by Alex P80 Parks

Aim your six-shooters up as Long Island’s Jigg$ takes us on the wagon trail with Revolvers, his latest EP fully produced by DJ Swab. The duo present 8 joints full of dusty, western-themed samples and plenty of hard-hitting drums.

The cannons blow on the opener/title track as Jiggs unloads a round over a plinking saloon piano and booming drums. Rim drops by for a fly verse on “Close the casket.” Swab lays down a soulful chopped vocal loop, echoing organ and some dope scratches as well on one of the standout tracks. The cinematic loop on “G.C.C. (Gritty City Committee)” plays like a Morricone loop as the tumbleweeds blow through the street on another standout joint. Jigg$ spits rapid-fire:

“Flow gritty as sandpaper, The fan favorite,

Throw the heat to these crab n***as and crab-bake em.

You the type to hold a hammer witcha hand shakin,

Smack em on camera, Haters don’t understand greatness”

Peep the video here:

On “How To Rhyme” Jigg$ two-steps through the staggering beat with lessons on emceeing over eerie and droning effects and a lavish strings arrangement on the hook. Underground vet Recognize Ali delivers a dope guest verse on “Playin Wit Fire.” Swab lays down a poignant vocal sample on “Cold,” as Jigg$ describes the sacrifices and dedication to his family and of course, his craft.

On “Walk on by” Jigg$ makes it crystal clear to stay out his way with lines like:

“Been the truth, I’m a ninja you a nincompoop,

I’m just really here to clear the air like a ginger root

I can spin the coupe, double back a different route

Pop the can and turn a n***a noodles into chicken soup”

Jigg$: “Swab and I set out to make something creatively different concept-wise from anything else that was out at the time, while still remaining true to traditional hip hop and I think we accomplished that with Revolvers. His production style allowed me to push myself and experiment with new flows and subject matter”

Swab: “Revolvers is a collaboration proving that both John and I is at top of our game, doing what we love to do. John got mad bars and I got the beats and cuts so we put it together to create our own masterpeice. The whole work process went so easy and nothing was forced and when that’s the case you know you got something special.”

A solid and enjoyable EP from one of Long Island’s spitters over some thoughtful conceptual production from Swab.

cop the EP here before the sun sets:

http://johnjiggs.bandcamp.com/album/revolvers-2

by Alex P80 Parks

From A little Caviar to his latest, Choripan, Los Angeles emcee Cousin Feo has turned a love of soccer into a focused series of singles and albums with European and South American football as the centerpiece. Feo’s passion for soccer is evident in his daily conversations and interactions. It’s equally clear in his music as well. Feo continues to pay homage to former greats of the pitch by etching their names and legacies into his own art.

DRHH: You’ve really created a unique niche with soccer as a theme, what’s the genesis for you?

Cousin Feo: ” I grew up first playing in the streets with the homies, but now we channel that for the raw sound & the more rugged elements of the hood. Our goals changed, feel me? From corner kicks to hangin outside corner stores type shit. I originally started this circuit with my guy Keor Meteor in France and we did “A Little Caviar” & “Creme Fraiche.” Upon meeting Dre Mendoza (who’s half Argentine) I know I was taking that same concept to Argentina.”

For his latest project, Choripan continues where Provoleta left off, focusing again on Argentinian soccer with its superstars, legends and rich history on the field. The project continues Feo’s streak for choosing solid beats and consistently dope features. Provoleta brought plenty of heat with CodeNine, Panamanian Dro, Flashius Clayton, and Lord Juco as features. MAV, Bub Rock and Fastlife continue that trend on Choripan, with Che Uno providing an assist on both projects.

DRHH: how did Choripan take shape?

“My guy Dre reached out when he got wind of the #DeathAtTheDerby series with Juco & being that he’s Argentinian, he wanted to produce the “Boca vs River Plate derby,” from there, everything is history. He’s an extremely talented cat. It felt like finding a diamond in the rough, even though he essentially found me.”

Feo: “My goal is to have said producer be from the actual country I’m focused on so we’re culturally tapped in & really give the listeners an authentic experience; also led to the idea of titling each project after customary dishes from the host country too. The game is a tale of two halves, so I always make sure to drop two EPs per country. More of a salute to the game. So now with both Provoleta & Choripán out, it’s all about picking the next country to take it too…”

Whatever country Feo chooses as his next focus, it will most certainly be well-researched and precisely executed to embody the spirit of those countries and players.

DRHH: Who are some other artists you’d like to work with?

Feo: Jay Nice is incredible, Left Lane Didon, Koncept Jackson, Sick Jacken, Planet Asia, and SonnyJim.”

DRHH: Dope artists.. How about future plans, maybe beyond the music?

