Tag: M.O.P.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Zimbabwean-born, London-based emcee Rhyme Assassin is a grizzled vet in the game, starting his career in earnest back in 2000 doing rap battles and performances in his native Zimbabwe before relocating to the UK in 2002. Since then, Rhyme Assassin has appeared on a number of compilations and released a handful of mixtapes, including 2021’s Side Barz.

HIs forthcoming, highly-anticipated full-length debut, Dedicated to Self will feature production from the likes of Buckwild, True Master, DJ King Flow and a list others, as well as guest spots from Ras Kass, Masta Ace, dead prez‘s stic.man, Saigon and Keith Murray. Dedicated to Self‘s latest single, “Run Em Up” sees the Zimbabwean-born, London-based emcee trade mosh pit-inducing bars about running up on the competition with M.O.P. and Ruste Juxx over a bruising and menacing Preemo-like beat from The Arcitype.

The Arcitype beat inspired Rhyme Assassin to reach out to his collaborators. “I could only hear M.O.P. on the instrumental,” he says, adding that it didn’t matter how many times he listened to it, because he only could hear the Brownsville bullies on the beat. Then, when he needed a third verse to close it out, he reached out to Ruste Juxx, who “complemented M.O.P.’s energy and vibes,” Rhyme Assassin says.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

As a member of M.O.P.’s First Family, Brownsville, Brooklyn-based emcee Teflon first made a name for himself, contributing verses on M.O.P.’s 1996 sophomore album Firing Squad. By the following year, the Brooklyn-based emcee released his full-length debut, the ten-song My Will, which saw him displaying his full artistic range. While rooted in roughneck, braggadocio, the album offered a contrasting style from the hardcore sound listeners expect from M.O.P. and featured deeply meaningful, thoughtful rhymes,

The buzz surrounding the Brooklyn emcee reached its pinnacle in 2000 with his appearance on M.O.P.’s “Ante Up (Remix), alongside Busta Rhymes and Remy Ma. That guest spot led to a deal with Def Jam Recordings that was brokered by Teflon’s longtime friend DJ Premier. Sadly, after a turbulent transition with the company, Teflon’s Def Jam debut never saw the light of day, and he took a much-needed hiatus from the music industry.

Earlier this month, My Will was re-released and made available through all major DSPs and Bandcamp, just in time for the album’s 26th anniversary. Coincidentally, the Brooklyn-based emcee is gearing up for the June 30, 2023 release of his long-awaited, DJ Premier and Jazimoto co-produced sophomore 2 Sides To Every Story through 420 Music in partnership with Colemine Records.

2 Sides To Every Story‘s latest single is the DJ Premier-produced “Hostile Takeover.” Built around a swaggering Preemo production pairing tweeter and woofer rattling boom bap with menacing synth arpeggios and some old-school turntablism, “Hostile Takeover” features the Brooklyn-based emcee and Benny The Butcher trading ferocious bars detailing the struggles of being an artist in an industry that’s often a viper’s pit of betrayal and bullshit — and with a criminal justice system set out to use their rhymes against them.

You can go to Coalmine’s online store to pre-order 2STES on vinyl and CD. A blue and purple whirlpool vinyl edition is also available for pre-order through Get on Down, along with a silver vinyl edition through RRC Music. Both are limited to 150 copies each. A double-sided slipmat bundle is also available in Black and Get on Down edition, which features Teflon’s 420 Music logo emblazoned on one side, with an image of a “non-stick” teflon pan branded with Coalmine’s logo on the other.

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Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Planit Hank is a mysterious but up-and-coming, underground producer whose latest effort, the Night Before Purgatory EP is slated for release next month — and the EP finds Planit Hank collaborating with a who’s who of gritty, New York street shit hip hop, including M.O.P., AZ, Canibus, Chris Rivers, Styles P, Kool G. Rap, DJ Evil Dee and a few others. “Life in Crooklyn,” the EP’s latest single is centered by a production that’s equally soulful and mournful as it features an atmospheric and looped horn sample, tweeter and woofer rock boom bap beats and scratching by the incredible DJ Evil Dee. Jeru The Damaja, Buckshot and AZ all wax both nostalgically and heartbreakingly about their rough and tumble childhoods — Jeru The Damaja talks about all the people he knew and loved, who were tragically murdered, with the recognition that without music, he may have ended up much like those he remembered; AZ proudly rhymes about repping Brooklyn all day; Buckshot, arguably one of the best emcees ever manages to pay tribute to BIG, make a brief point about gentrification but while pointing out that gangster shit is still there — and always will be there. But along with that the song focuses on the lack of older heads giving guidance to young cats in the way that happened for these legendary emcees. What makes the track intriguing to me is that it manages to view things from an older perspective but without sounding like crotchety old men, screaming at the clouds and the young cats about how everything fucking sucks, and how the music the kids listen to these days is awful; nor is the nostalgia within the song maudlin. If anything, it speaks to how powerful music can be — that it save the lives of people in desperate circumstances.

