Raashan Ahmad

Raashan Ahmad has been doing his thing in the underground hip hop game for over 15 years. He is the emcee of the Oakland based hip hop band Crown City Rockers. The band mixes old school hip hop with jazz and funk instrumentation, and Raashan Ahmad’s versatility is a perfect compliment to the music. Since the band released their third album, The Day After Forever in 2009, Raashan’s solo career has taken off. This past year he released two solid albums, Ceremony and Low Fidelity, High Quality with producer Ta-Ku, which is available as a free download. These two albums alone display the versatility of the emcee, as they are very different from one another. Check some of the tracks below and be on the lookout for both Crown City Rockers and Raashan Ahmad in the coming year.

And here’s a track with the full band off Ceremony

Cop the albums here http://jakartarecords-label.bandcamp.com/album/low-fidelity-high-quality and here http://jakartarecords-label.bandcamp.com/album/ceremony

Step Brothers

One of the most anticipated albums of 2014 has already arrived to critical acclaim. Step Brothers, consisting of Evidence and Alchemist, released Lord Steppington  this month after numerous delays. The duo have been longtime friends and collaborators, and both have remained integral parts of the rap game.

Evidence has been going strong as a rapper and producer for over 20 years, most notably for his work in the group Dilated Peoples; Alchemist was the main producer for the group. Alchemist is arguably the most prolific producer in hip hop. Also in the game for over 20 years, he has always been known for pushing the envelope with his beats, and he dominated 2013. Spearheading countless groups and working with buzzworthy artists such as Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Nas, he always remains busy.

The duo has released tracks under the moniker Step Brothers previously, but Lord Steppington is their official full-length debut. Laced with beautifully textured, moody beats and solid raps from both Ev and Alc, it far exceeded my expectations. Nobody in the game is making beats like Alchemist, and Evidence really shined on the mic. Check out a couple of the tracks below.

And as a bonus check out one of my favorite Step Brothers tracks, off Evidence’s 2010 EP I Don’t Need Love

Cop the album here http://ughh.com/step-brothers-lord-steppington/RSESBLSCD/ or digitally here https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lord-steppington-deluxe-version/id738297843

Beautiful Raw

Beautiful Raw was one of the most solid releases of 2013. Qwel & Maker had already released three quality albums since 2004, and Beautiful Raw further solidified their amazing track record. I’ve mentioned Qwel in a previous post, for his involvement in the Chicago based group Typical Cats. Maker is a producer also hailing from Chicago on the same label as Typical Cats, Galapagos4. Maker is known for his carefully layered and cinematic beats, both on his instrumental albums and on his work with the group Glue, as well as his G4 compatriots like Qwel. When the two pair up you get complex albums, with deep lyrics and skillful raps, as well as amazing, soulful beats crafted by Maker. Check some tracks from Beautiful Raw below.

Cop the album here http://www.accesshiphop.com/store/?itemid=22910 or digitally here https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/beautiful-raw/id624615009