It’s the July 4th weekend and along with the big barbecue you get a brand spanking new edition of Insomniac’s
Weekly Top Ten. We could go on & on about a number of topics at this point but come on, you came here for the music! So sit back, relax, and press play. The REAL fireworks are below!
1) 3 year old WS POOTIE stopped by our office to smack up a few staffers and ensure that her new “SummerSlam 88” joint with big daddy, WESTSIDE GUNN, would secure a slot in the Top 10. Co-workers ran screaming in fear and our assistant editor was left beaten & bloody with GxFR branded on his ass. ‘Thing is, the beatdown wasn’t even necessary ’cause from the second the cut kicked in, we knew Gunn was back with another winner! Your Old Droog worked his magic on an understated track with minimalist production as the Griselda Records Juggernaut dropped instant quotables like “Claude Monet wish he was livin’ so he could paint me” and “so many chains on, I wish I had a extra neck!” Yep, it’s BOLD. BRASH. And dope as f**k! This is REAL Hip Hop made by a muthaf***in’ legend! Big salute to Pootie. You & your pop earned the #1 slot fair & square. Now please untie the receptionist & don’t leave me dangling off this balcony…
2) The East Coast pioneered this Hip Hop ish…but for the past few years we haven’t had a lot to be thankful for. That’s why INFAMOUS DJ HAZE linked up with SHEEK LOUCH, DAX MPIRE, & UNCLE MURDA to put the bite back into The Big Apple on “I Love NY.” The joint takes Joe Cocker’s popular “Woman To Woman” sample used on Tupac’s “California Love,” Ultramagnetic MC’s “Funky,” and EPMD’s “Knick Knack Patty Wack” and updates it by adding a mellow chorus and additional tweaks that give the super spitters free rein to TORCH the mic & leave it smoking! If you forgot what authentic Hip Hop sounded like, press play & jog your memory! Did you sleep on the skills before?…We bet you love New York now!
3) VEE SKEENO answers his calling to keep hitting fans with dope joints on the immaculately produced Sun Sidran power gem, “Crucial.” Dropping thought-provoking lines that will resonate long after the track is over is Vee’s specialty & he continues to serve up jewels like, “I notice that they want us/ want us to lose focus/it’s something I can’t process/I’m trying to progress/not be programmed/we need Maya Angelou’s/not Lindsay Lohans…” Yep, he’s light years ahead of the average rapper. But if you’ve been checking out Skeeno’s musical output in 2016 you already know that! The sonic excitement resumes every weekend on #SkeenoSaturdays. Listen to the master lyricist as he takes you on a ride!
4) BOZACK MORRIS added another KILLER track to his catalog of bangers…and there were only 2 emcees qualified enough to lay down lyrics & do it justice…Who could that be?…You actually have to think about it?!?…Then you must be slow…It’s CONWAY & WESTSIDE GUNN of course!!! “Never Change” rolls in with so much force and swagger that it should be anointed street anthem of the year! When you hear Conway’s sinister, laid back delivery combined with Gunn’s urgent, high-pitched flow you know the tag-team’s back in town! Bozack heats things up behind the boards. Conway & Gunn rip the mic with ease. All competition’s gettin’ stomped out. Some things “Never Change.”
5) DJ KAY SLAY brought in a trifecta of dope lyricists for an Xalence laced banger from “The Rap Attack” mixtape titled “No Sucka MCs.” SHEEK LOUCH, PAPOOSE, & JON CONNOR deliver destruction to the mic over ill production that merge the Apache” & “Heaven & Hell” breakbeats into a Hip Hop gumbo of Boom Bap perfection! Lines like Sheek Louch’s, “Children cryin’/Daddy gotta re-up fast/No job, f**k it/Daddy gotta wear a mask” keep the party especially lit! The emcees engage in an all-out audio assault that will terrorize & take down any opponents. No Sucka MCs on this track. Just top of the line spitters who always deliver the goods!
6) E. SMITTY amped up fans awaiting the forthcoming release of his “Hip Hop Time Capsule” project by recruiting SADAT X & talented newcomer, BEN ILLa, for a jazz-infused banger called, “When The Smoke Clears.” X & BeN dropped high-powered bars about the changing times as E elevated the action by incorporating a hypnotic, trance-inducing saxophone into the mix to accompany the unbridled Boom Bap! When The Smoke Clears these artists will be the last men standing. It’s pure Hip Hop baby! Direct & in full effect!
7) IDE holds “Grudges”…but if that spurs the Brooklyn lyricist on to keep creating dope joints like this one, who are we to complain? The cut is one of the major highlights from the artist’s “Breathe Easy” album & it delivers enough lyrical venom to blast through mountains!!! The self-produced gem is funky enough to dance to or use as your “fight theme” when you want to let all that anger out! Play this track repeatedly. It’s one grudge you’ll wanna hold on to…a long, LONG time!
8) KEVIN LITEMARES ponders his place in the rap game…but honestly, at the rate he’s going we don’t see him at any other spot but the top as he drops compelling bars on “Brindle Flow.” The track, produced by Poland’s behind the boards magician, Tuelv, is an infectious and sobering tale of the star of “The Broke Rapper Show.” Kev delves into some dark subject matter on the cut but has a way of sounding upbeat about the drama. Much like his pseudonym, he shines light on the darkest nightmares man can endure. Lines like “I got this noose hangin’ around my neck/All TREE of y’all better show some respect” showcase his off-color wit & lyrical skills while Tuelv carries us home with a soundscape that’s sure to be coveted by aspiring producers and Hip Hop fans alike. Brindle might have the flow but Kevin’s got next!
9) JUS ONE lets everyone know where he’s from & y’all better back off as he talks his s***t! The ultra-talented emcee/producer provides a vivid description of life in Syracuse, New York and if you think it’s all about fancy homes and picket fences you don’t know a damn thing about the “Small City!” Jus One takes us on a dark journey through streets flooded with cocaine and an environment filled with hustlers, murderers, and kids packing Russian automatics. You want that raw, grimy & gritty Hip Hop? Voila! Jus One cooked up some new heat for your ass. Take a hit!
10) TOWKIO reps HARD for Chi-Town’s SaveMoney collective with the Garren produced masterpiece, “Tear Drop.” Riding high on an uplifting Gospel-infused groove, the eclectic artist describes a world gone mad as he ponders whether the pain will stop. Towkio comes to the ultimate conclusion that it won’t but he’ll keep taking his healthy prescription of Hip Hop to deal with the emotional trauma. This is music that demands to be heard! Don’t worry brother. You have PLENTY of listeners!
Well that’s it for this week. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