Feo: “Eventually I want to work directly with EA Sports on the future FIFA games or either Nike/Adidas soccer divisions. Become an ambassador of the sport while carving out my own legend as an emcee. What the Wu did with martial arts, or what Griselda’s done with wrestling, specifically WSG gun are examples I was inspired by to run with my concept. Not to blow my own horn, but I feel I’m on the shortlist of cats doing something truly original. Tying a foreign aesthetic into hip-hop & turn heads into fiends for it.”

Cop Choripan here:

http://cousinfeo.bandcamp.com/album/choripan

With a melancholy jazz sample, snare rolls and rumbling bass courtesy of producer AP, Bub Rock drops some golden gems on this crazy single. This one’s a future classic, with Bub spilling lines like:

“ask me where i see myself in 5 years tops no more, prolly tour, drippin drop Dior, they gotta mop the floor, bands on me like lobster claws.”

Keep watchin Bub as he reps Long Island and NY to the fullest with “GLDSPN2“, with more on the way.

On all streaming platforms now

Apple:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/gldspn2-feat-bub-rock/1480597140?i=1480597142

Bub Rock is set to drop his next LP D.R.E.A.M.S. (Do Right Even After Minor Setbacks) On Oct 5th.

Nebraska’s Sleep Sinatra floats away in the visuals on his latest video from his Sources of Nature collaborative album, fully produced by The Custodian of Records. TCOR provides a melodic arrangement of instrumentation yet again on this joint. In the video directed by Big Mike from the woods, Sleep awakens from a weed coma to find himself in a dystopian landscape where the last remnants of peace on Earth fell.

This track is only available on the vinyl edition of Sources of Nature.

Cop the album available here:

http://gourmetdeluxxx.bandcamp.com/album/sleep-sinatra-sources-of-nature-2

“What I Do” feat Rim finds both BK emcees bouncing flows over this fun, summertime vibe with a touch of nostalgia, courtesy of producer Wavy Da Ghawd. Rim brings a veteran presence with his unique cadence and rasta influences, complementing Eddie’s harmonies on the hook. The video, directed by Dope The Director, shows Eddie and Rim having a good time, alternating between day and night at a couple Brooklyn spots.

Check out the video here:

Cop the album here:

http://eddiekaine.bandcamp.com/album/aruku

By Alex P80 Parks

Stretching like the Ottoman Empire over North America, touching fans across the globe, Big Turks links up Niagara Falls’ Jamal Gasol, Brooklyn’s Rome Streetz and Canadian striker, Lord Juco on this concept tape.

Collab albums happen often in today’s musical landscape but posse cuts aren’t what they used to be. That’s not the case here as Lord Juco, Jamal Gasol and Rome Streetz get together to form Big Turks, where they all shine together on each track. Loosely adhering to a concept based on Turkish martial arts film, The Sword And The Claw, Big Turks finds the three emcees in top form over a middle/far-east soundscape courtesy of producer Ro Data.

All 3 emcees step up on “Lionman” featuring Wu affiliate Solomon Childs on the hook and Chong Wizard on the cuts. Planet Asia stops by as a top-tier feature on the club banger “Turkish Delight,” which serves as a playful homage to the Wu classic “Ice cream” as they recount the various types of women who dig the Big Turks’ flows and styles. The slow, acoustic guitar laced “The Island of Princes” feat O the Great followed by “Seven” feat Rim act as a break in the otherwise booming album. The piano-driven “Gods” featuring Napoleon Da Legend plays well as all the emcees lay measured bars over haunting chopped vocals and crisp drums. Supreme Cerebral adds his angry flow over the sneaky strings of “Persian Carpet.”

With plenty of quotable lyrics and highly spirited performances from Juco, Rome, and Jamal, one can imagine the fun they had putting down their verses for this project. An enjoyable concept album featuring 3 of the underground’s best rhyme purveyors, Big Turks delivers a taste of Turkish flavors in Hip Hop form.

cop the album here:

http://chongwizard.bandcamp.com/album/big-turks

As MDot and EMS (Kore and Desco) are halfway through their tenth European tour, they join a handful of festivals and HipHop shows to share their brand of high-energy HipHop performances for their Decennio Tour 2019.

Check out this clip from a high voltage set with a sea of onlooking fans at the “Off The Hook Festival” in Athens, Greece.

MDot on touring and performing overseas:

““The way I look at these trips is it’s a privilege to be flown and compensated to visit places many people only dream of. So I take the tours extremely serious when it comes to being on point with rehearsing, arriving on time, maintaining voice, not missing trains/flights/buses, making every soundcheck, performing sober etc. The essentials that I’m supposed to do but something that often gets overlooked as most associate rap with being solely a party. Any second away from my family has to be productive that’s why I try and do as many songs, videos, radios and shows as humanly possible while on the road. It’s a laborious trip that everybody wants to do but aren’t aware of the hard work it entails and the sleep deprivation that accompanies. The biggest advice I’d give is the tenth trip signifies consistency and to have had this consistency we had to maintain and build bridges. Not being on point can easily trip up most artists from being able to return to Europe.”