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Perhaps best known as one-half of Heltah Skeltah with the late Sean Price and a member of the  Boot Camp Clik, RockRock released his long-awaited solo debut last week Rockness AP, and from album single “Fax Machine.” a street banger which had the Brownsville native collaborate with M.O.P., Rock is set to step out on his own, as an emcee you need to pay attention to — if you like your hip hop, rough, rugged and raw. Unsurprisingly, album single “Wishin'” finds the Brownsville native collaborating with D12‘s Kuniva on a street banger in which the two emcees spit braggadocio-filled rhymes over a menacing production featuring a looped twinkling key sample, warm blasts of bluesy, psychedelic  guitar and tweeter and woofer rocking beats. Let this track be a reminder that you can still find real, rugged street shit — even if your multinational radio conglomerate won’t play it.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Maybe it has to do with coming off age in the 90s but I prefer my hip-hop rugged as hell, so when I saw an email that about Heltah Skeltah‘s and Boot Camp Clik‘s Rock teaming up with M.O.P., my first thought was “I need to check that out — immediately.” Interestingly, the three Brownsville natives have collaborated together in varying capacities throughout the years, and “Fax Machine” features the three imitable emcees spitting fire over a menacing and hard hitting Ford Tuff and Pascal Zumaque production that features enormous, tweeter and woofer rocking beats — the sort that you can hear rattling from about 3/4s of a block away.  And while Rock is preparing his long-awaited full-length debut Rockness A.P., which is slated for release on Friday, he manages to pay homage to his late Heltah Skeltah partner Sean Price — while making a braggadocio-filled Transformers reference to how he and M.O.P. are like “the cannon on Megatron’s arm/And that ain’t gon’ change ’cause MegaSean gone,” that should remind the listener and any other emcee out there, that although Sean Price is gone, Rock is ready to fuck shit up in his partner’s honor.

New Audio by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of the Ann Arbor, MI-born, Los Angeles, CA-based soul singer/songwriter Mayer Hawthorne, arguably one of the most unheralded vocalists and singer/songwriters of the past decade; and Jake One, a Seattle, WA-born and based, Grammy nominated producer and artist, who was best known as part of the G-Unit, production team The Money Management Group, for collaborating with Brother Ali, Young Buck, De La Soul, M.O.P., Freeway, M.F. Doom, Atmosphere‘s Slug, Keak da Sneak and others, and for contributing tracks to the soundtracks of major motion pictures such as Get Rich or Die Tryin,’ The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Gone Baby Gone, the electro funk act Tuxedo can trace its origins to around 2006 when Hawthorne and Jake One began exchanging mixtapes, which revealed that they had a mutual appreciation and love of classic funk and soul.  The duo quickly worked on and released three singles while both were working on separate solo projects — and those singles wound up on the duo’s 2015 self-titled debut, an effort, which I think was one of that year’s best party records.

Now, it’s been some time since I’ve last written about them — and that shouldn’t be surprising, as Hawthrone released his fourth, full-length effort Man About Town last year and opened for Hall and Oates during the duo’s U.S. tour and Jake One released the #prayerhandsemoji mixtape; but speaking for myself, I’m always in the need of some funk in my life and thankfully, the duo have returned with a three song EP, titled Fux with the Tux.. “Fux with the Tux,” the EP’s title track and opening track pairs Hawthrone’s vocals with a late 70s and early 80s synth funk production featuring squiggly arpeggio synth blasts, propulsive drum programming, a wobbling and tumbling low bass line, a chant-worthy and anthemic hook and a brief braggadocio-filled guest spot from Snoop Dogg. And while sounding as though it drew a some influence from Heatwave‘s “The Groove Line” – 12″ Disco Version,  Cherelle‘s “Saturday Love” feat. Alexander O’Neal and others. “Special” clearly continues on a similar vein as it’s incredibly dance floor friendly, while being a sultry come on. It’s the sort of song you’d want to play while dancing with that pretty young thing, you’ve wanted to get with for an entire summer or however long it’s been for you. Completing the three song set, “July” is a slow-burning and silky smooth, Quiet Storm-like track about unexpectedly, stupidly and desperately in love and that love changing the narrator’s life for the better — and of course, its underpinned by Hawthorne expressing a vulnerable, urgent and plaintive need that gives the song an irresistible sensuality.

 

 

If there’s one thing that listeners will instantly gleam from this new EP is that Hawthorne and Jake One have further cemented their reputation for crafting dance floor friendly, two-step, 80s-inspired synth funk and sexy, slow-burning ballads with a subtly modern take.

 

 

 

 

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: El Da Sensei and DJ Devastate “Show Stoppa” (J57 Remix)

Last year, Brooklyn-based indie hip-hop label Coalmine Records celebrated their tenth anniversary with the release of the Unearthed compilation, which featured the label’s most popular artists and a virtual who’s who list of contemporary underground […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

It’s not uncommon for me to multi-multitask as i’m listening to tracks for possible inclusion on this site and as i’m doing so, Soundcloud in its infinite wisdom continues playing related tracks until I finally […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

The folks at Lyricist Lounge in concert with Summerstage hosted their now annual show featuring two of hip hop’s legendary DJs and producers – DJ Premier and Pete Rock. Last year, they had a power […]