The weather’s nasty. The winter’s cruel. But come in from the cold & warm yourself with the latest heat from Insomniac’s Weekly Top Ten list. Let’s begin…
1) Lyrical Terminators, CLEAR SOUL FORCES, merged their artistry with production powerhouse, NAMELESS, to drop some “BPSWR”(BackPackerSubWooferRap) for the fans. It’s so rare to hear emcees actually SPIT these days that their “Golden Era meets modern era” flows sound almost futuristic in comparison to their peers. Back in the day, A Tribe Called Quest recorded a classic banger called “Lyrics To Go,” and it perfectly describes this group…because when it comes to top of the line Hip Hop, they surely deliver!
2) When The Diamond Lane crew & Top Dawg Entertainment teamed up for a League Of Starz produced track, we expected great things. Well, that’s exactly what we got! BAD LUCC, PROBLEM, AB-SOUL, and PUNCH showcased superior mic skills and made us wonder why this cut won’t be included on the upcoming “Diamond Lane America” compilation album. If they can afford to throw out loosies like this, imagine what other gems must be waiting for fans!
3) LOGIC & BIG K.R.I.T. bring consistent quality to all the material they produce. For some reason though, the lyricists never seem to receive enough credit for their efforts. Hopefully the 6ix produced track “Top Ten” will remedy that problem. At the very least, the emcees can now be certain that they’re in someone’s top ten. In fact, they chart at #3.
4) It’s a DJ EFN world & the rest of us are just living in it. But that’s fine with us, because EFN’s taste for quality music makes the world a better place. On “Paradise,” he enlists TALIB KWELI, WREKONIZE, and REDMAN to showcase lyrical supremacy over heavenly production from The Guild. If that’s not paradise, it’s close enough!
5) SUBSTANTIAL & THE OTHER GUYS collaborated on “MLK”(Dream Big)with SEE KING and created a track any true Hip Hop Head could appreciate. When lyrics and production hit this hard it always leaves fans coming back for more.
6) SEAN PRICE & HAVOC made our entire staff feel like MMA fighters with the high energy fueled, Alkota produced joint, “Anderson Silva.” Listen to the glorious skills & feel the power!
7) CANNIBAL OX, ELZHI, and BILL COSMIQ reinforced the reason why all emcees should stay hungry, no matter how successful they get, with the “Blade Of The Ronin” cut, “Carnivorous.” If other entertainers took as much pride in their artistry as these lyricists do, the music industry as a whole would benefit.
8) ROB JEWELS first caught our attention in January with a track alongside Rocdwell called “Breakin’ Dawn.” Since then he’s been locked away in the studio crafting more hits for the fans. The Roc Marciano produced “Gunsmoke” gives us a glimpse into the direction he’s headed for future releases. We can’t wait to hear what he drops next!
9) ELZHI ushers out the month of February with a track called…what else?…”February.” The 14KT produced cut references periods of transition. Whether it’s a job, a relationship, or our own mortality…the one thing we can all count on is change.
10) SANGHERA made a bold & powerful statement with “I Am Somebody.” If the track didn’t live up to the title, the emcee could be easily dismissed. Luckily, that won’t happen, because the triumphant new cut firmly establishes the rising lyricist’s self worth.
That’s the end of another list. Catch ya next time and…DON’T SLEEP!
– Kevin Keith
