We covered "I Know" yesterday as part of M-Dot's "A Notebook With No Light" album. Produced by Chill-ill with cuts from DJ Decepta. The track remains M-Dot's statement about focus, motivation, and perseverance despite distraction. The video uses clever imagery — M-Dot as a conscience in the background of everyday scenarios. A record about discipline, not success.
The album title "Suge Knight Is Really A Good Guy" is deliberately provocative — Suge Knight as one of hip-hop's most controversial figures. 067Red uses this as an ironic frame for a 14-track project featuring The Musalini, Bruiser Wolf, and BeenOfficialOrd. Production mainly by Zilly900, with contributions from Lo Katana, Tremendiss, Redhands, Bad Lungz, Dev Rodgers, Boneweso, and Skipdakid. Short track lengths (mostly under two minutes) keep the pace aggressive. Titles like "95' Source Awards," "Karbon Fiber Bonnet," and "I.B.S.V." show a mix of hip-hop history and absurdist humor.
"Water to Wine" is conceptually deliberate: water as origin, wine as transformation. Each track follows a liquid theme ("Barry Water," "Precipitation," "Streams," "Hydration," "Holy Water"). The biblical reference (John 2 — Jesus' first miracle at Cana) gives the project spiritual foundation. Features from Fashawn, Blu, Frannie EL, Shari, G-Holy, and Big Tone. All beats by Big O, mixed and mastered by Argiris 'Argy W' Psylomesis. This isn't a loose tape; it's a fully composed statement about renewal, faith, and transformation.
Enemthagreat drops "Nomercy4Nightmares" through Soulspazm — eight tracks spanning "International," "Plug Runnin'," "Dear God," and "Big Spit." The title is blunt: no mercy for nightmares, no room for weakness. Track lengths stay compact, the sound stays focused. Enem operates in street-rap territory without a crowded guest list — solo presence, direct message.
"High Times" arrives as a double-LP with roughly 50 minutes per side. This isn't standard album formatting; it's either an extended beat tape, a mix, or a sonic meditation. Unofficial Official keeps the name deliberately ambiguous. Without a tracklist or structural breakdown, the project is hard to categorize — but the length signals ambition or experimental intent. Music meant to be submerged in, not skimmed.
B1 The Architect and Flashbang Jimmy deliver a massive conceptual album. The title "The Dark Forest Hypothesis" references the solution to the Fermi paradox (popularized by Cixin Liu), suggesting alien civilizations remain silent for self-preservation. The album blends Def Jux-era dystopian dread with Madvillainy's warm textures. B1 produces most tracks, with Wendigo and DJ Goadman contributing. The feature list is elite underground: Loe Pesci, Daniel Son, G Fam Black, Le Zeppo, and D-Rec (Cuts). A psychedelic, profound trip exploring addiction, loss, and modern life. GOHN provides the artwork. A standout release.
The Last Kobayashi (likely referencing Star Trek's Kobayashi Maru test or director Masaki Kobayashi) delivers four tracks. "Your Latest Me," "Hero In This Mind," "Atlas Cursed," "Empathy For The Devil" (Rolling Stones reference). The title "Mount Zion Found" suggests Rastafarian or biblical redemption motifs. A highly conceptual, philosophically leaning release.
DJ B.Ros delivers a short conceptual release: two tracks, one "Queensbridge," one "Shaolin" (Staten Island). The two boroughs/projects represent the most important musical architectures of '90s rap (Mobb Deep/Nas/Cormega vs. Wu-Tang Clan). As a DJ release, this is likely a tribute mix or mashup series pitting these specific, foundational sound identities against one another.
Australian producer Taco Bellinger releases "Painters Tape," an 18-track producer album. The description "Works hanging on the walls of a gallery" fits the structure: many tracks hovering around the 1:30 mark, functioning as short, dense vignettes. The diverse feature list includes Grim Littlez, Xavier Vincent, Ayuba SOQS, Omega Nova, K Tha Sovereign, Benedict Gilet, Sowdy, Diggy Dialekt, Marksman Lloyd & Coin Banks, Ash Leon, Denairo, Universal, Thezes, Rich$oul, and Sunny POC. "Soulful loops, dusty drums, roaring basslines." A fascinating cross-section of the international underground curated from an Australian beatmaker's perspective.
