Best of The Month – March 2024

When Roc Marciano decides to release something, the world of underground rap seems to stop spinning for a few days. The King has pronounced his word, which will probably dictate the artistic canon for years to come and everyone wants to understand how and why he always manages to stay one step ahead of all the other competitors. The bar is raised at every release. The art of Roc Marci, in fact, does not age over time, but becomes increasingly synonymous with excellence and luxury for refined palates. The equivalent of some beluga caviar with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot or a black truffle risotto paired with the best Barolo wine. Roc Marciano self-produces most of the songs on his latest album Marciology (the rest is entrusted to The Alchemist and Animoss), exploring sonic territories into which no one had dared or imagined venturing before in the way he did. With his rhymes and eclectic style he scatters precious stones in the velvety garments designed by the beats, carefully choosing his collaborators, from Larry June to T.F, through Jay Worthy, Flee Lord, Knowledge The Pirate and Grea8Gawd. Roc Marciano is back with Marciology to remind everyone who dictates the line in certain matters.

ROC STAR sounds raw, cold, dark and uncut like a dose of heroin injected into the veins of a drug addict crouching in a dark corner of the streets of Rochester, Upstate N.Y., home of one of the two main actors of this album: Mooch of the DaCloth crew. There could be no better director than the legendary Cypress Hill producer, DJ Muggs, to create the soundtrack suitable for the dark and icy atmospheres of Rochester described by Mooch’s raw and authentic rap. The sounds concocted by the Los Angeles-born producer perfectly capture the essence of Mooch‘s Rap and the dark and claustrophobic environment of Rochester that he describes.

Unique, original, inimitable, extravagant and brilliant, the rapper from Lynn (Massachusetts) with Dominican Republic origins, Estee Nack can be considered in all respects the Salvador Dalì of the underground scene. The Canadian producer Futurewave in Stone Temple Pyrex arranges the perfect canvas for him to spray his color and trace his abstract and surreal lines. The philosopher Mc, Five Percenter, with the rhythm of Dominican salsa in his blood is a heritage for this Culture: it must be protected and celebrated as such.

A FORSAKEN LOVER’S PLEA by the rapper of the Brooklyn crew, Pro Era, Chuck Strangers, is a candidate to remain in our rotations for a long time this year and to be one of our favorite albums. No doubts. The fantastic sound carpet created for the occasion by producers of the caliber of The Alchemist, Animoss, Graymatter, Zoomo, Nate Eaton and Chuck Strangers himself reaches very high levels, accompanying the listener in the life and thoughts of the Pro Era rapper and making the journey familiar and accommodating.

Having to deal with rappers, producers and various characters who gravitate around this environment or even simply listening carefully to artists’ albums, few individuals transmit vibrations of authenticity, honesty, humility and simplicity to us as much as Flee Lord. Word. His latest album, entirely produced by Crisis and entitled Full Court Press, in our opinion, is the musical manifestation of the sincere spirit that animates the Far Rockaway Queens rapper. This, in fact, is probably Flee’s most profound and honest work, in which, in addition to demonstrating his qualities as a rapper as usual, he lays bare his feelings, his vision and personal life, including losses, disappointments and revenge. Great credit also goes to Crisis who managed to perfectly capture the right vibe to allow him to express himself in the best possible way and freely. Flee Lord, trust us, is a “real one” and, moreover, the sincere bond of friendship that linked him to Prodigy (R.I.P) of Mobb Deep is certainly not a coincidence.

Let Jae Skeese alone lol.. He’s hungry, very hungry. He wants to take his place at the table of the great lyricists and get the respect he deserves. From Germany, the producer Superior does not miss the opportunity to provide him with a batch of very high-level beats, where the Buffalo rapper, affiliated with Drumwork, the label founded by Conway The Machine, shows off all his technical and lyrical baggage. Jae Skeese‘s parable is in full ascendant phase, only time and what will resist his tests will be able to tell us where he can go. In the meantime let’s enjoy this incredible Testament of The Times album.

We admit that we are impartial when we talk about the New York super-producer Harry Fraud: the style of the productions and the taste in the choice of samples, both immediately recognizable and unusual for the classic repertoire of Hip-Hop production, traditionally linked to black music, soul or r ‘n’b, but instead also drawn from the world of progressive, psychedelic and alternative rock, ever since his collaborations with French Montana or Curren$y in the late 2000s, they had bewitched us. The stamp of Harry Fraud‘s productions adds a unique imprint to the projects of the rappers with whom he collaborates. And this is the turn of another exceptional emcee, Ransom. We won’t tire of repeating it: the New Jersey rapper is probably one of the top 3 living street lyricists, and certainly the most underrated. Even in this Lavish Misery album, he demonstrates his genius, giving his listeners pearls of real life, with double and triple meanings, with the usual natural and exceptional flow that distinguish him.

While the mainstream music industry, based essentially on numbers and algorithms, seems like a pachyderm trapped in the mud, the underground Hip-hop scene is experiencing one of the most flourishing moments ever. The competition is at very high levels and the arena sees more and more rappers and producers emerge ready to show off their qualities, to compete for an increasingly large niche of loyal fans. Vega7 The Ronin among the microphone samurai who has been getting noticed in the last couple of years is certainly one of those to pay more attention to. After last year’s exploits with the album produced by Superior “Sleep is The Cousin” and the album “Mont Maudit”, he returns with a project entirely produced by Californian beatmaker Body Bag Ben. Raw sounds and sharp rhymes, articulated by the unique flow of the Queens rapper, Vega7 make this Kawasaki Killers one of the best projects released in this exceptional March.

As spring approaches, we need a break from the grayness of our cities. The g-funk sounds of Affiliated 2 the album produced by Sean House and the Los Angeles-based rap of Compton rapper Jay Worthy, together the LNDN DRGS, and their many “affiliated” guests (from the Texans Lil Keke and Trae Tha Truth, to the Californians Del The FunkyHomoSapiens and Domo Genesis, passing through Stalley, Big Hit, Kokane and others) will definitely motivate you to achieve your goals, improve your hustle and will add warmer and e vibes to your playlists, giving your days that positive go-getter mood.