There aren’t too many appropriate places to rock the Baine mask, but if there is such a place, the video for Mercenaries Creed might be the spot. I caught Royal Illness checking out the blog and reached out to him on Twitter. As an artist he seems to have a solid foundation in hip hop history and definitely brings that to the table for his own music. He flips lines regarding politics and social commentary over some heavy beats that he himself created. These tracks are just a taste of Illness’ full length endeavor, Soundtrack To The War Vol. 2 which will drop on February 21st.
Cocaine Chris (2 Man Cypher) – Statistics (Video)
This video is older (from three months ago) than I would normally post. But I need a late pass on all the music The Fraternity has been putting out. This joint is from Cocaine Chris’ album, Cain & Glory, and is produced by none other than, Dope Antelope. This track is not only dope but it’s also a very poignant description of what’s going on in a lot of urban epicenters. The album, as a whole, is also very impressive.
I am not playing when I say that 2 Man Cypher/The Fraternity and Dope Antelope are at the forefront of keeping real hip hop alive and well. I have checked quite a few albums from the back catalog and they are all high quality. I can’t wait to hear more material from the camp.
N.B.S. – Walter Payton (Video)
Third video released from N.B.S.’ latest album, The Smokefest. The production on the track is handled by Scrilla Ventura so we can just check this track off as being ‘certifiable’. This is one of the best tracks off of the latest release, which I encourage you all to peep. It gets no realer.
MadKem – The Breeze (feat. K-Hill) (Video)
MadKem puts the visuals to a track from La Vie en Bleu. On the song, The Breeze, he links up with affiliate K-Hill for some added narration. This track is about ambition, persistence, and the pursuit of utilizing one’s abilities to the fullest extent. At least that’s how I see it.
Verbal Kent – Sammy Sosa [prod. Khrysis] (Video)
Verbal Kent has been tearing it down lately. I can’t wait to hear the album, Sound Of The Weapon, which is entirely produced by Khrysis. The album is dropping on February 18th (that feels too fay away).
Illa Ghee – Salute The General (ft. Fame) (Video)
Illa Ghee make us fiend for the album with his release of the single, Salute The General. This track by DJ Skizz is saturated in the realness which suits Illa Ghee just fine because that’s his M.O. He has a real nice flow, where at the end he promises to bust all shots on the “skinny jean” culture. I am all for that. His album Social Graffiti is dropping in the second quarter of this year. Fakes and frauds beware!
Grand Opus – Forever
This is the kind of music we need in 2014. We need new faces bringing new takes on that traditional hip hop flavor. I really enjoyed this track from Grand Opus which is comprised of beatmaker Centric and emcee Joc Scholar. The track has that nostalgic feel without sounding a bit dated. I hope there is a bigger project attached to this song.
Bo Jankans – 1 More Shot (ft. Lyriciss)
Bo Jankans sent over this new video from The MotorMouth EP (which I am pretty sure is not out yet) but both songs I have seen/heard have been really dope. He’s got a unique style and outlook plus he has Scrilla Ventura. And if you have Scrilla Ventura on the boards, anything is musically possible. Also joining the mix is the DMV stalwart, Lyriciss…
Skeezo – Stuck in da 90’s (prod by Alterbeats) (Video)
Skeezo releases the title track in video format from his most current EP, Stuck in da 90s which is produced by the Hip Hop Dependency Producer Of The Year, Alterbeats. The song is a time machine for those of us who made our come up in the 1990s with Skeezo littering the track with references from the era. Make sure you peep the EP, but also make sure you check his other jawn, Face Value as well.
ethemadassassin – Elements (Video)
You can tell ethemadassassin is a rhyme vet. His flow is extremely refined and dare I say, authentic. There’s not an oz of new jack. He makes you feel these words he’s spitting. Elements as a whole is a high energy head nodder so protect that neck. This cut can be found on his most recent album, Soul On Fire.
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