Rique Wit Da Wickz presents a 7-track project via The 17th Cipher. Production handled by Blackadinme, Kash Flow, True Cipher, and Drugs Beats (the latter mentioned earlier today with Johnny Ciggs). Features from Liym Capital and Doe Boy Philly on "Easy Money." Track titles like "Nine Inch Nails," "Mason Betha" (Ma$e), and "Polo Shirt & Nautica Jeans" promise a heavy '90s reference system. Executive Produced by Harmoni Equality, mixed and mastered by Mudnoc Studios. A clear commitment to Golden Era aesthetics.
Quintessential delivers the 12-track album "Devolving." Described as a "dusty descent into a world devoid of humanity and self worth," the project leans heavily into dystopian themes. Track titles like "Rorschach," "Odin's Rings," "Fibonacci," and "Industry Rule 4080" (A Tribe Called Quest reference) indicate broad cultural and literary horizons. Sankofa (previously noted today) appears on "Feeding Wolves." The self-description "Words In Peace: Waves" suggests a deeply conceptual approach to the writing process.
Hell'z OWN releases "2C" in three distinct versions: Fast, Slow, and standard. This concept is unusual for traditional rap releases, leaning closer to producer tools or DJ edits. Varying the tempo of the same source material demonstrates how BPM alters the fundamental perception and mood of a track. Minimal information keeps the release cryptic and focused entirely on the sonic experiment.
Prince Fellaga and Tha Trickaz drop the "Suprêmes Mathématiques" EP on Buster Call Records. Tha Trickaz handle all production, recording, mixing, and mastering. Five tracks featuring Agallah The Don on the title cut and Hill G on "Godfather." The title "Suprêmes Mathématiques" and tracks like "Les 120 Leçons" directly reference the Supreme Mathematics of the Five-Percent Nation (Nation of Gods and Earths) – an ideology foundational to US hip-hop but rarely explicitly explored in French rap. Securing Agallah The Don (8-Off The Assassin) as a feature provides direct lineage to that New York foundation.
Official album release: Juneteenth
FOLLOW THE SCROLLZ:
IG: @rasceylon @real9thprince @originaltimboking @wutangbrand
Ras Ceylon is an Oakland, California–based MC and the first Sri Lankan rapper to emerge within the western Hip-Hop canon (debut in 1999), blending West Coast independence, precise lyricism, and reggae influences with ancestral awareness and a global perspective. His music bridges regions, lineages, and generations while maintaining deep Hip-Hop credibility, aligning him with artists who share his militant, socially conscious vision and establishing him as a singular voice in both the international and independent Hip-Hop landscape.
Scrollz of Lion Rock is Ras Ceylon’s ninth official studio album, slated for release in 2026, and marks a pivotal expansion of his Hip-Hop lineage. Built on the creative foundation of his 2024 project Jacket Fulla Medalz with Wu-Tang affiliate Timbo King, the album elevates that partnership into a fully realized, long-form statement that cements Ras Ceylon within the Wu Killa Beez lineage while highlighting his unique globally grassroots voice.
Co-directed by Timbo King—who appears throughout the album as a recurring guest presence—Scrollz of Lion Rock features Wu-Tang Clan family Cappadonna, Prodigal Sunn, 9th Prince, and Solomon Childs, alongside acclaimed MCs Ras Kass and Planet Asia—voices woven seamlessly into the album’s narrative, functioning as extensions of a shared militant and lyrical tradition rather than conventional features. Executive produced by Oliver “Power” Grant & shaped through A&R direction by Matthew “M80” Markoff (Holy Toledo Productions), the project stands as a cohesive, long-form statement rooted in legacy, lyricism, and militant Hip-Hop tradition.
Through this album, Ras Ceylon carries forward a disciplined, socially conscious Hip Hop ethos while expanding its reach across coasts, generations, and cultures, adding a vital new chapter to that legacy. Rooted in boom-bap fundamentals and sharpened by present-day urgency, the album confronts themes of power, resistance, survival, and cultural memory with precision and weight. Tracks such as “DisInfoAge”, “Free The World”, and “Ancestorz” reflect the project’s political clarity and enduring relevance. The album’s title, intro, and cover art draw from Sigiriya (Lion Rock)—an ancient Sri Lankan rock fortress symbolizing strength, endurance, and inherited knowledge—framing the record as both historical reflection and contemporary statement.
