This week’s underground hip-hop track of the week is Random’s Granny Smith. This track is one of a handful of great lyrical storytelling tracks from Random’s new album “The 8th Day,” which has a review coming soon. Granny Smith tells the story of a young boy who’s favorite teacher helps him through hardships at home, while commenting on domestic battery, flaws in the education system, and the mindstate of young people. Click below to listen:
And follow along with the lyrics after the break. (more…)
This is a new video from one of my favorite underground emcees, Random, who is from one of my favorite underground labels, RAHM Nation. Random’s albums “The Call” and “Mega Ran” both have spots on my regular rotation. This video is for Fly, which is the first single off Random’s new album “Patches and Glue,” which the cats at RAHM Nation sadly never sent me - so I guess I gotta actually go out and cop it.
The final American Gangster project is here, but this one is for gamers, not gangsters. Created by Random of RAHM Nation, K-Murdock of Panacea, Ravage and Macross, “American Gamer” is available for free download here: http://www.zshare.net/download/7787078ae24a89/
Random made big news last year with his critically acclaimed album “The Call,” which was voted among the top ten underground hip-hop albums of 2006. Shortly after a move from his hometown of Philadelphia to Phoenix, Arizona, Random followed the example of several hip-hop heavyweights this year by releasing an album for free download to his fans. That album, “Mega Ran,” is based on the Mega Man video game, and successfully gives the characters individual voices and a spoken agenda - a perspective of the classic video game never attempted before.
The self-proclaimed “Bruce Wayne of hip-hop” is a mild-mannered school teacher by day, and a “bad-guy slaying emcee” by night whose lyrics transcend boundaries to reflect the pursuits, accomplishments and struggles of the common man. (more…)
Ohene “Inner City Soul” Album Review
I’m calling it now … independent album of the year goes to Rahm Nation’s Ohene! Ohene’s “Inner City Soul” is easily one of my favorite hip-hop albums of 2007 thus far, underground or mainstream, and is a masterpiece of poetic, lyrical and productive proportions. Every track on this album is dope; every verse is quotable; every song is both intellectually and socially significant. I just can’t stop listening to this album, and I guarantee that most fans of meaningful conscious hip-hop will feel the same. (more…)
Random “The Call” Album Review Man, the underground never ceases to amaze me. I’ve been struggling to find albums to write about lately. Over the past two weeks, I’ve checked out five new and pretty major hip-hop albums, which cost me over seventy dollars total, yet none inspired me to think, do research, or write about anything. And that sucks. (more…)