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Dead End Hip Hop

No Politics. No B.S.

Michael Stover

Mack Scott: “Summer Was Crazy” [Album Stream]

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Baltimore emcee Mack Scott has been grinding and working all year dropping singles leading up to his album release. With Black Friday being here, there’s no better way to combat the cold weather than with Mack Scott’s “Summer Was Crazy”.

Nine tracks deep running about a half hour, Mack Scott magically seems to capture the vibes of summer. From the some of the lite skits, to the old school inspired dance tracks like “Streetlight” & “Cascade”. While I’ll admit this isn’t the perfect season for the music, it’s reenergizing getting a full-fledged Summer soundtrack as well close out the year. Giving us hope that summer just might be back some day.

You can stream Mack Scott’s “Summer Was Crazy” on your streaming platform of choice HERE.

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Reazy Renegade: “Teller” feat. Dave East & Moneybagg Yo

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Reazy Renegade has been behind the boards on his fair share of bangers, but “The Renegades” producer is now ready to break away and shine as a solo artist, a route that many beat maestros are beginning to take. For his first act, Reazy taps a pair of artists he’s previously worked alongside in Harlem’s Dave East and the burgeoning Memphis native Moneybagg Yo for “Teller.” The bristling track debuts with Billboard on Friday (Nov. 16).

“Around this time last year, Dave East dropped a project called ‘Karma,’ on which I produced a track on it titled ‘Salty’ that featured MoneyBagg Yo. I remember thinking to myself, the contrast of these guys voices on the same track is impeccable,” Reazy says. “Wheels got to turning and I knew we had to spark another collab.”

Just a few months later, the makings of “Teller” began to come together. “I remember East went to Atlanta and ended up in the studio with Bagg. After sending them a few records, this particular joint stood out to me. I put some final touches on the single, shortly after inking an artist deal with SONY/Orchard and the rest is history,” the Starvation producer adds.

The debut single sets Reazy’s plans for a producer-album officially in motion for 2019. The former We The Best signee’s rugged street production meshes seamlessly with the gritty style of rapping seen from lyrical assassins in Dave East and Moneybagg Yo.

Stream “Teller” after the jump and get familiar with his decorated production discography on Spotify here.

 

Mal & Quill: “Beat Monster”

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Produced by Marc Beatmonster, who gives the track its name, “Beat Monster” finds the two Zone 6 rising stars flexing their flow arsenals, switching from triplets to halting cadences to tumbling, over-the-bar-line flows, all accented with hypnotic ad-libs. Featuring a charismatic, auto-tuned appearance from Q Money, “Beat Monster” is the latest single from Blessed Lil Bastards 3, Mal & Quill’s upcoming project.

“Beat Monster” follows “Dolce Gabbana,” the duo’s collaboration with Hoodrich Pablo Juan, and the lavish videos for  “Laundry” and the Richie Souf-produced “Ain’t The Same.” Blessed Lil Bastards 3 is a testament to the Zone 6 group’s ride-or-die bond, as they exhibit a chemistry unseen in their city since the early days of Migos. Blessed Lil Bastards 3 arrives this fall via 1017 Eskimo/Alamo.

The Unknown: “Healthy” [Album Review]

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Florida’s The Unknown has been sneaking in the shadows for the majority of 2018. To this point he’s dropped a number of singles and videos to get a grasp of what’s to come. However now that we’re here and The Unknown’s debut album “Healthy” is here, we get to see the final puzzle, the bigger picture of what’s he offering in this 10 track project.

You know it’s projects like this that make me want to go back in time to when we didn’t need to drop a ton of singles and visuals before an album. “Healthy” when I first heard the title made me think this was going to be an uplifting project in an era of darkness. When the first track (the title track) comes on, The Unknown goes in on the instrumental, really waxing poetic proving his right to rap. As the track closes, The Unknown makes sure to enunciates the “HELL” in “Healthy” from that point on…..be prepared for a dark twisted ride.

I think the play of words on “Healthy” is genius because the rest of the album seems to be a journey in a breakdown. The Unknown brings us into his own world in every sense of the word. Next track “Story” is jarring and jaded, the production also provided from The Unknown brings you into the back and forth discussion going on in his head and it’s not always pretty.

