You’ve got the chips & salsa dip on deck, the crew’s at your crib rockin’ their team jerseys, and now the viewing party can begin!…Nah, not for the Superbowl!…It’s Insomniac’s Weekly Hip Hop Top Ten! Get your head in the game and check out the list below!
1) RAEKWON walks fans through the concrete jungle of Shaolin on his Xtreme laced banger, “This Is What It Comes Too.” Melvin Bliss’ classic “Synthethic Substitution” breakbeat is utilized to perfection as The Chef slices & dices all competitors. This is the first taste of what to expect from Rae’s forthcoming album, “The Wild” and it’s guaranteed to drive listeners CRAZY!
2) HUS KINGPIN & SMOOVTH join forces with RASHEED CHAPPELL & MONTAGE ONE on the soulful & complex AllCeven master cut, “The Unveiled.” One listen to the supreme flows & deeply reflective lyrics on the track will make you an instant believer in the power of #TheWinners collective. Each emcee’s delivery possesses the improvisational nature of a lauded jazz musician. Listen & be transfixed by the crew’s brilliance! It’s a #WinnersWorld. We’re just living in it.
3) JONWAYNE is like the Hannibal Lecter of Hip Hop. He eviscerates the competition in such a calm & courteous manner that you won’t even mind that he’s eating your brains. On the Eets laced banger, “TED Talk,” the ultra-talented lyricist shows why his forthcoming “Rap Album Two” will be an EVENT by dropping a sea of quotables while riding a sinister groove punctuated by a Bizmarkie sample. Even in his casket he’ll be the one to close it. Don’t worry about a funeral anytime soon though. There’s plenty of life left in this artist as evidenced by the banger below.
4) V DON meticulously crafts a deliciously menacing soundscape that provides fuel to the lyrical firepower supplied by RETCH, AR-AB & TAYYIB ALI! On “Paid In Full” the sinister super-spitters do their dirt and revel in every single moment. Hey, we should all be proud of our work! Listen to the blood thirsty venom being spewed on the mic! The grindin’ never stops. When targeting your next victim use this track for motivation!
5) BANISH enlists NOWAAH THE FLOOD, KILLER BEN & RECOGNIZE ALI for an all out Clypto laced sonic massacre called “Blood On The Docks.” Don’t let the laid back, soul-powered soundscape fool ya…these emcees mean business! One by one, the lyricists enter the booth and savagely rip the mic with a violent force of power few emcees will ever achieve. If any challengers still remain it’s best to lay down & play dead. There’s “Blood On The Docks” and this crew keeps shootin’!
6) LUCKY DICE encapsulates the life of a struggling artist in the Berdz laced sonic diary, “Memoirs.” The Boston lyricist successfully breaks down the highs and lows of being a talented emcee who doesn’t have the financial backing for commercial ads, videos, and world tours. One thing he does have is a playlist…and a dope one at that! Success is truly measured by the love of his family and friends who never lost faith. Monday morning might mean another return to the cubicle…but a soulful masterpiece like this transcends a simple 9 to 5.
7) Production Powerhouse, Clypto, keeps fans in #TheLoop with a shining jewel from his forthcoming compilation album featuring JAY HOLLY, CA$ABLANCA & SUPREME CEREBRAL. “Ace’s Revenge” contains a high-powered groove of aural opulence enhanced to the 10th degree by three of the most celebrated verbal illustrators in the game! Ace’s revenge is our reward. Experience the exquisite lyrics when you PRESS PLAY!
8) QUADIR LATEEF & STATIK SELEKTAH linked up for a new banger called “The Exorcism” that’s guaranteed to RAISE HELL on the underground scene! The aggressively animated emcee who bills himself as a mix of Malcolm, B.I.G., and Posdnous catches wreck on the Boom Bap heavy track that is sure to shut down all haters! We love it when a rising lyricists rips a track. Quadir Lateef left this joint in SHREDS!
9) BIG KAHUNA OG & HENNY L.O. took fans on a marvelous Mutant Academy tour to showcase their extraordinary lyrical gifts with “So Different.” The Fly Anakin laced masterwork of sound is a perfect example of the greatness that can be achieved when master lyricists and a superior producer combine their talents. The end result is beyond exceptional…It’s pure excellence. Dare to be different and fulfill all your dreams.
10) What better way to end the countdown than with a certified banger live & direct from The Rotten Apple! ALI VEGAS & REEK DA VILLIAN join forces as THE WILLIAMS BROTHERS to lay down the law on a POWER joint laced by The Superiors & bring NYC BACK to its true essence on “What NY Sound Like!” “All that mumbling rap/it don’t mean s**t to me!” That’s right. The name of the game is pure LYRICISM! These spitters reign supreme on the New York scene. May they forever wear the crown!
Well that’s it for this week. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
