Insomniac Magazine is here for all your Hip Hop needs. So check in with our Top Ten and get the party started…
1) “Would you tell us what the truth is/Is it mass production or designer nooses?” BILLY DANZE delivered a Quincey Tones laced “6 o’clock Briefing” to President Obama with all the raw fury and unfiltered energy we’ve come to expect from the M.O.P. mic master. He also provided a powerful track that addressed the ongoing issues black men & women are facing despite the age old promise of “change.” Murder, economic failure, a sense of hopelessness…Billy doesn’t necessarily hold The Leader Of The “Free” World accountable…but he definitely raises important questions.
2) RETCH was away a long time…He shouldn’t have left us. Nothing could drive that point home more than the NJ lyricist’s new Big French laced POWER JOINT, “Nickel Bags.” This track is just some ill, get buckwild type s**t that you’ll want to blast at full volume from the ride while cruising through a quiet suburb…purely for the sake of pissing someone off! ‘Hardcore action for true Hip Hop heads. Retch & Big French are sellin’ nickel bags…and we’re definitely buying!
3) DANIEL SON & Crate Divizion producer, PhybaOptikz, are the “rooftop rulers” as they unleash another banger on the underground called “STUGOTZ JR.” The lyricist’s commanding presence on the mic & PhybaOptikz’s behind the boards talents are quickly becoming the stuff of legend. A lush soundscape infused with elements of soul & jazz spur Daniel Son to share tales of Vegas strips, Porsche Panameras, and the best Kush around. “We gonna be rich!” If dope beats & lyrics could be converted to cash, Daniel Son & PhybaOptikz already are!
4) MARV WON kicks off the track “Bag Man” by stating, “I fell off.” But nothing could be further from the truth. Lines such as “I ain’t really a fashion n***a, but I am in style ’cause having bars is back in fashion n***a” show this lyricist is not to be f***ed with on the mic! There’s PLENTY more where that came from and Marv Won is definitely not one to hold back. Fans of the underground should rejoice & say good riddance to the summer. The time has arrived for the “Soundtrack Of Autumn!”
5) CERTAIN.ONES bring a new kind of energy to the Hop Hop genre as a whole. On “Boom Baptism” the crew reinforce that statement with a line like, “We go left despite what right is.” In other words, they’re doing their own thing…and gotdamn, they’re doing it brilliantly. Over a soul-drenched groove the exceptionally gifted emcees perform lyrical somersaults & backflips that must be heard to be believed. They make sounding dope look easy. ‘Hip Hop is the religion. Boom Baptism!’
6) DJ MANIPULATOR recruited CONWAY for a hardcore head nodder called “2 Drums.” The Massachusetts producer gave the Griselda Records mic slayer two distinct Boom Bap soundscapes to rip into and the lyricist bodies both with ease. On point lyrics and production. We didn’t expect anything less.
7) PA’s rising dynamo, BEANZ, scales greater heights with each release! Her latest banger called “No Sunshine” features power spitter, FRED THE GODSON, and a soulful soundscape from production phenomenons, The Heatmakerz. Boom Bap propels the sped up Bill Withers sample forward as Beanz & Fred deliver soulful, witty rhymes that connect like a punch to the gut and showcase the strength of the underground.
8) BEN BEAL teamed up with ATLAS for some jazz-flavored fun called “Sidewalk Dreams.” The hypnotic banger which can be found on Beal’s “Wandering” mixtape & the “Jakarta Dubplate #8” is the perfect track to vibe out to when you need an escape from the daily grind. Let your fantasies take over. Keep walking & dream big!
9) When you’re an artist on the rise looking for lyricists to bring additional heat to your track, you better recruit two of the best! That’s exactly what DAZ WOODS did when he enlisted Chris $pencer(VIC SPENCER & CHRIS CRACK) to make a bold “Statement” on his latest track. Daz keeps the audience engaged with a raspy flow and witty asides, “Got high hopes like Charlie Sheen’s nostrils” while Vic & Chris…Well, you already know how they get down. Chris spits, “Me & Vic the new me & Vic!” Yup. There will be no successor to the throne.
10) RUSS calls out the music industry for its deceptive tactics on his latest self-produced banger, “Exposed.” Utilizing his melodic flow to deadly effect, the ATL lyricist describes how the “fix is in” when it comes to certain rappers who appear out of nowhere & gain undeserved attention due to corporate machinations. Russ, on the other hand, has put in the work. He’s a self-made artist with no secret label ties in place. “Me, myself, and I…That’s the Holy Trinity!” When you listen to this gem of a track KNOW that the grind is real for this talent on the rise. His work ethic is already paying off with major buzz and tour dates. Russ controls his own destiny while other artists are mere puppets destined to lose.
Well that’s it for this week. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
