stefanoneder 2024

Top 5 EPs (2024)

There was quite a few Extended Play releases in 2024. I identify those releases as less than 10 songs on the project, excluding intros, interludes, and outros. I give you my top five of 2024 and I encourage you to give them a listen, purchase, and spread the word on this exceptional music.

#1 Dan Johns- Resurgence

The number one EP of the year was easy for me. When Dan Johns released, Resurgence, I knew this was the one. It’s five self-produced tracks that showcase some of the best production and lyricism this year. Really impressive work. I would honestly rate each track 4.5 to 5 stars. It’s that impeccable. And to add to this blessing is Amen has a verse, that I would count as one of the best this year. Favorite Track: The Magnum

#2 – Spit Gemz – Eulogy For The Devil

The #2 EP this year goes to one of the realest to do it. Spit Gemz has a few EPs released in 2024, but my favorite is him rocking over some Nickel Plated production on Eulogy For The Devil. This project is just unabating and knocks hard. But you know what else makes this special? The knowledge and perspective that Gemz brings to the table track by track. One of the greatest compliments you can pay an artist is that he gave you food for thought. Favorite Track: The Way

#3 Ransom & Harry Fraud – Lavish Misery

Speaking of someone who makes you think, Ransom linked up with super producer, Harry Fraud for our #3 EP, Lavish Misery. Very few can turn a phrase like Ransom. But there is also so much more to his lyricism. There is a message. There is double entendre. There is so much nuance involved in his bars that a casual listener just can’t catch. So set 20 minutes aside for this beautifully orchestrated, Fraud produced release. Favorite Track: Immaculate Conception

#4 Mic Bles & Level 13 – Still No Halos

Sometimes you just need some straight hip hop. No frills. You need to be reminded about that authentic boom bap flavor. Mic Bles and Level 13 are here to be that reminder with the #4 EP of last year, Still No Halos. This is just hip hop in it’s purest form. It’s all about the boom bap beats, those precise scratches, and that ill lyricism. If you mix a few dope features in, this is the “no miss” recipe for this EP. Favorite Track: Raised On

#5 Premrock & Willie Green – Through Lines

And our last featured EP from 2024, is the union of talent between Premrock and Willie Green. Through Lines. Premrock is a poet extraordinaire that is unlike anyone you have heard and when combined with Willie Green’s weaving and turning productions, you have something unique and timeless. It’s two artists who each themselves dance to different drummers but when together, create the most special of rhythms. Let’s hope for more: Favorite Track: Love What You’ve Done With The Place

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Single You Out: Premrock & Willie Green – Imposter Syndrome

Premrock and Willie Green are musical genius. I have always enjoyed the music they create together. They compliment each other perfectly. Premrock’s pen game moves complicity with Willie Green’s score. And I really do feel he is “scoring” the lyrical landscape. What the two have is thoughtful chemistry and it’s so great to hear them work together.

I could have easily picked any of the six tracks from Through Lines to share with you but why not go with the lead track, Imposter Syndrome. Listen to the piano sample trail underneath impeccable poetry and those drum patterns leave their indelible mark.

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Premrock – Death On The Installment Plan (Video)

Premrock is a damn poet. As I have followed his career through this blog it has become apparent across time that his skills and style compare to no one, making him one of the most unique features on the site. His wordplay and his lyrics flow and fall together just differently than his contemporaries. And you are bound to catch something different with each listen.

His new album, Load Bearing Crows Feet, drops tomorrow.

stefanoneder 2018, Recommendations

2018: Best EPs

So here is a list of my favorite EPs from 2018.   I easily could have extended this list to 25 projects and been really comfortable about that.  However, I really wanted to showcase what I consider to be the best projects in a year where there was so much greatness to consider.  In the end, there were no votes, judges, or etcetera.  This was simply a matter of personal preference.  I hope you enjoy these projects as much as I did.

Continue reading “2018: Best EPs” →

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Single You Out: PremRock – Fetanyl (ft. billy woods x Vekked)

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We’ve talked about it before, but let’s make mention of it again:  PremRock is clearly an innovator when it comes to making hip hop music.  His lyricism is slick, crafty, and has a tendency to get those synapses firing in that brain of yours.

His new project with Fresh Kils, Poet’s Payday, is an extension of the previous comment.  This project again illustrates that creativity that we all love.  Fresh Kils  cooks up a delicious avant garde production, while billy woods adds his own innovations via a complimentary sixteen.

I am sure that hip hop lovers of all ilks will love this track and the project as a whole.

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Single You Out: Career Crooks – Newlywed (ft. Dewey Bryan, MaLLy, and PremRock)

Career Crooks is Zilla Rocca and Small Professor and they brought along a few friends for this latest music journey.   Dewey Bryan, MaLLy, and PremRock all get busy alongside Rocca on the mic.

This cut has so much exceptional going on with it.  The track from Professor is funky yet understated which makes it the perfect canvas for these audio lessons.  The way the chorus is worked around the emcees verses makes this track have even more of an impact.  Each emcee shows unique prowess and styling yet compliment the other.

The new album, Good Luck With That, drops on Friday.  Are you down?

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Worth Revisiting: PremRock – Juliet Has Survived

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You know there is so much music being cranked out on a daily basis that I am going to take a step back and appreciate some of my favorite projects from years passed.  And PremRock’s 2014 album, A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, is an album that I constantly find myself coming back to.   He is just such a distinctive emcee in the way he approaches his writing and music in general.  He taps on emotion and borders on the abstract at times, which keeps the listener engaged in ways other artists simply aren’t capable of.    There are many great tracks on this album, but the one I want you to latch onto for the moment is Juliet Has Survived.

As always, if you enjoy the track, please empty a few coffers into the man’s hand and purchase his art.

 

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Single You Out: Premrock – Lens (ft. Chris Quelle)

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Premrock once again smites convention with his latest Quelle Chris produced track, Lens.   The rhythm has a jazz type vibe to it, with a lot of cymbal being featured instead of relying on the snare.  It sounds much like, Premrock creates his own rhythm and cadence that the beat follows, instead of vice versa.

It’s just another example of what makes Premrock unique.  His album, A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, will grace us on April 15th.

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Single You Out: Premrock x Zilla Rocca x Mad Dukez – FaSho FaSho (Willie Green Remix)

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Fasho Fasho! Remix is a fun track to get the night on the town started correctly.  It features two members of the HHD A-Team, Premrock and Zilla Rocca along with Mad Dukez (who I am not sure if I have heard before).  Of course we have the ever creative Willie Green on the boards.  Is it wrong for me to think of the hip hop version of  A Night At The Roxbury when I hear this?  It probably is, but that would be a fun video to make.   Ladies beware!