Insomniac Magazine’s Weekly Hip Hop Top Ten
It must be Labor Day Weekend because our high class selection staff for Insomniac’s Weekly Top Ten definitely went to work! We lost a few seriously worthy gems in the process…forget worthy, the songs left on the cutting room floor were DOPE!!! But hey, you know the deal. It’s not a Top 20 or Top 15. There are only 10 slots…and you can check out this week’s incredible entries below!
1) DANIEL SON, ACETIK, and SMOOVTH united their Brown Bag Money, Bangerville, and #TheWinners brands for a sonic showdown that was straight outta the wild, wild, west on “High Noon.” Crate Divizion’s very own Vic Grimes supplied the production firepower necessary to get the job done as the deadly desperadoes delivered enough lyrical ammo to shoot up a saloon & rain down on an entire town! Each mic slinger brings his own unique style to the track – Acetik provides the initial warning shot, Daniel Son is the unhinged assassin you don’t wanna f**k with, and SmooVth steps to his fallen opponents like Doc Holliday performing a root canal. He carefully eviscerates the competition with his precision on the mic, then torches the body, as the trio leave a collection of charred corpses in their wake!
2) MORONEY, REKS & APATHY claim victory before the battle even begins…and who can blame them since they enter the arena with an unlimited supply of deadly rhymes & an earth-shattering track by production juggernaut, The Arcitype! Add captivating cuts courtesy of DJ Slipwax to the action and it becomes all too apparent that their new joint will dominate the underground landscape for months to come. The hustle is real. But so is the success. The latter can only be achieved if you “Never Give Up!”
3) ACTION BRONSON delivered an Alchemist produced banger to the public called “Descendant Of The Stars” that won’t be forgotten by Bam Bam fans anytime soon. Why? Because it’s the theme song to his Viceland show, “Traveling The Stars.” You can always expect great things when Bronsolino & Alchemist get together, so of course the Queens phenomenon knows exactly what to do once the piano laced Boom Bap kicks in! Bronson’s a descendant of the stars so it’s only right that he becomes one!
4) SBBX(aka Spaceboy Boogie X) beamed in from a faraway planet to team up with CONWAY THE MACHINE for a dramatic, powerhouse joint called “Jungle.” The soundscape so brilliantly laced by SBBX would fit perfectly into the score of an action flick. It sounds like the listeners are being plucked down in the center of a high-speed chase as The Griselda Giant swerves in & out of trouble before barreling through a roadblock to freedom. Yeah, it’s that intense! The Spaceboy & The Machine work wonders together by making music that’s out of this world!
5) YOUNG P LIVING PROOF, FOKIS & CORTEZ are “On Some Other…” with ill lyrics over a dope track provided by D.I.T.C. affiliate, G Whiz. This is the kind of joint that makes you start wilin’ out & wrecking s**t! But that’s the idea. Energy like this shouldn’t be restrained! Raw bars, a sinister groove, and a hardcore beat are all that’s needed to turn up the heat! “These young boys ain’t playin’ out here/They let that thing go!”
6) J SCIENIDE delivers raw lyricism on a gritty track called “Spike Nolan” and knocks one out the park for the home team. The Washington DC spitter/producer’s new joint is complemented by cuts from DJ Jon Doe who gives it his all on the 1 & 2’s. No need to look elsewhere for dope music. “The Actual Heat” is right here!
7) DJ PRIORITY x ELOH KUSH are runnin’ thangs as Hip Hop legends are remembered & weak rappers are ridiculed on “100% Diss.” Eloh tells the newbies what authenticity on the mic is all about over an enhanced version of the drum break from Barry White’s classic, “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby.” A compelling bassline propels the action forward as the track is adorned with super-charged cuts that get an additional lift with Eloh’s hook that pays homage to MC Lyte’s unforgettable gem, “10% Dis.” You want REAL Hip Hop? DJ Priority & Eloh Kush are gonna give it to ya!
8) MACH-HOMMY isn’t big on the self-promotion tip but his music tells us everything we need to know on his Knxwledge produced gem, “FreshOffTheBoat.” The brief but effective track is a slice of sonic heaven from the Griselda Records spitter’s “H.B.O.”(Haitian Body Odor)project & it only adds to the allure of the elusive emcee with the ever increasing buzz. Ice-T says, “The true lethal weapon is the mind.” Mach-Hommy turns his creative thoughts into razor sharp rhymes that slaughter the competition. He’s surely the most lethal artist of them all.
9) THA GOD FAHIM & MACH-HOMMY bring that Griselda Records underground stamp of raw energy & total lyrical dominance to an undeniably addictive banger by the sonic ambassadors of dope sounds, DirtyDiggs. “Keyloid” is one of those bangers that swept in & bumped another contender off the chart. That’s not a surprise considering the talented line up involved. But what IS a surprise is the consistency all of these entities have in delivering the best music Hip Hop has to offer. You need to possess both the passion & the skills required. Fahim, Hommy, and Diggs are masters of their craft who make the s***t look easy. Check the rhyme scheme, the flows, the immaculate horn-driven soundscape…It’s pure Hip Hop!
10) HOLY SMOKE’s incredibly constructed gem, “Soy Cheese,” is a lesson in sonic brilliance. Jeremiah Jae & zeroh rhyme over rattling chains & mood synths in cadences that recall Saafir’s off beat flow & Butterfly of Digable Planet’s laid back musings. The lyrical content is strictly mind-altering. It’s the most potent uncontrolled substance you can get your hands on, so we recommend frequent returns to the play button. We’re still not exactly sure what we experienced…but we want another hit!
Well that’s it for this week. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
