Dope beats & lyrics from Hip Hop’s cream of the crop. It’s time for another edition of Insomniac’s Weekly Top Ten! Settle in & enjoy the ride…
1) BUSTA RHYMES, FABOLOUS, JADAKISS & STYLES P are all known for wreckin’ mics on the regular…so it should come as no surprise that they do exactly that on the high-powered, explosive banger, “Respect My Conglomerate 2.” Upping the ante from Busta’s 2009 original(featuring ‘Kiss & Lil Wayne), the track bursts through the speakers with monstrous, head-nodding beats and soulful, synthesized chords courtesy of phenomenal production mastermind, King Karnov, who proves himself to be a behind the boards wizard of sonic excellence with this nuanced & carefully crafted masterpiece. We played this joint at least 20 times the day we first heard it and truth be told, haven’t stopped playing it yet! A conglomerate this dope doesn’t just get respect…It gets the #1 spot on our list!
2) All Flows Reach Out otherwise known as A-F-R-O is the living embodiment of the future of Hip Hop. At least we hope that’s the case because the skills he showcases on the mic raise the bar for his industry peers…and in fact elevate the genre to an entirely new level. “Code #829” from the “Tales From The Darkside” Mixtape is just one example of the California spitter’s lyrical prowess…but it’s an effective one. To drive home how much better he is than 98% of the newcomers in the game he also dropped an out of this world video directed by creative genius, Todd Angkasuwan. Years from now when A-F-R-O is mentioned in the same breath as Biggie, Nas & Jay Z, we wanna say we called it here first!
3) LIL BIBBY & COMMON team up to give a funky Jake One track that Chi-Town spin on “Speak To Em.” This is the kind of joint that will immediately grab your attention and keep you focused as two of Chicago’s finest spit lyrics from the heart over a flawless, irresistible soundscape. When you need something dope to get you motivated, play this track!
4) CAPPADONNA returned with a vengeance and brought SKILLZ, LOUNGE MODE & MR. CHEEKS along for the ride on the new banger, “Hip Hop Never Died,” from his forthcoming “The Pillage 2” album. The joint contained so much infectious energy that we extended our lunch break an extra hour to dance on the table tops(Note: Lork got the prize for poppin’ & lockin’ and Iz-Real won for best head spin). When music is this exciting it makes our job easy. We hope the entire album is this much fun!
5) JADAKISS should be in everyone’s Top 5 list of the best emcees and if you don’t feel that way we’re gonna rub it in your face even more by putting him in our Top 5 slot on our Top Ten countdown! The chart position, as always, is well deserved for his many years of prime Hip Hop heat and his incredible Just Blaze produced gem, “Synergy,”(featuring Styles P) from the “Top 5 Dead Or Alive” album. They should create a new genre called “Triumph Music” because that’s exactly what this joint sounds like. If life is beating you down and you need a song to shake you outta your rut & get you into a winner’s mentality, THIS IS THE ONE!
6) K.A.A.N. always blows our minds with his head-spinning delivery and powerful content. He’s one of the few emcees who we actually feel due to his impassioned music, so it makes sense that he would finally create a deep, ardent, masterwork of emotion called “Feels”(produced by CashFlow). The dramatic soundscape provides just the right amount of fuel required for the super lyricist to bare his soul. It’s a creative therapy session for the emcee that serves as a selfish form of sonic pleasure for the listeners who love & respect his talent…yet feed off his pain.
7) WILLIE THE KID & S-CLASS SONNY rode the smooth grooves of the Rax Beats produced “The Realest” to new heights of aural excitement and demonstrated how Michigan gets down! The Grand Rapids duo display the kind of mic skills that are envied by lesser emcees & can always be counted on for a checklist of quotables (“Life’s a b—ch in this cup of C’s an’ I snuggle up”). If you want to hear soft music look elsewhere…but if you want that real hardcore ish stick with “The Realest.”
8) JAE RELLZ & NATURE teamed up for a dope Automatik Beatz produced joint called “Different Cloth” that incorporated Lauryn Hill’s vocals from Nas’ “If I Ruled The World” and showcased two lyricists at the top of their game! The emcees attacked the track with so much fury that the entire studio probably exploded from the combined power of these super-charged lyrical titans. This is what it sounds like to be a Hood Boss. Don’t even hope to measure up ’cause spitters like this are cut from a “Different Cloth.”
9) NO1SPECIAL joined forces with PLAIN SIGHT & CHRIS RIVERS for their second single, “Grow,” and put a spotlight on true Hip Hop lyricism as the emcees flexed superior mic skills over some laid back Boom Bap. In order to grow as a Hip Hop artist, you need to understand what the music is all about. THESE artists possess a deep understanding of the culture and showcase it brilliantly during the 4 minute run of this powerful track.
10) The Bennett Brothers or TAYLOR BENNETT & CHANCE THE RAPPER if you prefer, made family bonding sound so good on their collabo joint, “Broad Shoulders.” The soulful, sentimental track serves up vivid memories of the past and hopeful thoughts for the future. It’s also a beautiful dedication to Chance’s baby daughter & Taylor’s niece. One day she’ll grow up and pull this song from the family archives. Laughter and tears will swim forever in a wave of nostalgia.
Well, that’s it for this week. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
