Gather ’round because the time is here. Insomniac’s Weekly Top Ten list is ready to be unveiled! So what are you waiting for? Take a look below and see if your favorites made the chart…
1) TYLER, THE CREATOR crafted a brand new jam with KANYE WEST & LIL WAYNE called “Smuckers” and it provided further credence to the Odd Future General’s brilliance. Listen to the chord changes and progressions. Notice how Kanye & Wayne’s segments are almost songs within a song, tailor-made for each emcee. The lyrics run the range from aggressive to smooth with witty wordplay thrown in to boot! If haters were waiting for Tyler’s downfall, they better find another subject to be the target of their vitriol. Tyler’s here to stay. The Creator has spoken!
2) BLUEPRINT poured out his heart on “Great Eyedeas Never Die” and the entire Insomniac staff were overcome with emotion. The emcee’s touching tribute to his friend and fellow lyricist, Eyedea, not only laid bare the depth of their relationship…but it also contained a gripping track that made the reflective journey even more satisfying. Blueprint is a gifted storyteller with a deep connection to the audience. We experience every memory he shares as if it’s one of our own.
3) When MANI COOLIN’ rhymes over a Jay Kurzweil produced track magic happens! The first time we listened to “Yeah Yeah” we recognized the quality of the cut…but the second time was when we picked up on all the little nuances. Pay close attention to how Kurzweil subtly manipulates our mood & emotions with his laid back sound. It’s sonic heaven! Mani serves as our lyrical tour guide throughout the entire experience…When it’s over we’ll press play and relive it again.
4) BAD LUCC has managed to “Humiliate” other emcees week after week by consistently landing on our Top Ten list. The Diamond Lane maverick knows his way around a dope track which he always complements with even doper rhymes. Amp of The Soul Council & his right hand DLMG affiliate, Problem, handled production duties…and yeah, it ROCKS!
5) SEAN PRICE went CRAAZAAAAYYY on his latest cut. In fact, he went “Garbanzo Beans!” The PF Cuttin produced track stirred the entire staff into a frenzy! We turned over desks….threw coffee mugs at the wall…smashed our office windows…It was something about the Price & PF combo that inspired anarchy!
6) ScienZe teamed up with JohnNY U for the PJ Katz produced “Proof & Pudding” and made a triumphant return to our list. We don’t know how ScienZe wins week after week, but all we can say is…don’t change a thing!
https://soundcloud.com/scienze/proof-pudding-feat-johnny-u-prod-pj-katz-1
7) ASAP TWELVYY carried over the buzz from his last release, “Glock Rivers,” into the full blown excitement of the newly released “LORD.” We loved the way producers, Buda Da Future & Grandmuzik combined elements of the old and the new(by sampling Mountain’s “Long Red” along with the drum fill from Stetsasonic’s “Go Stetsa)& merging them with today’s current sound. The haunting track triggers waves of nostalgia as Twelvyy rhymes with the self confidence of a Hip Hop Lord!
8) SUPRALIMINAL manifested the supreme rhyme skills of a champion & channeled that energy into the HAVOC produced “Right Words.” The Mobb Deep legend also joined SupraliminaL on the mic and together they delivered the true essence of Hip Hop music on this incredible new cut from the upcoming “Supra Cum Laude” album(dropping 4/21).
https://soundcloud.com/suprahiphop/right-words-feat-havoc
9) YOUR OLD DROOG ripped into a DJ Skizz produced track called “Hidden Persuaders” and delivered the same top of the line heat we’ve come to expect from the emcee. Droog is so adept at his craft that he could drop joints like these in his sleep and still win…but the hunger is always present…That passion is what keeps us interested!
https://soundcloud.com/your-old-droog/hidden-persuaders-prod-by-dj-skizz
10) BLACK COFFEE(comprised of Ryan Marvin & B. Keefe) dropped “Milk” and proved to us that they’re a group determined to make it to the top. Ryan’s vocals and B. Keefe’s production mesh together perfectly! A nice flow…dope beats…jazzy horns…We’re lovin’ it! While a lot of up and coming artists create music that puts us to sleep, we can trust these two to wake us up with a strong shot of black coffee!
https://soundcloud.com/ryanleomarvin/black-coffee-milk
Well that’s it for another week. Catch ya next time and….DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
