Well readers, it’s the Labor Day weekend. That means non-stop partying for the next two nights, burgers and hot dogs getting special treatment on the grill, and of course…another edition of Insomniac’s Weekly Top Ten. So sit back in the lounge chair, gulp down some lemonade, and check out the list below.
1) It figures that a member of The Winners would land at the #1 spot. SMOOVTH has a reputation for droppin’ underground gems of the highest quality(Two of his Hus Kingpin assisted cuts, “Everlasting” & “Shooting Gods,” from “The Splash Bros E.P” appeared on our list months ago). Now that he’s teamed up with producer extraordinaire, CONFIDENCE, and D.J Technic for the sonically brilliant, “Rap Science,” we know his honored standing in the Hip Hop arena won’t be tarnished. The track itself is a soulful slice of perfection with samples of flutes & female vocals, precision cuts, and the smoothest delivery from one of the most exciting lyricists in the biz. The artform of rap has long taken over the world…but the science of rap is on a whole new level altogether.
2) WESTSIDE GUNN has long proven himself to be a lyrical juggernaut on the underground scene. The artist breathes so much life into his material that it’s surprising that the verses don’t jump out of the speakers to attack! It’s also worth noting that Gunn’s love of wrestling is a recurrent theme in his music(much in the same way Wu-Tang’s fascination with martial arts & Kung Fu movies was a running theme in theirs). “Hall” continues that trend with a Roc Marciano produced monster track that bodies any other cut that dares to stand in its way. The dedication to wrestler, Scott Hall, is a soul-fueled affair that finds the Griselda Records genius ripping through a brief 1 minute and 45 seconds of pure sonic satisfaction. Westside Gunn takes his opponent to the mat & emerges with another win!
3) THE VOYAGERS are a crew of young artists on the rise who can be best described as a new breed of unstoppable rhyme machines destined to rule the Hip Hop scene for decades to come(Yeah, we think highly of them). The Hartford, Connecticut collective are a living, breathing embodiment of the genre’s purest essence. Mind-bending cadences and agile flows are in abundance on their “Lock n Load” cut that shuts down 95% of the material we hear on the radio these days. Then again, why listen to radio at all if they don’t have the sense to play music as good as this? Enough! All of this writing is just keeping us from checking out the song again. Excuse us, as we press play…
4) THAGODFAHIM is a beast on the mic AND behind the boards! His self-produced, “Fire Lord Ozaii,” conjures up images of a conquering warrior striding through hostile territory without a hint of fear or regret. He knows that every battle will result in his victory anyway, so why pretend to worry? The raw Boom Bap and intricate rhyme schemes will echo in your brain for weeks. This is Hip Hop designed for the mind and soul.
5) JADEN CASTRO delivers complex, high energy rhymes with The Voyagers & on the solo tip as evidenced by his irresistibly compelling track, “Funky Flo.” Y’ know what, let’s take the “solo tip” part out of the equation because THE SLOTH complements Jaden on the cut with an ill barrage of lyrical fury. Both emcees launch into well-honed, aggressive attacks on the mic that will make lesser artists feel VERY afraid. As if that isn’t enough, the duo perform all of this over a laid back, 90’s styled throwback track that transported us to Hip Hop’s better days. What are we saying? These guys released the song last week…so Hip Hop’s better days have just begun!
6) CLOUD CITY COALITION return to the countdown with “It Ain’t A Party.” The D.R.U.G.S beats produced gem finds Hip Hop super heroes, BOB BANNER & LEGACY STARR, going IN on a hardcore, speaker-shattering track from the forthcoming “Hell Of A Drug” mixtape. Bob’s animated delivery always raises the bar for any other artist who follows him on a track, but partner-in-rhyme Legacy Starr definitely steps up to the plate to bring his own inspired magic to the cut. They say, “A party ain’t a party ’til you play my s**t.” Well, we’re playing the joint…and it’s DOPE!
7) RICK ROSS really surprised us with his “Money Dance” track featuring THE DREAM. Just when we thought we had the Maybach Music Group empressario figured out, he surprised listeners with a Jake One produced banger called “Money Dance” and a free album/mixtape titled “Black Dollar” that focused more on content than commercialism. This is the kind of material we want to hear more of from Mr. Rozay. Mainstream radio play is nice for the Pop crowd…but never forget to give love to the underground!
8) SHAWN CHRYSTOPHER took a warped, sonically twisted track from Cam Wallace titled “We Loyal” and layered it with equally distorted, funk inflected vocals that blew our minds! We should’ve figured out that we were in for something different when the cut kicked off with a snippet from the hood parody “Don’t Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking your Juice in The Hood,” but it’s always good to be pleasantly surprised. “We Loyal” isn’t just a pleasant surprise though. Simply put, it’s music to our ears!
9) A lot of people know of STAN IPCUS from his contributions to popular Hip Hop site, Nah Right…but you can’t discount his contributions on the M.I.C. Stan’s minimalist cut, “U Already,” is funny AND funky! It had us nodding our heads and cheering him on with the kind of excitement reserved for kindergartners at recess. Don’t even ask us if it’s worth a listen. From what we told ya, “U Already” know!
10) SADAT X is a legend. We could stop there, but we won’t. From his work with Brand Nubian to his solo material, the brilliant lyricist always comes correct. When he teamed up with (severely) underrated Hip Hop icons, THE UMCS, for a hidden cut from his “Never Left” album, we knew the collabo would be incredible & we were absolutely right! “Joe Frazier” presents Sadat, KOOL KIM, and HAAS G at their best…and with Haas doing double duty on the production tip in his Fantom Of The Beat persona, you can expect the kind of greatness you play again & again. Let’s begin that process now.
Well, that’s it for this week. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