Now when I say The Unknown transports you into his world, I don’t just mean in his mental state. The Unknown brings us a bevy of guest appearances on “Healthy”. The universe he’s set up here reminds me a bit of the Odd Future days. Here The Unknown provides the dark canvas or doubt, vices and regret. The guests don’t just roll through to rip a verse, they completely immerse themselves in the environment created adding their own story and experiences to the mix.

This project isn’t for everyone. The production is glitchy and jarring, to match the lyrics. The Unknown adds numerous vocal effects to demonstrate the battle within and the confusion that comes along with it. “Bad Everything” was the track that got me as our Florida hero takes the role of the voice that plays in our head but like the bad side of that. The side that tells us we’re worthless, that we’re wasting our time chasing our passions. I couldn’t help but let out an exhausted “Damn…” as I questioned my entire existence.

“Healthy” is an zany, trippy, out of this universe project. I immediately got vibes of Aesop Rock or Sadistik. As we enter the brash cold of winter, grab a blunt, grab a drink, throw this record on and let’s get “Healthy”.

You can stream “Healthy” HERE on your platform of choice.

Joell Ortiz & Apollo Brown: “Mona Lisa” [Album Review]

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There’s no real reason to mince words here but I do feel some type of introduction is warranted here. Mello Music Group has been killing the hip-hop game since its inception back in 2007. They’ve been releasing top notch quality hip-hop for over a decade now, while somehow still advancing and evolutionizing the game. Now, onto the stars of the show Joell Ortiz & Apollo Brown. I can’t front, I didn’t see this collaboration coming (how it should be) and though I was sold on the duo after hearing their first single “Decisions” I had no idea what their LP “Mona Lisa” would be like.

Fam this is easily a Top 5 record (I currently have it at #2). Apollo Brown is one of the most consistent and potent producers in the game and teaming up with Joell Ortiz is a combination I didn’t know I needed. On “Mona Lisa” we get a more mature Ortiz. After the usual and proper Apollo Brown intro, “Reflections” is the first track we get from Ortiz. He puts any Slaughterhouse talk and rumors to bed immediately. “’Im feelin’ better on my own/Took a sec for me to accept that next time I’m on the road/Won’t be no Crook, won’t be no Royce, won’t be no Joe”. You can feel the acceptance from Ortiz but also feel that he misses his team and the times had.

I believe “Reflections” sets the foundation for the rest of the record. If you’re expecting Slaughterhouse type raps over Apollo Brown production, you’re going to be disappointed. But that era is essentially over now and Joell Ortiz has adjusted and is creating for Joell Ortiz fans. Now don’t trip Ortiz is still the clever, honest, s*it talker that we’ve grown to love. Tracks like “Cocaine Fingertips” (which oh my goodness I fell out of my seat when this joint came on) and “Timberlan’d Up” (featuring Royce Da 5’9’’) bring the braggadocio that we need.

However to me where Joell Ortiz shines most is where he’s painting pictures with the stories he tells. “My Block” is the first example on the album, the vividness of the pictures Ortiz is painting of his home and things experienced is refreshing yet haunting. “That Place” though is yet another moment that still catches me off guard in my listens. Ortiz speaks about the hospital and brings the listener with him into the ER. What makes it clever though is the first verse speaks on the process and impact of losing a close friend and then in the second verse he talks about bringing a life into the world. Joell Ortiz further puts into perspective how difficult it is and how much risk is involved just to be born in this life.

Joell Ortiz & Apollo Brown like I said earlier are a combination I didn’t know I needed in my headphones. Apollo Brown’s classic mix of triumphant yet reflective instrumentals is the perfect soundscape for Joell Ortiz to rip mics but also take some time to reflect on where he’s been and where he’s going. “Mona Lisa” showcases the maturity of Joell Ortiz while making sure cats keep in mind that he’s one of the best to do it. Mello Music Group does it yet again.

Latnie: “Nu Legend” [Music Video]

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Death comes for us all but, there is potential for new life. Latnie shows his audience that even through his demise, he can live forever. His up close, unfortunate encounter turns into an incident that spurs on his second chance. He partners with Ex3 Network to deliver his vision in the “Nu Legend” music video.

“I wanted to give my fans a visual that would help the lyrics resonate with them while also putting a creative twist on the hook. One may never physically live forever, but your message can give life for eternity.” – Latnie

You can stream the single if you mess with the video right HERE.