New video from Eddie Kaine and RIM off of their brand new album, Welcome To Stuyville. That’s definitely something you should have checked out by now. No one has better chemistry on the mic than Kaine and RIM. And on the track, Chop House, you get a melodic laid back approach to that talent over some eassssssy production from none other than Camoflauge Monk.
The album has a lot of different paces and sounds so make sure you check that out.
Chemistry is a theme this week in the music that we are promoting and who displays better chemistry than Rim and Eddie Kaine? The emcee know how to trade bars and verses seamlessly and honestly no one is really on their level. Bhramabull produces this along along with the entire 5 Dolla Holla release with Rim. Definitely high octane joint, and if you clash with these artists, best believe it just won’t be a fender bender.
I think I have probably about 4,000 hip hop songs added to my library in 2023 so it’s no small feat to narrow it down to the Top 25 for the year, hence my time in taking to create this list. I could spend an eon trying to make a longer and more inclusive list. But the songs mentioned below were “no-doubters”. I play them over and over in a world where new music is released daily. This list is personal, but they are obvious recommendations of music I know that you would love and enjoy. It’s also a tribute to artists making this remarkable music. So have at it. I have also put a short blurb as to why the joint was favored and enjoyed along with links to the artist and music where applicable. Here are my favorite independent hip hop joints of 2023 in their respective order.
Rim hits yet another target with his Fizzy Womack produced single, Stone Ave. Womack makes that boom bap sound cry with his production and sample usage, while Rim gives the reasons that his warm hear turned cold, whether that being betrayal from the one that you presume loves you, or the friend who you thought had you through thick and thin.
You can find this joint and many other dope ones on his project, Rimbrandt 2 Metal Canvas.
Eddie Kaine and producer BP have some fire for you, when their new album, House Of Kaine, which drops on October 27th. This is a great union. In my mind, these are two of the most skilled in their profession, and vastly unheralded for their talents. And to have them combine on this project seems like fate.
No Permission has the tandem taking what they are due with a touch of soul, and not asking for any of it. And not to be left out of this write up is Kaine’s long time affiliate, RIM, who is known for his own turn of phrase.
Don’t sleep!
Some viciousness off of the recently released, Rimbrandt 2: Metal Canvas. And I do mean vicious. Rim is at the top of his game. Big Ghost is arguably the best producer right now. So this union for the track, Grassless Snakes, is indeed a blessed one. The drums and rhymes hit hard on this one.
Make sure you check out the album…OUT NOW!
RIM is an artist who is on a dominant run. And this joint with J Beers, One More Beer For DOOM. The beat from Beers hits hard with the guitar and the way those drums snap in your eardrums. And since this is a lyric video you can read along with the wordplay of RIM, but it’s as sharp as you would expect. The way he connects the bars should serve as a lesson in the craft.
This joint is the bonus track on the collaborative project, Verse Ability. Worth the cop on the strength of it’s own.
RIM just continues to make moves. He’s seemingly bringing his talents to a new joint every other week which is great because that talent definitely abounds. And it’s great people are recognizing that with all these features.
This joint is much more uptempo, fun, and that vibe. The horns by J. Beers give this track just a touch of funky. But you know what, RIM can handle and flip any production. We heard him flip on that new J. Hart song just a few days ago, and brings that elite skill to this track as well.
You can hear this joint on the new collaborative album, Verse Ability.
Don’t ever try to jump in my lane if you don’t have the drive
This is song is in going in instant rotation. The exchange between Eddie Kaine and RIM is reminisicent of that Smoothe and Trigga Broken Language joint which has long been the gold standard of bar exchanges. But Kaine and RIM have such chemistry on the mic, and they make this seamless. And DJ J Hart laces an iconic production that really embodies that chemistry. One of the dopest tracks this year.
Apparently this is going to drop On DJ J Hart’s Green EP dropping in the Fall which all the sudden feels too far.
Here’s a sizzler from O Dawg and Passport Rav’s latest EP, Rogue Rage, featuring the strong bars of Eddie Kaine and RIM. The title track, from a production stand point, has this ‘ethereal’ quality about it, but don’t get it twisted, this joint knocks. And when you hear this pen game, there is left no doubt. These artists share the way they go about their daily business in the illest of fashions.
I haven’t checked the EP yet but I am definitely going to cop off of the strength of this one!
Hip Hop Dependency 