I just posted up a more recent song by Premonition entitled Kingship. When he got wind of that post he passed on this video for, the writer’s block. This song is coming off of his 2010 release, the build. In my mind this song just solidifies his talent as an emcee and solo artist. You can stream the album and download it if you like it.
The Brainstormers – The Brainstormers EP (2011)
Artist: The Brainstormers (Cayoz Da Beast x A.L. Laureate x Praverb the Wyse x DJ Grazzhoppa x O*Zee)
Album: The Brainstormers EP
Source: Bandcamp
Tracklisting:
- By All Means (prod. by Deca One)
- Mind’s Design (prod. by O*Zee)
- 4 Corner Vision (ft. Crooked I) (prod. by Teddy Roxpin)
- Proceed With Caution (ft. Skyzoo) (prod. by Teddy Roxpin)
- Righteous Soldiers (ft. Hell Razah) (prod. by Teddy Roxpin)
- Same Start (ft. ManChild Of Mars ILL) (prod. by DJ Frantic)
Note:
There’s a new group to speak of in independent hip hop. Each of the lyrical members of the group hail from what essentially is the four corners of the continental United States. The DJ, DJ Grazzhoppa, hails from Belgium. They come to you collectively as The Brainstormers. Some groups like to project how “eclectic” they are, but in this case, each member of The Brainstormers does indeed bring a completely different style to the table.
The most unique of the four emcees, in my opinion, is A.L. Laureate out of Florida. He is billed as the abstract one and that term definitely qualifies. His style is very poetic. It takes a while to digest what Laureate is saying, which actually is quite refreshing in this day in age where we are being spoon fed lyrically. Praverb the Wyse has always struck me as someone who has a great spiritual resonance. He brings a level of sincerity to the mic. Cayoz Da Beast is the most pragmatic emcee of the group. His style is very deliberate and his flow is more aggressive than the others. O*Zee (not featured as an emcee on the project) is an excellent addition to the group. He is lyrically gifted and can drop the ill punchlines and metaphors. His wordplay is very elaborate and clever.
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Nu Revolution Camp – Pressure Cooker (Video)
Don’t be slow on the uptake on this one! Nu Revolution Camp is comprised of some of the DMV’s finest emcees. Specifically it consists of Wordsmith, Black Knight, Kontact, and Whitefolkz. This cut is taken off of their newly released mixtape, Super Hero Theme Music Vol. 1. I just got done listening to the project in it’s entirety and I have to say that it is EXCELLENT. I hope to be able to review it here soon. If you like what you hear on this song, please DL it. It’s got some infectious jawns.
SP Double & Focus… – Lethal Weapon
Album: Lethal Weapon
Source: Kevin Nottingham
Trackllisting:
- Moton Picture
- @#$! The Radio
- Iron Man
- Lethal Weapon
- the60barSetUp
- Interlude – Game Over Part 1
- What Did I Do?
- Father (ft. C. Ray)
- Conspiracy (ft. V.O.A.)
- Interulude – Game Over Part 2
- Number 1
- The Br3@k!
Note:
Here is an extremely dope release that went largely unnoticed in the blogging circles that I follow so I thought I would rectify the wrongs by posting up a review of Lethal Weapon. I don’t know how you neglect such extremely dope music. Focus… and SP Double have worked with some of the illest names in hip hop and have some great releases of their own. SP Double had an EP entitled Focus On SP which was entirely produced by Focus… in 2009 that was exceptional. The two really pick up where they left off with that release, but on Lethal Weapon both of the artists showcase their rhyming skills.
Poetic Death – Hamlet (Video)
I have one Poetic Death album in my collection, apparently the man will soon have nine in his discography when he releases Shakespeare Science. That’s pretty prolific in my opinion. Poetic Death is an artist who is hitting planes of content that few venture upon. Hamlet is a dark track asking questions probably most of us don’t want to know the answer to. I am going to try and get more information on Poetic Death and his new release. Meanwhile you can check out his website HERE.
