. The rhymes from SPNDA, Relentless, and Reks are all on point.
But the concept of the video is pretty unique and epic having female actors mouth the emcee’s lyrics while articulating an all out action scene.
What’s not to love here? Nothing. You love everything! And you should.
Skeptika has an album dropping in the fall called West Of Eden. I am going to keep my eyes peeled.
Hip Hop Dependency 