Showing posts with label earl sweatshirt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earl sweatshirt. Show all posts


The combination of Obi Khan and Thanos Beats has once again yielded greatness. Almost a year removed from the stellar offering, “THC-4”; and only months succeeding the Madison emcee’s January project, “Guerillaz”, are sixteen tracks certain to further perpetuate this duo’s underground legacy. Titled “The Obi Files: Volume II”; this long-player is as vicious and diabolical as boom-bap gets. Obi Khan’s signature, guttural inflection, laced with volcanic bars, is plentiful over a collection or Thanos Beats mixes and instrumentals. Emcees such as Thavid Ruffin, TG, Prince Po, and Thanos Beats himself (among others), appear frequently throughout the project; spicing up records such as, “Fallin’ Like Dominoes”, “Red Lights”, “Sybil”, “Flyin’ High”, and “Escapin’”. Highlighting these few songs is not a denial of the others lining this album, however. Every track on “The Obi Files: Volume Ii” is a brash declaration of Obi Khan’s evolving artistry. His beat selection is spine-chillingly evolving. His delivery, as well as lyricism, is sharpening into a clean-cutting sword; ready to carve his face into the Mount Rushmore of underground kings. With every project, Obi Khan hasn’t failed to amaze; and after “The Obi Files: Volume II” it is obvious he never will.


“The Obi Files: Volume II”



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After his phenomenal showing in 2018 with the 16 track “THC-4” project, many would have thought there was no higher a zenith for Wisconsin emcee, Obi Khan, to ascend. Not only did he display a marvelous ear for boom-bap, Hip-Hop beats; but he likewise proved that he could lyrically ravage them for an hour long. Now, he has returned with another LP, “Guerillaz”; and for those of us who thought he could get no better, he impressively proves us wrong. Upping the ante with 8 tracks more than “THC-4” offered, Obi Khan reintroducing every aspect that made the previous project impeccable. Close collaborators, Jabba Tha Kut and Merc The Big Body Benz, frequent the record, as they did the last, with outstanding guest verses. Thanos Beats, a prominent architect of “THC-4” diabolical, old-school sound, restores that aesthetic with a plethora of instrumental offerings to “Guerillaz”. Yet, what rockets this album echelons above its predecessor is Obi Khan’s own vision, education, and execution of the art. You can tell the Madison rapper has delve even deeper into the craft and art of a Hip-Hop album, since his last release. A few skits and instrumental breaks in between jaw-dropping, Golden Era-styled records gives “Guerillaz” a sense of pace and proficiency. It removes the 24-track work from being another, standard Hip-Hop album, and truly gives it a life of its own. This amplifies the power of his dark lyricism, guttural delivery, and grimey, puristic beat selection we champion him for. Every second of “Guerillaz” is electrifying. When added to Obi Khan’s discography thus far, the glint of his crown as an heir to the underground, Hip-Hop throne becomes crazily undeniable.

“Guerillaz”
[Download / Stream]
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Back in 2006, legendary New York emcee, Nas, declared that Hip-Hop was dead. The insurgence of autotune, melodies, and growing “pop” aesthetic in the music, made this declaration incredibly logical. Even modern day, where the culture is leaning further and further towards a commodity instead of artform; Golden Hip-Hop seems to have lost its place with the turn of the century. That’s what makes rap act, Lockness Carnival’s, recent release “Tickets To The Dope Show” such a blindsided sucker-punch; loud enough to throttle the graveyard, and awaken that Golden Age artistry from its deathly slumber. “Tickets To The Dope Show” is a seven-track resurrection of one of the most celebrated eras of rap; hearkening back to the 90s time period with a beautiful blend of lyricism and old-school production. The only exception to this is the second track, “Urban Litty” which features a more new-age, electronic beat. Everything else follows a strict, satisfying rubric; with which the emcee, Dark Angel, shines impeccably across his producer, Strange’s, instrumentation. Dark Angel has a powerful affinity with imagery and storytelling; and he uses such to paint the most polarizing portraits. There are strong horrorcore themes locked in the stories of “Margo Santana” and “Hector”, yet backed by Strange’s warm, vinyl-singed primeval production, this imagery becomes eerily gorgeous. Another great element of this duo is that they do not solely rely on music to tell their tales. In the middle of the project, there are skits and snippets that fit flawlessly between Angel’s own verses, giving his stories even greater dimensionality. “Tickets To The Dope Show” is an outstanding blast to the past from two amazing creatives. If Hip-Hop is dead, they’ll be of the few to thank for its revival.


 [Download/Stream]
“Tickets To The Dope Show”
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tickets-to-the-dope-show/1417721010


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