Each month, we here at Above Average Hip-Hop sift through all of our submissions and choose one lucky album to review on the site. This month I can across the Summerville, South Carolina, trio Savage Souls. Comprised of Kae G The Original Seed, Fortune the Iron Mic Mangler and DJ Icirus, the crew reminds me of lots of people I like, so I’ll try my best to sum it up properly. They sound like a mix of Big Pun, with a side of Chris Rivers, Necro (sans the grossness), Ra The Rugged Man and Canadian group Swollen Members – all lovingly baked together into a plate of hip-hop goodness.
Their latest EP, which I listened to a few times, is Sword Gang – a 5-track appetizer for their forthcoming EP (more on that later). I have to note it’s self-produced by Kae G, which is a good look. Right from the jump, it’s a dope listen. The title track establishes the flow, kicking off with a dope sample and some cuts before it just goes off. My personal opinion, the two spitters go hardest on the tracks, Colossus and Beyond Average. The beats are full of dope samples, and compliment the artists very well. They’ve clearly found a lane that works well for them.
The main drawback from the project is that it’s sonically one-dimensional. If you like it, you’ll love it. If you’re on the fence, you won’t find anything here to sway you; although, I’ll admit that I’m slightly ignorant to their full catalogue of work. It would be dope to hear them try some different sound-beds out.
Overalls I like em’. Samples, cuts and a pause-play tape feel that I can’t help but have a soft spot for. Savage Souls are dope, and definitely deserve a few spins.
The team kicked off a year long initiative to release a total of four EPs that will culminate into a debut album in 2015. Sword Gang was their second, and their forthcoming EP Invasion should be out this summer. you can learn more about them here.
