Hip Hop Creme: January 2021

31 January, 2021

Uncle Murda — Don‘t Come Outside, Vol. 3

Third episode of the "Don't Come Outside" series created by Brooklyn rapper Uncle Murda.

RADIx x Statik Selektah — Say Yes

Collaborative album between hip-hop duo RADIx and producer Statik Selektah. Massachusetts rappers Ja'Quaine "Quite Nyce" Coe and Brian "SEEK" Seekins are on their sixth studio album, while Lawrence's producer is on studio album number fifteen. The rhythms chosen by Statik are more hardcore, heavy and bouncy than usual, he chooses a sound that's close to hard rock and to the alternative boom bap, risking to slip continuously: his rhythm in "Already Know" is light, mediocre and simplistic, the duo's gray rapping doesn't help. The record is quite weak, one of the weakest in Statik career, because his sluggish production is joined by questionable rapping: Quite Nyce and SEEK just don't know how to rap, they try various delivery combinations and all of them suck: there's nothing to note either when they've a hardcore style or when they spit bars slower, it's a record lacking in energy and inspiration. They almost seem contractually bound to do this, neither title nor cover are done decently. Not recommended.

29 January, 2021

Fendi P — The Art of Finessin 2

New Orleans rapper Fendi P, part of Jet Life, returns to releasing solo material about a year after his collaborative project with Currensy.

Collaborative tape between Bronze Nazareth, rapper-producer from Grand Rapids, Michigan, member of Wisemen and affiliate of the Wu-Tang Clan, and the British rapper-producer Leaf Dog, part of The Four Owls. Bronze Nazareth signs four beats, the rest of the production is entrusted to Leaf Dog. The guests are Wisemen rappers Illah Dayz, June Megalodon and the late Kevlaar 7, Bronze's brother, the affiliate Lord Jessiah, Recognize Ali, as well as The Four Owls member BVA. With 37 minutes of material and 15 tracks, the tape falls short of fans' expectations and presents nothing memorable, at the expense of decent music and competent rap.

28 January, 2021

The Alchemist — Carry the Fire EP

The Alchemist brings out an EP homage to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, putting together eight very short songs for a total of just under ten minutes.

Das EFX — Straight Up Sewaside

Sophomore jinx for Das EFX, released by Atlantic subsidiary East West Records, under the supervision of EPMD's Parrish Smith, to which the hip-hop duo is affiliated. The album is entirely produced by Solid Scheme, a line-up composed of beatmakers Chris Charity and Derek Lynch, while Charlie Marotta provides the rhythm for "Gimme Dat Micraphone".

Black Geez offers one of the first hip-hop projects of the new year.

Elcamino & TrickyTrippz — On the 3rd Day

Studio album number eight for the Buffalo rapper Elcamino, who has taken a downward spiral a few months ago and seems unable to get out of it. The production is entirely done by Tricky Trippz, beatmaker who has already provided rhythms for Eto, Flee Lord and 38 Spesh. The project is void of guests, for the first time since "Lot and Abraham" (2019).

Eazy-E — Str8 Off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton

After his solo debut in '88, Eazy-E starts working immediately on the sophomore, which should be released in the early nineties and is continually postponed due to the dissolution of the N.W.A and the consequent feuds between the various members of the group. In the intentions of the rapper, the record should be released in the summer of 1995 as a giant double album of 60 tracks, but due to the worsening of his health conditions, the record comes out only nine months after his death, notably reduced and changed. It now features 14 tracks which are an inconsistent college of discarded sessions and track fragments.

Neneh Cherry — Raw Like Sushi

Neneh "Neneh Cherry" Karlsson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, daughter of a Swedish painter and a Sierra Leonean musician, and she takes his stepfather's surname. After moving in New York with the family, at the age of 15 years-old, Neneh Cherry moved to London, joined punk rock band The Cherries, and several other bands. In 1989, she publishes her debut album. The music is created by Booga Bear, Mark Saunders, Tim Simenon, The Bubble Bunch, Nick Plytas, The Dynamik Duo, DJ Mushroom, Wil Malone, Bryan "Chuck" New, Alvin Moody and Vincent Bell, with some live instruments.

