On December 29, Statik Selektah and Termanology brought a webcam into their Brooklyn studio to let fans watch them record an EP live. ML was watching and peppering Term and Statik with requests to make snow angels. I went to sleep before they finished, so I don’t know if they ever did. I was surprised when a big doughy guy named Action Bronson came through and delivered the standout verse. The next day, our esteemed colleague HL would ask, “So why didn’t anyone tell me about this crazy lumberjack looking guy from Flushing Queens that sounds like a hybrid of Ghostface and Vast Aire?” My thoughts exactly.
Almost missed this one. Self Scientific (DJ Khalil and Chace Infinite) enlisted Freddie Gibbs and Krondon to raise awareness about the death of Oscar Grant.
G-Side and Freddie Gibbs represent Huntsville, Alabama and Gary, Indiana respectively. Both cities are not known for hip-hop, though that’s quickly changing for Huntsville. In this regard, Oakland rapper Stevie Joe is slightly out of place. He was surprised to even appear on the song:
Gibbs hurdled Indiana’s lack of an established hip-hop market in 2010 (XXL Freshman, Pitchfork Festival headliner). His verse, which was probably mailed in, brings his usual unvarnished destitution. G-Side seize on the added exposure of a Freddie Gibbs feature to introduce first-time listeners to Huntsville. To that end, ST 2 Lettaz (half of G-Side) patterns his verse after Jay-Z’s first verse on “Where I’m From.” He imitates Jay’s flow, copies the verse’s schemes, and he borrows the final couplet, replacing Marcy with “Huntsvegas.”
He lures hip-hop heads with a classic reference and then knocks them over the head with his Alabama state of mind. Fans of cold rhymes and minimalist beats will hit download at the sight of Freddie, but they’ll get a full view of Huntsville’s range of talent. Both of North Alabama’s premier production outfits craft the beat to ensure it’s a good first impression. Asks Stevie in his opening verse, “Real knock — what more could you ask for?”
