Best of The Month – August 2024

It would be enough to evoke one of the many bars contained in this incredible new 38 Spesh’s project, as, for example, when he raps something like “They think they’re just metaphors, but they don’t know the pain that’s inside” to summarize the talent that elevates the rapper from Rochester, NY, above 99% of the current competition. There are many good rappers with punchlines and flow, but only a small circle among them has the ability to convey, through skill and intelligence, the authentic experience, the pain, the trials and the teachings to which life subjects some of us. Mother & Gun, which essentially pays homage to the role of the passed away 38 Spesh’s mother in the “trials and tribulations” of her son. A tough life in which he could only trust his Mother and his Gun. Also worth highlighting are the exceptional collaborations of Method Man, Havoc, Lloyd Banks, Che Noir and Benny The Butcher.

After the official debut with Def Jam at the beginning of the year, the summer brought us, in our opinion, the best version of Benny The Butcher in his “street tape” version with Summertime Butch, in which the Buffalo rapper’s usual street lyricist ability meets beats that enhance its vivid and raw narrative, without the make-up and paillettes “suggested” by the  major labels A/Rs. Summertime Butch it’s basically and beautifully a mix of street bangers, where Benny “talk the talk” that made him special.

From Dorchester (Boston) BoriRock and, in general, his collective Feed The Family have been bringing a fresh and wavy approach to the underground scene of the east coast for a couple of years now. In ZINGCLOPS the rapper of Dominican origins mixes street rhymes, irony and a lot of waviness with such a musical taste and attitude that makes it impossible to confine BoriRock‘s rap into any box.

Every time the New Orleans rapper Curren$y and the Californian producer Dj.Fresh join forces they create a perfect artistic harmony. One stands to the other as Herbie Hancock with Wayne Shorter or, for a more down-to-earth example, cheese is to macaroni. Dj.Fresh manages to vary the register of his productions, moving from Jazz samples to the classic sounds of Bay Area, always making his timbre and style recognisable, while Curren$y floats and drives the sounds created for him, in a perfect way. The choices of featurings are also spot on.

If you want to keep listening to yours youtube gurus who try to explain to you how to get rich without working and so on, our mentor and role model we follow for aspiring to enjoy life to the fullest and the fruits of our labor, having healthy habits, driving nice cars and making ton of money, remains Larry June. If nothing else, he tells it to us in a convincing, credible way, entertaining his audience with style and on super cool productions. Doing It For Me is yet another motivational bestseller in audiovisual form.

If the new Brooklyn and the other boroughs of New York generational trend might be to carry forward the violent gang culture (in many cases, emulating and faking it) while listening the tunes of local drill artists, Ja’king The Divine, young and talented MC from BK, decided to carry on the glorious Rap tradition of his hood, trying to spread concepts, positive principles and teachings of Hip-Hop and black culture through his rap. All this while trying to bring his own style and skills to the next level every project with some originality.

New Jersey producer GRIMM Doza, who might sound familiar to some thanks to the moment of stardom he achieved after producing XXX TENTACION, joined forces with Richmond, Virginia rapper Monday Night, Mutant Academy collective member. If you read us you know we follow what this crew of emcees and producers is capable of doing for several years. Thank You, ‘Preciate It fits perfectly into the trend usually proposed by Monday Night and the Mutant Academy, raising the bar thanks to the wonderful beats filled with beautiful samples by GRIMM Doza, which perfectly dress the smooth flow of the Richmond rapper. The Ral Duke’s artwork for the album cover is also fire. 

Roc Marciano’s influence on the international rap game goes beyond what he is usually credited for. It is not difficult to recognize his inspiration, for example in the drumless samples, in the slow flow and the clever rhymes of I HEARD HOUSES NEED PAINTING, the latest project by the London mc Rocxnoir, which follows the previous one I HEARD YOU PAINT HOUSES. Some classy and elegant raps like a London Fog trench coat.