Hus Kingpin — Portishus

Hus Kingpin decides to pay homage to the Bristol trip-hop group Portishead, with an album of about 60 minutes and 20 overall tunes, often sampling the songs present in the discography of the Beth Gibbons group, also honored within the project.

Otherized F.A.M — First Amendment

Otherized FAM (or Othorized FAM) is a hip-hop group from Staten Island, New York, consisting of Kareem "Crunch Lo" Reed, A. "Lounge Lo" Cornelius, Molly-Q and S. "Shawn Wigs" Simons. The group officially debuted on the hip-hop circuit in 2001, releasing their first studio album. At the time of the release there were no production credits, which were then inserted for the reissue via Chambermusik which took place in 2007: 140 Productions, affiliated team to the group, produces seven tracks, Shortre of 140 Productions provides three beats, Just I of 140 Productions produces the rhythm of "Dime Piece (Lady Green)", Mizza, whose rhythms in the following years ended up in the albums of Cappadonna, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, has four productions, Charles Walker boasts two beats, Fess and Wigs aka Shawn Wigs make a rhythm each.

140 Productions — Skool Yard Funk Art (Volume One - Shaolin Hip-Hop)

In 2002 the beatmakers team 140 Productions releases its first CD, "School Yard Funk Art: Volume 1 - Shaolin HIp-Hop". The members of 140 Productions are Chapel, then also part of Dom Pachino's Team Napalm, Just 1, Cheesy Rat (he performs on the album under the moniker Charlie Strangles), Shortre and T. Diddy. The disc features 19 tracks for a total of 52 minutes of material and among the many performers, many come from Otherized FAM: Q Molly aka Molly-Q, Crunch aka Crunch Lo, Lounge Lo and Wiggs aka Shawn Wigs, are part of the group, Clocka and Shade aka Lighter Shade are affiliated with the group, and Franky Bottz then took part in an Otherized FAM record some year later. The other guys are friends with little or no experience, except Wise of Stetsasonic which appears in "Lock N Load" alongside Chapel and SOD.

«Whole Lotta Red is certainly the hip-hop album of the year. What could represent 2020 better than something so grating that feels like it’s never going to end?» (Beats per Minute)

Benny — Black Soprano Family [mixtape]

Benny wanna kill the game. Five years later we can say that he practically made it, after a lot of struggles. Here, he was still very far from emerging from the underground scene: after the decent tape "Benny Best Ever" two years earlier, the Buffalo rapper returns to the attack with another trap tape. The production is generic for most of the listening, with dark and jazzy trap rhythms, while Benny maintains braggadocio and gangsta lyrics, spitting with an excellent overwhelming flow and bringing a lot of energy in this effort, which in the end still doesn't allow him to launch towards the top of hip hop, but it brings him a little closer to more congenial beats to him — the midtempo jazzy signed Daringer — and to the rapping style that allowed him to quickly become one of the most appreciated performers in the East Coast gangsta rap scene. 6/10.

15 January, 2021

Grant Shapiro & Kool Keith — Donovan the Don EP

Tragicomic phase in the career of Kool Keith, once a respected storyteller, now terrifyingly forgotten. He's really trying all to get back actual, failing very often: every now and then, he gets up with some lucky projects, but the numerous falls are leaving behind incurable ailments in his vast discography.

Eighth studio album for Lawrence producer Statik Selektah, fourth collaborative, second studio album for Queens rapper Action Bronson.

2nd Generation Wu — Hereditary

Debut album by the hip-hop group 2nd Generation Wu, composed of the sons of the Wu-Tang Clan: iNTeLL, PXWER, Sun God and Young Dirty Bastard are the sons of U-God, Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Ol' Dirty Bastard respectively. The project is initially published in early November 2020, comprising ten songs, but it's taken withdrawn and re-released two months later, in January 2021, with five additional tracks. Produced by different beatmakers, the disc boasts the collaboration of Pxro, son of Masta Killa, Supreme, son of Ghostface Killah, The 3rd, Sith, Prema777, Zeth McFLy, Core Masson and, directly from Wu-Tang Clan, Inspectah Deck.

