New Indie Hip Hop to enjoy all Weekend
Happy 2022 Fellow 88ers. I pray the year ended peacefully for you, full of new plans and goals for the year to come. Even if you didnt write down some resolutions, I hope you use every day to become a better you this year. Thats the mission on this side of the cypher and we look forward to having an even bigger year on all fronts in 2022. Already we just had MIC NICKELS on Cyph Lyfe Radio last night and have RHINOSEROUS FUNK of GUERILLA GROOVES RADIO and HONEY DINERO on Tues and Thurs of next week, and the OG KURIOUS talking to us 2 Thursdays from now. Bigger and Better is the name of the game for 2022. Lets start it off with some new music (More Music than review this time). Enjoy the 1st Bag of 2022.
MIC NICKELS – BARS FOR DAYS
Had an amazing interview with the brother MIC NICKELS of MONEY HUNGRY BASTARDS last night on CYPH LYFE Radio. My mind was blown by how many layers this brother has. If Shrek considered himself an Onion, MIC NICKELS is more like a tray of Baklava. Established Emcee, Crew Member, Live Jazz Band Front Man, Bar Tender, University of Miami Graduate, Booking Agent, Husband, Father, and now Author. NICKELS gave us a quick tour of his beginnings in the rap game as a student at UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, as he showed off his HURRICANE pride. I had no idea MIC was tied in with the Miami Hip Hop scene that deep, getting booked by Oski Gonzalez, Brimstone, and Nasty from the early 2000’s, performing at a number of local venues and festivals with his former band. He took us through the forming of MHB, His linking with the jazz musicians who would become NICKEl DIME OPS, and told us about the toll Covid took on him and his family along with the loss of his mother at the beginning of the pandemic. It was out of this tragic time that MIC NICKELS says he took some time to jot down his life stories as a form of therapy, which became the book he has recently published, BARS FOR DAYS. He released an album to accompany the book, and it is everything a long time MIC NICKELS fan has been waiting for, and more. With some fantastic features from MHB Family KEEF WOOKIE on Cuts, WHICHCRAFT on MR SLEEP, and MR CORD lending some of the most fire productions on the album on the TIMBO KING feature THINGS TO COME, and the METHOD MAN featured album closer EL MATADOR, which we learned last night was originally supposed to feature MF DOOM, who was never able to record his verse due to his failing health right before his passing. The album is perfectly paced, with enough ruckus, wordplay, substance, hard hitting production, and melodic moments to please any fan of hip hop at any level, from beginner “casual” listener to die-hard Hip Hop head. I laugh as I remember MIC explaining how he gets weird looks from his “Non Hip Hop” friends, and acquaintances he tells about his new book “BARS FOR DAYS”. He explains, “They don’t understand what that term means, I mean we get it cuz its Hip Hop Lingo, but they don’t know what a “Bar” Is.” They must think it’s a book about Alcoholism. Funny thing is, the title is a double entendre for not only the endless amount of rhymes he has written as an emcee, but also about the countless bars he has worked in as a starving artist waiting on his big break. Chuck-full of the true stories that shaped MIC NICKELS and influenced his music, BARS FOR DAYS is an autobiographical companion to an album that is already superbly written. If you copp the book, it comes with UR Barcode on the front cover so you can download a copy of the album as well. That’s 2 for the price of one. Make sure you support the book and get familiar with this artist with deep roots in Miami, who has made Hip Hip his life’s calling and has figured out how to live off of it without ever selling out.
Get your copy of BARS FOR DAYS at – spotmeanickel.com
Daniel Son & Futurewave – Son Tzu & The Wav.God (Album)
This actually dropped last Saturday, January 1st, and was the hottest album to kick off 2022 in my opinion. Daniel Son has always been nice but he is in full form on SON TZU & THE WAV GOD or maybe its the dirty production of FUTUREWAVE that make this album so hard to keep from replaying. Go on the journey with SON TZU and THE WAV GOD as you start off the year.
