Dope beats & rhymes, future superstars, seasoned vets…We’ve got ’em all here on Insomniac’s Weekly Top Ten. Who are they? You can find out for yourself. Just check the list below and feel the vibes…
1) SKETCH MCGUINEY sure knows how to grab our attention! He could’ve used the Team Demo produced, “World War Z,” as an opportunity for some solo mic action & it would’ve been perfectly fine…but NOOOO, he had to go & recruit supreme spitters, RAS KASS & SEAN PRICE for the adventure too! Damn, this track goes hard! If the zombie apocalypse starts today, I’ll gladly fight the good fight alongside Sketch & Ras with Sean P leading us to victory from the great beyond!
2) PUFF DADDY…Diddy…Puffy…P.Diddy…Sean Combs…Dude making much more money than me…dropped his “MMM” project for free this week and exceeded expectations with content that gave a nod to the 90’s Hip Hop sound without neglecting the steez of today’s tastemakers. “Auction” featuring LIL KIM, STYLES P & KING LOS was one of the many stand out cuts that resonated with our staff. With artists this talented giving their all, you can easily see why!
3) MOSS takes over the Top 10 again with another irresistible offering from his “Marching To The Sound Of My Own Drum” album(dropping November 13th). This time the Toronto terror on the boards recruited JOELL ORTIZ for the hypnotic banger, “Kids.” Production mastery combined with unprecedented mic skills equals dope music…and on the 13th we predict fans both old and new will be marching to the record store!
4) LOGIC will never “Fade Away” as long as he releases music this good! The Maryland spitter dropped another treasure from the forthcoming “The Incredible True Story” and had us bouncin’ to the funky grooves and clever lyrical display that have become his trademark. We haven’t heard a weak cut yet from the project…and don’t expect to. The release is only a few days away…
5) AGALLAH THE DON BISHOP joined forces with powerhouse production duo, DIRTYDIGGS, for a collabo project titled, “Flight Of The Cranes.” “Don Shooter” is the first explosive release from the EP. It delivers so much underground heat that we don’t wanna have to wait for the rest of the material! But if we’re being forced to, that’s just the way it is. We’ll keep re-playing this joint over & over ’til the whole thing drops on the 20th!
6) GOLDLINK shared his thoughts on the current state of Hip Hop in the smooth Tom Misch & Jordan Rakei produced, “New Black.” The catchy and concise tune served as a clever way to highlight the fact that most of today’s rappers are only perpetuating the same “thug life” stereotypes that will lead to the eventual downfall of the music…and contribute to the destruction of precious lives as well. It’s a brilliant piece of work from an equally brilliant artist. If only more emcees had something of value to say…
7) BOB BANNER delivered more regwriterrythmz produced heat from “The Gamma Project” with “Make It Look Legal.” As always, the lyricist puts his heart & soul into the material. Flowing over a mafioso type sound bed, Bob rips the mic with raw fury while never failing to push things over the edge with his signature brand of humor. “I’m like Mike Brady raising your kids”….”You see Oz, I’m consulting The Wiz…” How about this one… “I’m heavy like my ex-girl/Sexy like Right Said Fred…” There are so many rewind lines you’ll be up all night trying to catch them all. We recommend you examine every single one ’cause if there’s any emcee worth your time, it’s the Gamma Ray powered lyricist known as Bob Banner!
8) DEM ATLAS probably thought he was creating a soon to be forgotten throwaway track when he recorded “Grace”(Purgatory Amos) with DJ Adatrak & Mike Shank of Sector 7G…but that’s not the case because the cut is so much more. Boom bap beats percolate alongside Sci-Fi sound blips and stream of consciousness lyrics that transport us to an otherworldly realm of sonic satisfaction. No grace period before dropping more tracks like this. Just get down to it!
9) V DON brought a lot of excitement to the scene with his new album, “The Opiate.” “Get Lifted” is one of the reasons for that enthusiasm due to it’s soul-drenched soundscape and lyrical contributions from ASAP ANT & TRAE THA TRUTH. It’s the kind of joint you need for a lazy Sunday afternoon or ANY afternoon. The slow rollin’ gem is probably how most songs sound after knocking back a few too many swigs of sizzurp…Hmm, that might actually explain a lot.
10) The Teacha returns to school today’s Hip Hop audience on true lyricism with the PredatorPrime produced, “Drugs Won.” KRS-ONE speaks on the REAL reason drugs have infiltrated the inner city while simultaneously throwing down the gauntlet for quality content as incentive for emcees to step up their pen game. It’s the beginning of ushering in a new era because Kris’ “Now Hear This!” album drops November 24th!
Well, that’s it for this week. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
