There’s one thing to love and admire the golden era and draw influence from it while incorporating it into contemporary sounds, and then there’s having lived it—and building/adding to a sound that never truly died. Enter Ras Beats, a producer who’s making some of the hottest underground New York flavors…
“[Andre 3000] just sat next to us eating tomato soup, pretty much just talking about how much of a big fan he is of us.” Divine Council–the foursome of Lord Linco, Cyrax!, ICYTWAT, and $ilkmoney–is undoubtedly one of the more exciting acts that are destined to bloom into fruition this…
Snowgoons, the four-man production/hip-hop outfit comprised of Det Gunner, DJ Illegal, Sicknature, and J.S. Kuster have been one of the most visible best-kept secrets in hip-hop for a while now. With a decade-long rap sheet of content in their catalogue, they’ve made it their business to keep that chunky orchestral…
“I remember going to the studio with Big Boi, and going there, and meeting him. I was playing some of my music over the AUX and saw him in the back of the room with his eyes closed swaying in the back.” –Matt Citron As a city, Atlanta has a…
Orcutt–California–producer TyrelleVitiello has been dropping smooth hip-hop instrumentals into our inbox for a while now; we thought it was only right to help our super-dope readers learn a little bit more about the incredibly underrated beatmaker. Check out the Q&A below, and peep his work below. How did you get…
“I don’t want to compromise my vision of hip hop or myself… there is always a social consciousness to what I do”—Zion I Recently, Above Average Hip Hop had the opportunity to speak with MC Zion I, AKA Zumbi, about his first album as a solo artist The Labyrinth. Zion…
DJ Prince Paul and producer Don Newkrik bring the streets of Brooklyn to the sounds of Brazil and form Brookzill; an innovative hip hop collaboration with Brazilian MC Rodrigo Brandão AKA Gorila Urbano and the legendary Ladybug Mecca. Together they are a group made up of hip-hop all-stars and their…
“When I was 16, there was no such thing as a 44-year-old rapper. Now that I’m 44, this is new ground that some of my contemporaries and I are breaking. “ –Slug It’s hard to talk about the combination of staying consistent and longevity in the game without mentioning Atmosphere…
