This song came to me via email from the Half Past Never Band. I thought I would give it a listen and to my surprise I thought it was a really dope track. It’s pretty melodic. And I know I have some Jon?Doe material somewhere in my collection. I am going to have to check around. His flow is dope and it too has a very melodic quality. You can’t go wrong here. Here it for yourself:
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.
I don’t want to promote the whole Charlie Sheen epidemic that is sweeping every facet of my entertainment but I will support whatever Dumbfounded is doing on the musical tip. I thought the verses were pretty humorous. A good showing by all three emcees.
Artist: Grynch
Album: Timeless EP
Source: DJ Booth
Tracklisting:
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.
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.
Artist: Little Vic
Album: Apocalypto Mixtape
Source: Little Vic’s Blog
Tracklisting:
Note:
Ouch. This was a mixtape. A MIXTAPE! And it probably destroys 90% of the albums that are out there right now. Little Vic is a glimpse of Golden Era hip hop in the here and the now. Very few people can turn a phrase like Little Vic. If you are not already up on this artist, let me bring you up to speed. In 2006, Little Vic hit us with the debut album, Each Dawn I Die. Whenever I spoke about this album to somebody, it got positive feedback and acclaim. Everyone who heard it was feeling that album. Things were dormant for a little while with Little Vic leaking a track here and there. If you were paying attention to his blog you would definitely catch some gems. Last year, Little Vic hit us with the mixtape, Man On Fire. I must’ve played the joint, Sinner, over 100 times. Little Vic just has a way of making you his captive audience.
There has been a lot of dope music making it’s way out of Michigan in the last few months. Actually, Michigan is probably the hot be of new hip hop acts coming out. These two artists live up to the duos monniker on this one. It’s lyrically on point. This joint is off their mixtape, Construncticons.
When you think of good chemistry between rhyming partners on the mic, you all should start thinking about N.B.S. These emcees are on point. This song an video show and prove. Definitely start looking for some of their music. You can cop their latest album, The Prelude, on Itunes. You can also check out DatPiff for some of their free mixtapes. They are definitely worth checking into. The Boston scene is heavy with lots of talented emcees, but do not pass on these artists. You will regret it.
To be truthful, if Apollo Brown is attached to your song or project, it will in all likelihood be featured here. He is at the pinnacle of dope production and what I like about this cut is that it differs from his previous work. On The Left album, Gas Mask, the tracks had that boom bap with a touch of soul. There were many great vocal samples throughout that record as well. This time Apollo Brown forgoes that style and crafts a beat that utilizes a little funk, making this cut a little more playful. It still adheres to his excellent standards. The chorus made me want to claim a seat at the local bar and raise my glass. The emcees all dropped some heat in their verses. But enough…
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to shoot the breeze with Mister, of the dynamic duo, Passalacqua. The project review was so well received by the readership here that I thought I would delve a little deeper into one of the minds of the project and was really glad that I did. Mister is a very accessible person, who lets you know exactly how he feels. That, coupled with the fact he is an excellent artist should hold your attention for the next five minutes. Be sure to check the review and the project if you have not as of yet.
Hip Hop Dependency 