Sonically, the album is highlighted by DJ Allah Mathematics, longtime DJ and creator of the iconic Wu “W” logo, whose involvement lends the project both musical authority and symbolic lineage. Additional production from Cruise, Dawit Justice, and HBK’s AkaFrank forms a raw, cohesive soundscape rooted in authentic Hip Hop textures. Scrollz of Lion Rock stands as a focused, culturally resonant release built for legacy and collector permanence.
Scrollz of Lion Rock is out Friday 19th June - https://label-caster.ffm.to/pnj7f81vtj
Ralphy Red and Lopez Milano deliberately pick up the Griselda prayer aesthetic on "Pray For Filthydelphia" and drag it through Philly grime. Six tracks, with "Outlander" as the ignition point, and a cover concept built around the LOVE statue and King David at prayer. The key is that it doesn’t work as pure homage; it works as local recoloring. Filthydelphia means opulent dirt, mafia rap from the mud, a city caught between sin, triumph, and the need for grace.
"A Flower Blooms In May 3" continues Kail Problems’ ongoing series with growth, struggle, healing, and self-reflection at the center. Across 13 tracks, with appearances from DJ Hoppa, K.A.A.N., and Def-I, the project leans into mellow production, soul textures, and emotionally grounded writing. "The Cut" with K.A.A.N. brings sharper technical energy, while "California Grass," "97 Kisses," and "Middle Of July" move closer to mood and memory. This isn’t an aggressive bar exhibition; it’s a grown record with quiet depth.
"Vermillon EP" is lean but properly framed: three tracks, fully produced by Leisure Suit Marvy, recorded by Von Wolken, mixed and mastered by Darc Morcel and Fred Porc FDP. Pirate Nitro moves over raw, sample-based boom-bap textures without smoothing out the French-language edge. Ryu MC and Dyzberg appear with purpose rather than crowding the project. "7 Spirit Pagoda" opens with an Eastern-coded visual trace, "Neighborhood Delicacies" brings it closer to the block, and the title cut gives the EP its color and shape.
Jinnahcide operates inside UK underground rap with a clearly marked Pakistani identity. The name references Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and "Rehman Dakait" pulls on a real figure from Karachi — none of this imagery is accidental. Ten tracks moving between "Overlord," "Dead Wrong," "Dark Web," and "Bittersweet Hood Symphony" build a coherent universe. The project doesn’t try to sound like every other UK release; it uses the tension between diaspora experience, street language, and hard drums as its core fuel.
"ATLANTE" is a dense Italian underground project: KRAMPO on the mic, Danny Korza handling the entire beat, mix, and master side. Ten tracks, with features from Kazawi, Vuoto, Sweet Sindaco, NONe, and Slide, plus DJ Shrek providing scratches on the title cut. Names like "Nero Lucido," "Echelon," "Blu di Metilene," and "Spade Telluriche" carry their own poetic and slightly dark imagery — this isn’t standard Italian trap; it’s firmly rooted in boom-bap and lo-fi underground territory. Released through MP7 Mob, with art direction by Lorenzo Accorti.
"Bullpen 5" runs its baseball metaphor all the way through: "Get The Horns," "Unnecessary Roughness," "Practice," "Throne And Crown." Benny From The Sandlot already carries the imagery in his name, while Stotty P supplies the production framework. Twelve tracks with a wide guest list — $lyPro, Tony Tig, B Ill Rhymes, Kartoon, Mek, Hurricane Ceasar, John J, Mic Hoffa, G Knowledge, JC, Elzmoneymusic — clearly point to posse-tape logic rather than a solo statement. Cuts like "Hell On Earth" and "Psychosis" show the project isn’t locked into sporting-bravado mode; it walks into darker rooms too.
For the second single from their upcoming collaboration album, Tuff Racket, Noah23 x Fresh Kils tap the talents of ShrapKnel’s PremRock, a frequent collaborator of Fresh Kils. This time around, Kils provides a sunny, synthy, summer jam that somehow still has a darkness to it. Maybe it’s the drums. Still, iIt’s a perfect dichotomy that suits the subject matter, and the stripped back beat puts the focus squarely on the lyrics. For those, Noah23 and PremRock combine concepts of anti-capitalism, drug culture, movie references, and battle rap braggadocio. “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” reveals a trio of artists that combine for a powerful hip hop combo.
Written and performed by Noah23 and PremRock
Produced by Fresh Kils
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