Review: Surprisingly, long-serving underground rap duo Armand Hammer (AKA ELUCID and Billy Woods) have never recorded an album under the guidance of a single producer. Haram, then, is a unique item in their discography, produced as it is by a lone beat-maker, sometime Mobb Deep, Dilated Peoples and Ghostface Killah collaborator the Alchemist. Musically the album is alternately pin-sharp and drowsy, with sparkling synths, obscure instrumental samples and warming tones riding loose, jazzy and largely laidback hip-hop beats. As you'd expect, ELUCID and Billy Woods are in fine form throughout, spitting rhymes that their label accurate describes as a mixture of "the profane and the pure".
Review: Skyzoo delivers yet another remarkable addition to his impressive discography with The Mind Of A Saint. Collaborating with The Other Guys on production, Skyzoo dives into the complex world of the 80s drug boom, taking on the persona of Franklin from the Snowfall series. The result is a concept album that's both gripping and thought-provoking. The album kicks off with 'Eminent Domain,' a jazzy introduction that sets the tone for the journey ahead. Tracks like 'Views From The Valley' and 'Panthers & Powder' showcase Skyzoo's narrative depth, blending boom bap with soul-infused beats. 'Straight Drop' stands out with its punchy drums and confident lyricism, while '100 to One' reminds us of 80s hip-hop with crisp, nostalgic production. Skyzoo's ability to weave a compelling story is evident in tracks like 'The Balancing Act' and 'Brick by Brick,' where he navigates the double life of his character with finesse. The album's closer, 'Purity,' provides a reflective end to Franklin's tale, underscoring the impact of the coke era with haunting vocal samples. The Mind Of A Saint is a powerful narrative-driven album that stands tall on its own, with Skyzoo's masterful storytelling and The Other Guys' stellar production creates a remarkable album.
Nas (Interlude)/Anna From Woohside (Beat Suite)/Nas (Interlude) (4:33)
Voices Inside My Head (4:16)
Could Heaven Ever Be Like This (4:44)
Festival Song (BAM BAM) (3:53)
Magnificent Dance (feat Rich Medina) (3:57)
Que Se Sepa (feat Jose Parla Y Mireya Ramos) (3:11)
The Mexican (feat Mireya Ramos) (4:32)
I Know You I Live You (feat Maimouna Youssef) (4:27)
Stevie Wonder Interview (Inserlude)/If You Really Love Me/Stevie Wonder Interview (Inserlude) (feat Maimouna Youssef) (5:00)
Baby I'm Scared Of You (4:19)
Review: Some 30 years after rising to prominence via a now legendary NYC radio show, veteran hip-hop DJs Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia have finally made a debut album. It sees them join forces with specially created nine-piece combo The M19s Band to serve up fresh covers of a range of well-known and obscure "dance floor bangers" (as the accompanying press release puts it). There are some superb interpretations, with the Police's dub disco jam "Voices Inside My Head" becoming a sweet soul-jazz treat, the Clash's "Magnificent Dance" reborn as a Latin jazz number (complete with Rich Medina spoken word vocal) and Womack & Womack's "Baby I'm Scared of You" a seductive, shuffling Afro-Cuban jazz standard. In a word: brilliant.
Better That Way (feat Le Syndicat Du Chrome - Jazz reworked) (2:55)
Ronin (feat Hugo Kant - dub) (3:31)
Pills For Your Ills (Afghan Beat) (3:29)
Past Your Time (Trap Reboot) (3:19)
The Journey (Lost mix) (3:17)
Review: South African rapper TUMI teams up with French trio Chinese Man for a genre-defying collaboration here that reimagines hip-hop through a global lens. Drawing from dusty crates and forgotten corners of music history, such as banjo riffs, 1930s swing and Andean flutes, the production is a crate-digger's dream that boldly ventures far beyond traditional hip-hop terrain. The result is a rich, textured sound that's both nostalgic and refreshingly new as TUMI's lyrics weave between irony and poignancy and are grounded in sonic experimentation with sharp social commentary. This is a bold, borderless journey and proof that when cultures and styles collide, magic happens.
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