It’s a New Year, so it’s time for a new segment. Every week Insomniac Magazine will give readers a Top Ten of what we feel were the strongest releases of the week. Aside from lyrical content, quality production & presentation, our other main criteria for song selection depended on the number of plays the track received in the office(some joints were so addictive that we’re STILL playing them as we write this article). From Monday, Jan. 5th – Saturday, Jan. 10th, we racked our brains to compile a list we could all be proud of & agree on…so without further adieu, here’s Insomniac’s Weekly Top Ten!
1) Hands down, VIC SPENCER gets the crown for the top slot with “Life Game Part 2.” There’s something about his passionate delivery that’s both rough & comical and most of all…SO DAMN FUNKY! We felt him when he talked about his wife not being able to understand his pursuit of the Hip Hop dream & we drifted into a pleasant haze of nostalgia with the QuantEyez produced masterpiece. It’s not enough to call Vic Chicago’s finest, because we know his talent will soon be embraced by the world!
2) MIC STEW hit us in the gut with the magnificent “Just A Dream.” It’s EVERY man’s fantasy to live the high life & be able to give beloved family members ANYTHING they could ever wish for. Mic attacks the powerful SamLive produced track like a lyrical BEAST! It’ll be hard for the emcee to top himself on this one, but we know he’s got it in him!
https://soundcloud.com/micstewartmusic/just-a-dream?
3) BADBADNOTGOOD & GHOSTFACE KILLAH were already powerful entities on their own. But now that they’ve reunited & brought a certain metal-faced villain along for the ride, what hope do all other artists have? “Ray Gun” had us jumping up and down on our desktops…and that instrumental outro made us get on our knees and Praise God for this amazing collabo!
4) DEM ATLAS flowed so smoothly & assuredly on the Evan Slack produced “With A Smile,” that we had to give him the accolades he deserved! Atlas’ delivery…AND the track itself reminded us of classic Pharcyde joints(Major props for that), but we get the feeling he has many more surprises for the fans in 2015…so you know we’ll be ready!
5) K.A.A.N. literally seemed to appear out of nowhere with the “Ampersand” track. We were shocked, stunned, and completely blown away by the lyrical abilities of this gifted emcee. K.A.A.N. gives Twista a run for his money with his frenzied, light-speed flow. The amazing thing is that despite the rapid fire rhymes, it’s still easy to understand every word. ‘Not only that, but the lyrical content is on point! We’ll be on the lookout for new material from this emcee(whenever & wherever he drops it), because “Ampersand” let’s us know K.A.A.N’s worth the wait!
6) Simply put, CHESTER WATSON is COOL. Mad cool. “Trident” reflects his laid back, “go with the flow” lifestyle. The beat. The rhymes. It all feels so right. Big shout out to Julia Updegraff for capturing the lyricist’s essence so well in the video. More Chester Watson for the New Year. Please.
7) BMAC THE QUEEN dropped off “AWARE” at the end of the week & instantly transported us to a kingdom dominated by intense lyrical skills and a royal mastery of smooth and creative flows. If any female emcee deserves to be propelled into the spotlight it’s BMAC The Queen. All eyes on her!
8) SKIZZY MARS & ROCKIE FRESH shot for the stars with “Quality Time” and knocked this track out of the universe. It’s fun and catchy without sacrificing the rawness that makes Hip Hop the blockbuster genre of music we love so well.
9) South Bronx’s, POP DOLLARZ, put our emotions into overdrive with “Inspiration.” Suddenly we felt inspired to do EVERYTHING…all because of an important lyricist with a powerful message & triumphant production to uplift the listeners.
10) FREE ACKRITE & COZZ KILLED IT on “Where The Love At?” The Cypress Moreno produced cut triggered a wave of recollection with its driving beat and melody. It made us question “the love” in our lives…and everyone knows the best artists don’t just make you dance. They also inspire you to think.
– Kevin Keith
***On another note – We MUST also mention 3 TOP QUALITY Full Lengths to check out:
HiCoup(Beast of Burden EP), YGTUT(Preacher’s Son) & Juan Deuce & Falside(Galapaghost)all BROUGHT it with their respective projects. Real Hip Hop is here to stay!