M and Kore continue with a few more shows left so make sure to check them out if you’re an overseas HipHop fan!

By Alex P80 Parks

“I’m not inspired by rappers.. I either like you or I don’t . My life inspirational enough”- MAV

Rochester emcee MAV, of Da Cloth collective, drops off his latest pack to the rap fiends. Dust 2 Dust pairs him with Chilean-born producer Cotola to create a drug-fueled mini-opus (EP). MAV enlists the help of elite spitters SmooVth and Daniel Son for the only features on the project.

MAV talked to Deeply Rooted about connecting with Cotola and some of the ideas behind the project.

MAV: “Cotola and I linked back in September of 2018.. one direct message sparked it all. He wanted to work together so he sent me his latest instrumental to check out. I looked into his narco bolero project and that’s where I knew we could do something. It was the way he incorporated the narco convos into his production that shaped Dust 2 Dust as we went along.”

MAV on his vivid imagery in his lyrics:

“I see shit from 97 in my head like it was yesterday.”

MAV On the concept/theme of Dust 2 Dust

“Me and DSon been trading cocaine raps for a while now and SmooVth was an obvious, given his Medellin releases. I didn’t want this to be like SmooVth’s nor Crimeapple’s projects but I wanted my connection to cocaine to be chronicled in the manner in which I did it.”

“Chance Meetings” opens up the album in grand fashion with an Italian wobbly guitar loop, pianos and booming drums. MAV outlines some of the moves and hustle required to sustain. A big way to start the EP.

MAV: “There has to be a basic understanding within yourself that this could go well or it could go very wrong. You have to win that tug of war within you to take that leap into the underworld. Those who dont belong get ousted one way or another and if you play to long you get ousted. Death or jail or some emotional scars that’ll never heal.”

The somber tone of “Ghetto Caviar” with its solo trumpet loop, shows MAV describing the paradoxes of hustling and the allure of an opulent lifestyle; The duality of street dreams.

“Pusher” feat Daniel Son is another gem, as both emcees spit lines about past endeavors with some sage advice about moving correctly. Cotola lays a falling piano riff and trumpet notes over crisp drums. The contrast of the subtle organs against the brash electric guitar riff on “Eve” plays well as MAV details always satisfying the woman with her drug lust but she still maintains her loyalty, regardless. A highlight on an already-solid project, “Battered Fish” feat SmooVth shows MAV and SmooVth at their best, bringing the raw rhymes over a casino caper melody with subtle percussion. The mood is suave, yet eerie, with an anticipation leading into the hook.

MAV closes out the EP with the title track “Dust 2 Dust,” spraying coke raps over a circling flute loop and big drums.

MAV on Cotola as an emerging producer:

“He’s a dope producer and his soundscape is wide. He’s talented in several areas musically and also as a videographer. He mixed everything! I only had my engineer master it after the fact.”

A short but adequate fix of 7 joints (8 tracks on the vinyl), MAV delivers a perfect dose of drug-focused bars on Dust 2 Dust without relying on too many cliches. Cotola provides the perfect sonic canvas for MAV to spill his lyrics on.

cop the album available here:

http://mavmusic3.bandcamp.com/album/dust-2-dust

By Alex P80 Parks

“The Mind is a weapon. Manifestation is a tool.”

Sleep Sinatra continues his prolific output with his latest effort, The PeaceMaker EP. Employing only Body Bag Ben on production, the EP finds the Nebraskan emcee on familiar sonic ground. Ben does a great job of creating beats that induce nonstop head-nodding with sweet spot tempos while avoiding over-producing tracks with cluttered effects. Sleep finds his groove easily, sounding unforced over the 6-track project.

On “Animal Instincts,” BodyBag Ben uses a playful, rising sample that sounds like it could’ve been plucked from the original Willy Wonka movie score. The loop sways as Sleep creeps over the beat. Casablanca comes through for a verse on “Stress” as Ben uses a couple simple piano loops and some rumbling bass for the emcees to spit measured bars on. With “HighNoon” the loop is a bit repetitive, but gets the job done, sounding like a broken saloon piano. “In the Trenches” featuring Guy Grams is a highlight as Ben relies on a more melodic arrangement with his soulful loop choices here. On the title track, Sleep’s flow just tumbles across the meandering beat, rhyming “these ni***s leeches, I burn em wit the same match I use to spark the movement.” On “Ballads of Sad Men,” Inglewood, CA emcee General BackPain spits his relaxed-yet-focused flow over the booming bass and full sonics of the droning beat.

BodyBag Ben shows off his collaborative skills on this project after just releasing his compilation album The Season to plenty of praise. Ben also brings some legit skills with his scratching and cuts on the hooks and at the end of every track. Clearly Ben has the potential to stick around and create a solid bodybag of work as he emerges as a new talent. Sleep continues to further his legacy with his highly selective collaborations which always yield positive results.

Cop the album here:

https://bodybagben.bandcamp.com/album/the-peacemaker