Don’t Sleep On These New Releases
Insomniac Magazine launches into another exciting adventure through the underground! Get yourself in gear & tap in to the Weekly Top Ten!
1) CHINO XL may no longer be with us in physical form but his music embodies every essence of our being!!! The mic legend leaves behind a checklist of classic material including his magnum opus “Darkness And Other Colors,” overseen by the mighty BODYBAGBEN! The CURRISTER laced “Sermon In Crimson” cut is a slice of sonic manna indicative of what you can expect on the praiseworthy platter. It arrives like a fever dream & constructs its own reality from nightmares believed to be buried decades ago. Lyrics with double and triple meanings run rampant through the booth before taking up permanent placement in our brain. The beast from within is unleashed & Chino explains the motivating factor for his tireless drive. “I write my ass off so they can’t write my ass off!” The rhyme conqueror’s words will be celebrated for all eternity!!!
2) A hideous amount of heat is on display as GIALLO POINT conjures a sinister selection for rhyme juggernauts RJ PAYNE, THA GOD FAHIM & KNOWLEDGE THE PIRATE to sink their teeth into on “The Ugliness!!!” RJ smokes the set then sits with your b**ch on the living room couch as she passes him the remote. Tha God Fahim gets all Big Worm on a muthaf**ka & shakes down a n***a for cash while Knowledge promises the days of your lives will be brief as he summons his young and restless shooters to turn your world upside down!!! Things are ’bout to get real nasty up in this piece and these mic kings won’t hesitate to stomp you out!!!
3) If you thought you would PRESS PLAY and hear some wack commercial s**t “This, Is Not That!” APOLLO BROWN & CRIMEAPPLE heat things up with “Know No Better” and we couldn’t have picked a better track to slide in at #3! The eerie ambiance of the arrangement spurs crime to spit lyrical lava on the mic! The opps know what’s up & stay far, far away!!!
4) “The only less that I’ll ever be is relentless!!!” CHINO XL & BODYBAGBEN envelop the world in “Byzantine Darkness” and shroud the streets with enough heat to keep you warm all winter!!! A cult-like chant leads into a whirlwind of wordplay over an amped up arrangement that’s like a tornado tearing through the town!!! “Oh that’s your lyric king? That’s him?!!?” All bow down to the power of Chino XL!!!
5) We outside…but the competition’s nowhere to be found!!! TERMANOLOGY & TEK trade bars on their STATIK SELEKTAH laced “Teknology” banger and remind y’all what Hip Hop’s been missing! It’s straight up rhymin’, no chaser with a hardcore backdrop to boot! And there’s a full collabo platter on the way!!!
6) PSYCHO LES & SNYP LIFE “Escape The Matrix” with the help of STU BANGAS & ERIC BOBO on “Crooks!!!” The government may not have your best interests at heart but one thing they can’t inoculate you from is good music! This funky joint crept in like a thief in the night & stole the show from the moment we played it!
7) “My death a blessing in disguise/most time the two gifts I don’t want to open are my f**kin’ eyes!” CHINO XL describes the seemingly insurmountable odds we must contend with on this mortal coil of existence while transforming into Jesus taking “Sepia Selfies From The Last Supper!” BODYBAGBEN supervises the proceedings with a keen ear for high quality curation. FUMES THE THREAT pours his life essence into the production and uplifts the audience with an audio ascension for the ages! There’s no stopping the unstoppable. These underground entities are true forces of nature!!!
8) ESTEE NACK x GIALLO POINT leave the competition frozen in their tracks with a new joint titled “ICEBULLETTHEORY!!!” The dope production & ill cuts are complemented by Nacky Chan’s next level stream of consciousness bars and unshakeable presence which can be felt throughout the three minute runtime. Pull up a seat & see what Hip Hop’s about. Take a journey with two of the greatest!!!
9) “You don’t tell Chino XL about Hip Hop n***a, YOU ASK HIM!!!” With all the accolades & accomplishments CHINO XL received throughout his lifetime one should’ve never expected him to be waiting by the phone for your call. The man was signed by Rick Rubin, did movies and TV shows with Kate Hudson & Niecy Nash, walked on stages your feet will never touch & spit rhymes your feeble minds could never conceive. In other words, if you didn’t hear from him he was busy manifesting dreams into reality! BODYBAGBEN was more than worthy to remain on the hotline & craft an emotionally expansive canvas for the “Black Room.” He layers Chino’s thoughts & reflections with supreme craftsmanship befitting the lyrical king of our culture!!!
10) As the fall begins to fade, it only makes sense that a “Wintercreeper” would appear! BORVOE MCMIDNITE cuts through the foliage with an AMOFNRP fueled gem that brings life to the underground environment with a combination of funky grooves & dope rhymes. That plant-based Hip Hop’s hittin’ right now. Borvoe cultivates his garden with care!!!
Well that’s it for this week. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
