Don’t Sleep On These New Releases
Insomniac Magazine delivers an all-star list of unstoppable powerhouses! Get in gear & check out the Weekly Top Ten!!!
1) AL-DOE & SPANISH RAN prove there’s “Still Hope” for the underground by bumrushing the set with an undisputed banger!!! Things are heatin’ up in the kitchen as the duo cook up three minutes & 57 seconds of pure dope for the street! Al is always intense but on this joint he’s completely UNHINGED!!! Combine that with Ran’s minefield of sonic explosives an’ you get one hell of a phenomenal track!!!
2) We loved plenty of Craft singles from THE ALCHEMIST but this is so God-level brilliant that an altar was set up in our office just to honor it!!! KOOL G RAP’s legendary presence & awe-inspiring delivery power “Diesel” to instant classic status as mob movie sound bites, a KRS-One proclamation, and the most delicious soul groove to grace the underground merge into an immaculately pristine piece of art!!! This joint set off so many emotional triggers that we were left curled up in the fetal position when it ended. GOTDAMMIT! If we can’t get a FULL platter from these two after hearin’ this gem then what’s the point of even living?!?
3) SUBSTANCE810 may be leading us into “Desolate Lands” but after peepin’ this clip we’ll follow him anywhere!!! DANGO FORLAINE & MICKEY DIAMOND are the lyrical giants who join the verbal juggernaut on his “Noteworthy” journey & this one’s definitively hardcore! HOMETEAM’s CHUCK CHAN superbly laces this track & after you hit that PLAY button you’ll be all in!!!
4) YOUR OLD DROOG is lauded the world over. But on “.500” he brilliantly recounts the days where the love didn’t exist! NICHOLAS CRAVEN is the genius behind the boards for the “YOD Wave” platter & there were so many dope tracks to choose from(“Fela Kruti,””Purple Rain Freestyle,” “Body Right, Mind Right” )that we struggled hard through the selection process. Ultimately, Droog’s vulnerable side gave this joint the edge. The rhyme assassin endured plenty of rough times & now he’s a full-fledged champion!
5) VIC MONROE & RECOGNIZE ALI flow marvelously over heaven sent heat laced by TONE SPLIFF!!! “In The World” is a phenomenal “Words To The Wise” power gem that conjures fly nostalgia & all-around good vibes! The craftsmanship on this track is uncanny & that also goes for the project as a whole!!!
6) Suckers get slain as NOVATORE, A.M. EARLY MORNING, LORD GOAT & RECOGNIZE ALI drop an insane “Kingdom Of Criminality” stunner powered by STU BANGAS!!! The aptly titled “Circle Of Goats” revolves around these top tier spitters storming the underground battlefield to claim total dominion over the industry! Victory is but an afterthought. BEFORE Day One they were pre-destined to win!!!
7) DNTE doesn’t disappoint!!! We enter the scene to find the elite wordsmith deep in his bag with a self-crafted sizzler called “Star Spangled Powder!!!” The lyrical marksman stays on point with a sharp sense of timing, ill wordplay, and an irresistible groove to steer up the charts! NEVER doubt this man’s abilities. Get him in the booth & he’s capable of anything!!!
8) The Umbrella & The Winners showcase their close camaraderie on a dope new track!!! SNOTTY hasn’t been wasting any time since his liberation. And now a string of ill joints lead to a collabo with both SMOOVTH & HUS KINGPIN for the GOODPHELLA produced “Dead Men Tell No Tales” thriller “Tucced!” When listening to these 3 MCs you feel like Hip Hop was created solely for them to shine! They radiate so much star power that you’ll be transfixed by every line!
9) KXNG CROOKED x JOELL ORTIZ reveal the truth behind all the glitz & glam on their HESAMI produced gem “Backstage!” After fans were left pondering for years over what really led to the demise of Slaughterhouse, we finally get some answers! On a track that’s poignant, heartfelt, and brilliant at every turn, the mic titans bare their souls and in the process, free themselves from the past!
10) ELCAMINO x CHASE FETTI leave ya wit’ excessive heat in the form of the ILL TONE BEATS constructed banger “Red Magic!” On a project adorned with audio gems, the mic wreckas spit that slick s**t that keep fans comin’ back! This joint in particular is bathed in 70’s styled soul. The master craftsmen on the mic add their ill spin & make it modern!!!
Well that’s it for this week. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
Thank you so much for everything !
Respect from France