After locking himself in the lab for fine-tuning to his debut The Spark, the always out-of-the-box Spree Wilson has reemerged to release his new single and video, “King Sh*t (The Answer).” Like pretty much everything else the A-Town artist releases, Wilson’s road from rags to royalty is laced with all sorts of elements atypical to most rap songs, including an open mindset that allows them to be there in the first place. Read the rest of this entry »

Deciding who’s the best spitter between Joell, Bun, and Tech is just a matter of preference. The bottom line is that all three of these emcees can rappity-rap circles around the vast majority of the rest of the industry. Read the rest of this entry »

A few months ago, when director Derek Pike was brainstorming up ideas for the video to Joell Ortiz & Novel’s everyman anthem, “Night Train,” the former NYU student didn’t have to get too elaborate on his storyboard. As visual as the BX Slaughterhouse member spits, the blueprint was right there in the bars. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m starting to run out of words for what to say when Joell & Novel link up. Their talent is undeniable & so is the chemistry these two possess. Miss Info pegged them “the underground’s ‘best of both worlds’” & I think that’s a pretty fitting title. Read the rest of this entry »

Still putting the finishing touches on his Legato Blues Summer mixtape Novel unleashed a track to tide us over. Although this is from his debut album Calligraphy, the mellowed out vibes are as refreshing as when the heat finally breaks on a hot summer day. Read the rest of this entry »

Statik Selektah slides in to remix Joell’s “Kawl Me,” redoing it by matching three notable ’90s beats that fit right alongside Joell’s “allow me to look back” lyrics. Read the rest of this entry »

I swear this video has been out for a minute, but it must have been the BTS or something.  Following the lyrics  like it was the letter of law, Joell & Novel bring this tale of teenage love to life.  Not that it was needed due to Joell’s DVD flow, the attention to detail in this clip is greatly appreciated.

Stuff like this gives me Rap City withdrawl…

If you were to go by the title alone, you’d expect this tape to be of otherworldly proportions.  But even if it somehow manages to somehow miss their lofty goals, their standard output easily outpaces most of their contemporaries.  So the outcome of either scenario should be a win for listeners. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s always a surreal experience when the Crew gets together for various functions.  Everyone has their distinct quirks and idiosyncrasies, so it makes for great people watching and stories.  I’ve been around Contra™ on two occasions and I’ve never seen him consume actual food.  He exists solely on what you see in the picture above.  If he were to bleed, I’m positive his blood would look like ashy battery acid.  Read the rest of this entry »

Joell could sing the same old song all the time and I wouldn’t get tired of it. Spin the same themes — poverty, hustlin’ & the come-up — and it’ll still sound better than each time before, leading you to believe “damn, this guy had the worst adolescence ever.” The reason being is because he’s always able to bring out an unrevealed strand with intimate detail. Read the rest of this entry »

A trio of recent tracks from Mr. Ortiz as an audio offering. Read the rest of this entry »

R&B music doesn’t sound like R&B anymore. At least not what my grandmother would consider R&B. I’m all for the blending and expanding of genre boundaries, but there’s a reason terms like “purists” become sub-sections within genres. People want to hear what originally endeared them to the music in the first place.  As much as I can’t deny Mario’s “Break Up,” it’s better suited for Friday night escapades than Saturday morning house cleaning sessions. Read the rest of this entry »

In honor of Independence Day, Novel drops off his Suspended Animation mixtape in an effort to liberate us radio’s bland playlists.  Consisting of both original works and interpolations, Novel sings and (occasionally) raps his way through the tape.  Boasting features by Ced Hughes, Ghostface, Joell Ortiz, Papoose & Spree Wilson this could be considered by some to be easy listening.  Judge for yourself after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

Being mulit-talented is definitely a gift and a curse.  When the sky’s the limit to your abilities, sometimes just accepting the fact that you should only climb to the top of the tree is hard to discern.  As an emcee/singer/producer Novel could Read the rest of this entry »

Ever the musician, Novel (who also has production on Asher Roth’s album) strips KiD CuDi’s “Sky Might Fall” and gives it some personality. Look out for more “Internet Novelities” as they drop out of…well…the sky. Read the rest of this entry »