Don’t Sleep On These New Hip Hop Releases
Insomniac Magazine is back with a Top 10 list you won’t soon forget! Check out the underground action on the brand new countdown below!
1) If it’s impossible to achieve perfection, STR8 BANGAZ’s “20 for 20” compilation is about as close as you’re gonna get! Crafting a sonic triumph of this degree requires God-level production aptitude and an extremely discerning ear in the studio. There are no weak links on this project & without a doubt, MILANO CONSTANTINE & SKYZOO’s “Sing” is one of the major highlights! Str8 Bangaz’s emotionally stirring sonic backdrop is exactly what’s needed in these trying times. Brash beats & a powerful bassline fill us with pride as Milano & Skyzoo bless the mic and lead us to victory!
2) PHAROAHE MONCH & STYLES P peel back the layers of 400 years worth of oppression toward the Black community on an incendiary MARCO POLO laced heater called “Same Sh!t, Different Toilet!” The track finds Hip Hop’s lyrical icons bumrushing the beat to touch on everything from Pilgrims to the Police. With decades worth of street reporting credentials in their back pocket there can be no denial of the facts. We feel the pain in our heart & soul and unfortunately live through the struggle every day.
3) APOLLO BROWN x CHE’ NOIR take listeners back to the glorious days of “’94” with their new nostalgia-inducing “As God Intended” power gem. The super producer triggers melancholy vibes with a dream-like soundscape & clever vocal sample from Common’s “I Used To Love H.E.R” utilized to maximum effect. Che places us in a wistful mood while helming Apollo’s sonic masterwork with ease & assurance. She ponders over future mentions in Top 5 debates without realizing they’re already including her now.
4) PLEX DIAMONDS was Brooklyn’s best kept secret until two insanely dope joints lurking beneath the surface made their ascent from the underground! THE STANDOUTS laced “Gotham City” is one of those mega gems…and it showcases the ill spitter doing damage over an insanely fractured sonic backdrop that sounds like Liberace going into cardiac arrest while spilling a martini on J Dilla’s favorite drum machine! The end result is that hardcore head nod s**t that makes ya jump up on a boardroom table & spit in your manager’s hot cocoa! We hope you can adjust to the spotlight Plex. Now that the industry knows what ya can do in the booth, you’re gonna need a restraining order to keep those suckas from stalking you!
5) JAMAL GASOL delivers an explosive lyrical assault over a propulsive QUIS STAR laced production called “Clarence!” The Dirty Waters mic maverick delves deep into the topic of racism while simultaneously flexing the dope flows fans are accustomed to! You want that fly verbal steez, a dope ass beat, AND a powerful message then step right up. Jamal’s hittin’ ya with the full package. Don’t believe us? Ask Clarence!
6) AGALLAH rains fury on the tyrannical forces dividing & destroying minority communities on the “Black Anarchy” banger “Reptile Blood!” NOTTZ supplies the supreme audio heat and dispatches it with reckless abandon to conjure the intense feeling of exasperation & anger echoed by the world! Agallah hits all oppressive institutions with a Molotov mic turn that burns down false perceptions of race while building a new belief system one brick at a time!
7) THE BAD SEED relishes the Good Times while delivering a dyn-o-mite display of ill wordplay on RECKONIZE REAL laced heat titled “James Evans, Sr!” Niggalis Cage definitely brought “The Smoke” on this high-powered joint that incinerates the majority of his artistic peers’ 2020 musical output! The lyrical king’s brash bars are unparalleled on the underground. Match those skills with Reckonize Real’s creative genius behind the boards & the end result is magic!
8) The INTEL SELEKTAH soul heater “Selektah’s Intro” has apparently been flying under the radar since late February…but the fantastic cut finds new life on the STR8 BANGAZ produced opus “20 for 20!” The rebellious rhyme ripper slides, struts, and levitates over S.B.’s irresistible audio masterwork while lavishing listeners with one of the funkiest gems to emerge in years. Intel obviously has a God given gift for wreckin’ s**t! All praises due to the man on the mic!
9) You couldn’t have all this s**t going on in the world & expect The Machine to be M.I.A. CONWAY takes listeners to the “Front Lines” on BEAT BUTCHA laced spookiness & delivers his opinions on everything from Tekashi 69 to George Floyd with trademark aplomb. The joint is chock full of gritty, grimey, GxFR greatness. His people post up outside so you can stay in & listen!
10) If you’re talkin’ s**t, STR8 BANGAZ promises to kill that noise on a MADO & INDIGO PHOENYX featured banger called “The Silencer!” The monstrous mega blast shreds the speakers with its boulder crushing sonic emissions while the supreme spitters swoop in with a lethal dose of lyrical savagery. Mado murders the beat before Indigo Phoenyx snatches the mic & slays all opposing forces in the industry!
Well that’s it for this week. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