Single You Out: Premonition – Kingship (ft. Silent Knight, Final Outlaw, DJ Mtri)
I am very unfamiliar with the work of Premonition. But a good intro is getting Silent Knight on the track with you. This joint is really nice. Each of the emcees provide exceptional lyricism. The beat is apparently provided by Kon. Kon deserves kudos for this one. This joint just knocks differently. I like the intermingling of the wind instrument sample with the electronic sounds. I hate to sound cliche, but this joint goes hard. Be on the lookout for more from Premonition in the future.
Single You Out: J.Nolan – How It Feels
I like songs that have a lot of emotion behind them. The stronger the artist feels on a particular topic, the better his/her art is. J.Nolan demonstrates this principle over a jazzy beat produced by Truelv. J.Nolan goes on explaining that unless you have experienced adversity then you won’t know how it feels to be placed in another person’s shoes. He comes to a point where he realizes maybe you won’t understand what he’s talking about because you yourself have never gone through it. Dope material, so give it a listen and download at your leisure.
Single You Out: Brown Bag All Stars
4When Soul Khan released his debut album, Soul Like Khan, he could have rested on his laurels and taken a breather, but to the contrary the man has just stepped up the pace a bit. He released the single Soulstice II and he had a remix released for Shot Glass Magnified ft. Sene. The new beat was brought on by The Audible Doctor. I also just saw on bandcamp that someone is doing a mash up album of Soul Like Khan. I haven’t heard it yet but the the prequel is HERE.
Koncept also has been keeping himself busy since releasing his EP, Playing Life. He released a physical CD of that same project and added a few extra tracks for the effort. He also has dropped a few notable gems like Day Dreaming , the remix to Playing Life (prod. by Marink), and most recently his DJ Booth feature, Things You Do. His street album, More Than Meets The Eye drops on February 22nd, so be on the lookout for that!
The Audible Doctor basically has produced 1/2 of the cuts previously mentioned. He has also blessed heads like Magestik Legend, Boog Brown, and most recently he did a beat for one of my favorite emcees, Silent Knight, for the cut Staying Busy which will be featured on here very soon.
J57 is the man who is always passing on what the BBAS are doing and it is much appreciated. In addition to keeping the world informed he has also been on his grind as of recent. Late in 2010 he and Sene released the EP, Eye Don’t Dream…But I Do. He also released the Digital Society instrumental album, which had some GREAT bonus tracks including a remix called Still Phenomenal. He also has done a video for the title track featuring Jefferson Price which you can see below. Most recently he did this extremely dope beat for Top $ Raz ft. YC The Cynic called The Plague.
Jesse Abraham – Spiderman On Vitamins (Video)
Now this is a dope video! Jesse Abraham brings the visuals to light for his latest single, Spiderman On Vitamins. Sleep not and be proper!
Kyle Hubbard – Tomorrow In Retrospect (2010)
Artist: Kyle Hubbard
Album: Tomorrow In Retrospect
Source: Bandcamp
Tracklisting:
- Waddup (prod. by DJ Corbertt)
- New School Slang (ft. Rapper Big Pooh) (prod. by Royal Audio Tunes)
- Chasing The Dream (ft. K-Rino and Renzo) (prod. by Basement Productions)
- The Paper (prod. by DJ Corbertt)
- I Don’t Care (ft. Preemo) (prod. by Vherbal)
- I Got Love (prod. by Basement Productions)
Note:
Houston hip hop does not receive the respect it deserves outside of Texas. At least that’s my impression. It is steroetyped and pigeon holed into southern drawls and classified in the gangster “genre” as a general rule of thumb. What people don’t know is that there are a grip of ill lyricists and artists who have the ability to make great songs. For the purposes of destroying these misconceptions, I have decided to use Kyle Hubbard and his EP, Tomorrow In Retrospect as my main example.
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Hip Hop Dependency 