Don’t Sleep On These New Releases
Insomniac Magazine ensures the ascendance of the underground with new chart-busting bangers for the Weekly Top Ten! Gear up for action & tap in below!!!
1) “Let It Be Known” that anyone stupid enough to battle SNOWGOONS, PMD, FREDRO STARR & TONE SPLIFF deserves the fate destined to befall them!! The “Black Snow 3” scorcher is the perfect example of pure Hip Hop excellence that occurs when you unite the most prestigious powerhouses in the game! This is more than just a warning to their competitors. It’s a bold declaration of their dominance in the industry!!!
2) An equal proportion of style AND substance are on full display as RU$H & JAY NICE drop a wealth of lyrical gems on “Moncler Vs Kith!!!” Flair Jordan & Fendi Don push life-affirming luxuriousness to new heights on the “Famili 7” heat rock that takes hold of your soul and refuses to let go! What should an MC sound like in 2026? Y’all better take a few pointers from these two!!!
3) EDDIE KAINE & WAVY DA GHAWD may still be slept on in some circles but they reaffirm their everlasting impact on the industry with “Don’t Count Me Out!!!” The savage spitter & production warlord stay on their grind 24/7 to ensure their rivals never get a chance to relax! It’s “Twelve 24: The Nightmare” excitement for the ages! Your time’s up while their legacy endures!!!
4) ACTION FIGURE 973 takes on a drumless CIRCA 97 crafted slice of sonic manna and stomps it out until it’s down for the count!!! “Christmas Coal” finds your favorite Yuletide bad guy bodyin’ a groove with such finesse the track nearly thanks him for the humiliating defeat. We’ve said it before & we’ll say it again…This muthaf***a in the mask is who you need to watch out for!!!
5) VIC SPENCER & AUGUST FANON always deliver such impeccable bodies of work that it’s nearly impossible to find one track that encapsulates the entire project and select it for the countdown. But f**k it, we’ll try anyway! “Gud Luk” is an immediately compelling flash of sonic brilliance that manifests a simultaneous splash of various emotions. They got a muthaf**ka feelin’ bipolar because we wanna laugh, cry, and rage into the night due to the layered, mood-altering arrangement!!! Vic is a pro up in this b**ch and knows exactly what to do with the joint. He rides the rhythm until the wheels fall off & leaves us blubbering like babies back in the group home!
6) When the pressure’s on & there are no options left ya gotta “Bust Back!!!” DIOS NEGASI & FREDRO STARR ain’t just throwin’ their guns in the air…they’re pointing them right at your dome!!! The CHAMBER MUSIC ENT. & REAGAN ERA RECORDS heater will find you firing the ratchet on repeat in an unbridled haze of paranoia!!! You entered the booth to showcase your lyricism but had to leave suckers laid out on the floor!!!
7) “By Tomorrow,” the entire world will recognize the power of AL-DOE & SPANISH RAN!!! That’s how we envision things and it wouldn’t be the first time our predictions bore fruit! The underground duo combine graphic rhymes and hallucinogenic production into an adrenaline-fueled free fall toward disaster! How it will all end no one knows. But strap in and brace yourself for impact!!!
8) It’s out of “Da Fryin Pan” & into da fire as GREEZI AMIIN straddles a loopy, manic arrangement and bends it to his will!!! The lyricist allows his vocals to slip & slide across the unhinged production and the conclusion reached is that this muthaf***a can do just about anything!!! It’s been cold around these parts so turn up the temperature! Get yo’self greasy wit’ Greezi & da Fryin Pan!!!
9) We lived, breathed, and absorbed all of the tracks on the “Diatribalism” album but couldn’t stay away from “Cement & Rust!” SANKOFA x TALI RODRIGUEZ’s captivating cut kept callin’ us and pretty soon we were feenin’ to play it over & over again! Say “Mmm-hmmm” like you’re Billy Bob wit’ a Sling Blade & tap in to the glorious underground gem below!!!
10) You can sell “Snake Oil” to the huddled masses but when you want authenticity listen to CERTAIN.ONES!!! BOBBY CRAVES, FERAL SERGE, AZTEK THE BARFLY, and FAZEONEROK spit truth over a WANN SKLOBI seared arrangement that strips away the algorithm’s veil of secrecy! Don’t try to categorize the crew. They’ll never blend in with your idols. Hip Hop’s not a game. It’s their method of survival!!!
Well that’s it for this week. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