Mickey Diamond – Bangkok Dangerous 3 (Album)
Merakai – Merakai (EP)
California Producer MERAKAI delivers an amazing debut album featuring what are sure to be Underground Hits with SKYZOO & HYPE (KNIGHTED), NOVELESS (The self titled MERAKAI), and CHE NOIR & KING JVMES (WANDERER), while CHINCH 33 puts on a clinic on cutting up classic hip hop snips ala DJ Premier. The whole album is smooth Hip Hop from beginning to end and sure to MERAKAI on your radio.
Choco Valens – “Mad Villain & MF DOOM Tribute” (Video)
Miami’s favorite mad man, CHOCO VALENS, is back with a homage to the Masked Villain MF DOOM. I had the pleasure of kicking it with CHOCO for the filming of the MAD VILLAIN video due to drop soon. Witnessing him spit these bars in public, on a corner in Wynwood with a river of passer-byers goggling as he rages on corrupt governments, Oppressive Police Departments, Sinister Secret Societies and wack commercial rappers. Be on the look out for the video coming soon and enjoy this moving graphic for the single MAD VIILLAIN.
LEO DAVINCCI – PROSPER 2022
Happy Birthday Week to the big homie LEO DAVINCCI. True to his form, instead of asking for something for his bday, he blessed us with a new single. Came to find out he dropped this while were away for the holiday, but its called PROSPER 2022 so we thought it would be the perfect song to start the new year with.
DAVINCCI summarizes the song as follows: “This is the first release from Leo DaVincci’s cover project “Getting Up Vol. 2” where he reworks the original songs in this case “Prosper” by Russ. The inspiration came when we noticed covering songs in the HipHop genre is frowned upon so he wanted to make his own take and what is a cover and how would he flip it being a produced and songwriter of today. If you like this version please feel free to share and tag Russ on all social platforms!”
https://leodavincci.bandcamp.com/album/prosper-2022
Che` Noir ft Ransom & 38 Spesh – Table For 3 (Prod. by Che` Noir)
PremRock – Load Bearing Crow’s Feet + Bonus Track (Full Album)
Aging is a trip. People wear their years in interesting ways. If you find yourself mining your past through the traces of your face you are certainly not alone. Choosing who you hitch your wagon to can be of utmost importance and at the risk of being reductive, be careful who you fuck with. Remorse is always just a stone’s throw away. Fittingly, this collaboration is a long time coming. The history between New York artist PremRock and Backwoodz Studioz is deep, forged on hardscrabble cross-country tours, late Brooklyn nights, DIY showcases and one very memorable wedding. This long association was formalized with Backwoodz release of ShrapKnel in 2020: a rowdy collaboration between PremRock and Curly Castro that has earned praise from fans and critics alike. PremRock’s solo LP Load Bearing Crow’s Feet is a different animal, pensive and at times poignant, exploring themes as universal as they are evergreen. Bar-stool prophets, weary junkies, timecard punchers and unrepentant grifters all share the same shabby stage, knowing all too well that past is prologue. Buoyed as always by the redoubtable Willie Green, the backdrop is a diverse collage of the underground’s vanguard du jour, led by tracks from Denmark Vessey, Small Professor, BrainOrchestra, Messiah Musik, Fresh Kils, Zilla Rocca, and Prem himself. A true to form Backwoodz affair features guest vocals from ELUCID, Fielded, Curly Castro, Henry Canyons, as well as AJ Suede and cuts by Marcus Pinn. Art direction by Kyle Tierce of Memetic Supply. This is not PremRock’s first album but it is his most fully realized work, imbued with humanity, wit and rare emotional depth. Load Bearing Crow’s Feet is a stirring testimony to an emerging talent, a lifetime in the making.
Lunatic – Tales of a Grand Wizard (EP)
Paka the Plug put me on to this. Lunatic new project “Tales of a Grand Wizard”. featuring Rick Hyde, Estee Nack, and Bless Picasso . Stream/Buy : https://cocareef1.bandcamp.com/album/…
Lunatic – Tales of a Grand Wizard Tracklist 01. Intro 02. Slave Cotton (Feat. Estee Nack) 03. Apple Riesling (Feat. Bless Picasso) 04. Rosemary’s Letter 05. Lost & Found (Feat. Rick Hyde) 06. Male Figure 07. Outro
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