9th Wonder — Zion V: The Ballad of Charles Douthit

Fifth episode in five consecutive years of 9th Wonder's "Zion" series of albums. Canadian rapper Ian Kelly offers a few bars in the first five cuts, the rest are entirely instrumental.

Kenny Tea & DirtyDiggs — Suit and a Mask EP

Collaborative tape between Inglewood rapper Kenneth "Kenny Tea" Turner and Los Angeles-based production duo DirtyDiggs: for Kenny Tea it's the debut in the rap game, for the producers it's the first EP of 2021. Planet Asia is the only guest.

Beautiful. This is beautiful. The Spanish producer, who had already expressed his appreciation for Daniel Dumile by realizing an entire project in Christmas 2018, "DOOM Xmas", makes a tribute after the death of the revered artist.

AAVV — Griselda & BSF: Conflicted

Griselda continues to expand itself and emerge with its cinema section, producing its first movie, "Conflicted", in collaboration with Black Soprano Family, supported by an eponymous soundtrack: in addition to Westside Gunn and Benny the Butcher, historical members of the group, there are also the new signatures Boldy James, Armani Caesar and YN Billy, the ex Elcamino, the rappers of BSF Heem, Rick Hyde and Jonezy, and external guests Chase Fetti, Lloyd Banks, Flee Lord, Eto, Ransom, Dave East, Smoke DZA and Wale. Production is handled by DJ Shay, Daringer, Beat Butcha, Camouflage Monk, IceRoxx, Nothing But M's, Miguel the Plug, Ghost Dave and Cee Gee.

Statik Selektah — 8

When Statik Selektah's eighth album-producer came out in late 2017, it was ignored by the public, and critics didn't do much to promote it. The guests of the edition are, among others, 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, Run the Jewels, Action Bronson, G-Eazy, Joey Badass, The LOX, Westside Gunn & Conway, Termanology, Crimeapple, Chris Rivers, Joyner Lucas, Sean Price, Tek, Currensy, Lil' Fame, Raekwon, Royce da 5'9", B-Real, Everlast, No Malice, Prodigy and Juelz Santana.

Conway — Reject 2 [mixtape]

In the late 2015, Buffalo, New York rapper Conway releases a sequel of "The Devil's Reject". Daringer is the sole producer of the effort, the guests are Griselda group members Westside Gunn and Mach-Hommy, along with the future member of the group Benny, Skyzoo, Roc Marciano and Nes. The album takes on a very personal connotation for the author, as the cover should indicate, which shows the bullets on his skin that the boy survived. The genesis of the record was born from an intuition of Daringer.

Eric B. & Rakim — Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em

Eric B and Rakim release their third effort, famous for being one of the first albums to get the five mics of The Source magazine. It's more a tribute to the glorious "Paid In Full" and to the sublime "Follow the Leader" rather than a realistic evaluation, because the third effort of Rakim and a guy that at this point you should seriously start to doubt has ever existed, is not a classic.

9th Wonder — Zion IV

About a year after the previous one, 9th Wonder publishes the fourth edition of his "Zion" series. Unlike the previous one, the album is exclusively instrumental.

Second collaborative tape between the rappers of Richmond, Virginia, Big Kahuna OG & Monday Night, following "Thug Tear", an effort of the past year, appreciated by the public. For both, this is the first effort of 2021, with a production accredited entirely to Big Kahuna OG and 3WaySlim to cover the role of the only guest of the edition. The cover bites (pays homage?) that of one of the best EPs of the past year.

Rasheed Chappell & Buckwild — Sinner & Saints

Fourth studio album for rapper Rasheed Chappell, ninth for producer Buckwild, on his fifth and last LP in 2020. The guests of the edition are Che Noir, 38 Spesh, Ransom, Planet Asia, The Musalini, Durgaveli, Yolanda Sargeant and Sugahill.

Desiigner — Panda

Panda. Panda. Then it's all dark in the fog, all the way to glory: out of nowhere, he's at the top of the Hot 100. With this banger for clubs, dirty alleys and trap houses all over the world, at 18, Desiigner allows himself to snatch several achievements within the complicated music industry: he's the youngest guy to top the chart since Lorde, he brings the US back to the top after nearly a year of foreign domination, and he's the closest thing to a rapper getting back in front of everyone after two years.