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Pro Era – “Like Water”

East Coast boom bap crew Pro Era, which counts Joey Bada$$ amongst its members, put out their PEEP: The aPROcalypse mixtape on December 21 last year. Three days afterward, member Capital Steez was discovered dead. Pro Era has released this video dedicated to his memory.

“Like Water” was the first track on PEEP: The aPROcalypse, but the context feels differently now. When it was initially released, it felt like the introductory statement to a formative chapter in the story of a rising group of youthful, passionate individuals; now, it feels like a eulogy. But it is not a particularly downcast one, and its new video follows. Pro Era pays respect to their late friend with a sense of pride in his image, spray painting a mural of his face on the rooftop of a large building. It seems to symbolize not only the immortality of Steez’s legacy, but also the group’s decision to let it influence their art rather than set them back.

Watch a video for the Pro Era mixtape below:

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Joey Bada$$ – “World Is Bond”

Joey Bada$$ has definitely cemented a place in the underground hip-hop scene with his 1991 mixtape and Pro Era group mixtape PEEP: the aPROcalypse characterized for his long wordplay filled bars and boom bap styled production.

“World Is Bond” is set to be on his upcoming album Summer Knights the follow up to his mixtape  and it seems like he is continuing in the same direction almost exactly with this track. Of course with added recognition his production has received a step up in budget and it feels like Statik Selektah the producer on this track is a perfect match for Joey. The beat is filled with a classic sounding piano loop over top of a great heavy head bobbing kick and snare reminiscent to a lot of the beats on 1991.

Joey is continuing to grow as an MC though with the complexity and messages within his verses maturing as he does. It is always interesting to see how an artist develops and while I don’t expect anything too different from his past releases on Summer Knights that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

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Bizarre Tribe: A Quest To The Pharcyde

Gummy Soul presents a collection of tracks that bring A Tribe Called Quest-inspired instrumentals under a number of vocal cuts from 90s-era hip hop start The Pharcyde. Stream and enjoy via the widget above, and download it on a name-your-price basis on Bandcamp.

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R.A. The Rugged Man – Legends Never Die

R.A. The Rugged Man returns with his first album in almost ten years. While he may be rapping faster than ever–and is incredibly vile at points–some of the production on this LP sounds incredibly dated and obvious.

WATCH THE REVIEW

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CJ Fly – “The Error” (Prod. Cookin Soul)

Pro Era member CJ Fly shares a track from what’s gonna be his debut solo mixtape. “The Error” is smoothly produced by Cookin Soul, and Fly proves he can handle a track on his own with very few issues. Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo…

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Joey Bada$$ – “Day In The Life”

Joey Bada$$ hitches a ride on some Harry Fraud production with the track “Day In The Life.” Enjoy!

Check a review of Joey’s 1999 tape below:

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The Doppelgangaz – Hark

Stream the latest full-length from New York hip hop duo the Doppelgangaz, Hark, via the widget above. Though the duo takes a lot away from the heyday of hardcore hip hop, don’t expect something gritty and in-your-face. Rather, The Doppelgangaz prefer a much more moody and subtle approach to their deliveries and song subjects–especially on atmospheric cuts like “Oh Well.” Enjoy!

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Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge – “The Sure Shot [parts 1 and 2]“

A new track from the forthcoming Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge album: Twelve Reasons To Die, and it’s actually a bit more epic than the previous song to drop from this new LP, and features a pretty awesome beat switch in the middle of the song.

Ghost, as usual, is cutthroat, sinister, and boastful. He’s managed to stay incredibly charismatic over all these years, and he seems to just be getting sharper when it comes to energy and presence.

Here’s a review for Ghost’s last full-length:

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Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge – “The Rise of the Ghostface Killah”

Wu-Tang’s very own Ghostface Killah is gearing up for another full-length LP. The title: Twelve Reasons To Die, and it’s dropping on RZA’s Soul Temple Music in the middle of April.

The song is inconspicuous once it gets past the dramatic, narrative intro; however, the beat here ends up being way more detailed than one would assume due to its humble beginnings. A lone guitar and a sparse beat give way to some awesomely climactic bells and horns toward the finish of the track.

Lyrically, like usual, Ghostface is cunning and nasty. His cold-blooded and murderous lyrics are delivered with his trademark flow, and peppered with some great Ol’ Dirty Bastard references and samples.

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Flatbush Zombies – “MRAZ” prod. Erick Arc Elliott

Ever since the release of their D.R.U.G.S. tape last year, I’ve been feeling what New York’s Flatbush Zombies have to offer more and more. I’m definitely warming up to them, but I think they’re refining their style as well, combining classic boom bap elements with stranger, darker, psychedelic vibes. At least that’s what’s emanating off of this new single and video if theirs titled “MRAZ,” which is backed up with some production from Erick Arc Elliott. Enjoy!