Slept-On But Dope Hip Hop Songs From The Week Of 1/23/2012

This week’s Sunday segment is comprised of two rising stars with something to say. Both of these emcees are surrounded by seasoned veterans who seem to teach the value of paying dues, pressing music up the old fashioned way, and not going with the popcorn approach. The other artist is a veteran Wu-Tang affiliate who has ties to movements in Brooklyn and Atlanta and has found as much (if not more) success as an executive as he did as an emcee for the last 15 years.

Koncept – “Awaken”

If you frequent HipHopDX, you know that Koncept gets a lot of love around these parts, as does most of Brown Bag AllStars. That’s no coincidence – the Brooklyn-based collective is one of the few of the new school band of brothers that together and individually are all equally dope. We’re witnessing this trend in Rap right now where all of the homies jump on the mic a la Wu-Tang Clan. For a while we had these situations where guys like Nelly, 50 Cent, and Eminem got super popular and then introduced the St. Lunatics, G-Unit, and D12 respectively. Not now though. We get A$AP Rocky and immediately get A$AP Twelvy; we get Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul is right behind him (shout out to my last week slept-on pick). BBAS are no different; we meet them all. Today, we meet Koncept and producer J57 on this title track to Koncept’s debut album. “Awaken” is a pensive cut, backed by J57’s brass-heavy production, where Koncept begins at the heart of pessimism (“They say never look down, but probably worse lookin’ up”) that erupts into fists full of hope. It really is an “awakening” of sorts, and really encompasses the life of an up and coming artist. Anyone trying to reach their pinnacle in music knows it’s an uphill battle full of personal struggles mixed with politics and often forced creativity. Koncept puts it all into perspective on this track, and if his diligence is even an ounce of what it feels like from this song, he won’t stop until he’s a star. – Kathy Iandoli (@Kath3000)

LA The Darkman featuring S-Class Sonny – “Everything”

The most impressive thing about Raekwon‘s 2009 sequel to his legendary Only Built For Cuban Linx album was how seamless it felt. With nearly as many different producers as there were tracks, there were no abrupt exits; it was cohesive, cinematic and all the cooks in the kitchen stayed true to RZA‘s gloomy aesthetics. What many people may not realize is how that same magic was achieved 11 years prior on an album from another member of the extended Wu fam, LA The Darkman. LA’s late ’90s debut, Heist of The Century sported a similar dream team roster of producers all working as a single unit, Havoc, DJ Muggs, RZA, 4th Disciple and The Hitmen‘s Carlos Broady. And like Raekwon, LA had a relaxed flow that bounced over the most sinister production and was comfortable discussing life’s finer things even when the backdrop was grimy.

So, perhaps it’s fitting that the same artist responsible for one of the criminally slept-on albums of the ’90s also appears in this week’s slept-on singles section. With an assist from S-Class Sonny, LA’s latest is “Everything” and is set to appear on his upcoming Midwest Kush: Pyrex Edition Pt. 2, but it could just as easily appear on the sequel to Heist that I’ve been hoping for over the decade. LA’s rhymes pick up where ‘Fiagaro Chain” left off, “gold Cuban links” and “full length minks” while producer araabMUZIK captures some of “Polluted Wisdom’s” soul. One track down, 17 to go.

Listen to “Everything” by LA The Darkman featuring S-Class Sonny

Beedie – “Beedie Sings The Blues”

Growing up in Pittsburgh in the late ’90s, Hip Hop-infatuated kids like me idolized people like Sam Sneed and Mel-Man, as well as emerging underground acts like Lone Catalysts and Strict Flow. There were those two worlds, and they rarely seemed to mingle. In the last five years, Pittsburgh is finally getting the attention us natives feel it’s always deserved, and the lines between underground and mainstream are less defined.

Interestingly enough, a Strict Flow alum Chad Glick showed me the emcee Beedie recently, with a handful of tracks. “Beedie Sings The Blues” is an outstanding representation of Steel City Hip Hop from a name you might not already be familiar with. With superb Soul sample-based production from DJ Vex, Beedie offers up a dash of that lyricism that lives on mixtapes from gold/platinum-selling artists, and a bit of that common-man subject matter and delivery that calls me back to the Rawkus era. As I told Chad, this is exactly the kind of track that even if I don’t know very much about, sticks to my ribs enough to purchase a 12-inch single – just like those beautiful late ’90s. – Jake Paine (@Citizen__Paine)

Listen to “Beedie Sings The Blues” by Beedie

Last week’s Slept On piece.