» Del + Tame One album and Doom compilation
There’s a couple of new hip hop releases just out worth keeping your ears peeled for…
Firstly, Del & Tame One team up to create ‘Parallel Uni-verses’. Yes, Del as in the Funky Homospian and the Weathermen/Boomskwad/Leak Bros./Artifacts Tame One, it seems an odd coupling at first.
You have Ice Cube’s cousin and founder of the Hieroglyphics out of sun-kissed Oakland, the often experimental Del (think when Catch a Bad One came out in 94, plus the Deltron project) combining forces with one of New Jersey’s finest, once part of the Artifcats, original member of the Weathermen and self professed sherm smoker, the somewhat grimier Tame One.
It’s a pairing you wouldn’t see coming – but it works. It works well because of their differences in style and approach, whilst bouncing off each other in verses and hooks, not to mention some solid, solid beats and production from Parallel Thought. Some of the best beats are to be heard on ‘I am…’ and ‘Before This’. This release also features something that is often lacking in hip hop, lots of tight scratching and cutting.
‘Parallel Uni-verses’ is strewn with reminiscing and the recurring theme of dissatisfaction of current hip hop. Whilst it’s tempting to see this as an easy target as lyric fodder, dissing your contemporaries and professing superiority has always been a part of hip hop. Here’s a quick overview of some tracks,click the track name to listen to them on Spotify:
‘Flashback‘ is a tribute to ‘when New York graffiti completely personified the city’ and a look back at the early era of hip hop. It’s a track which sets the scene for the album by cementing the credentials and paid dues of these two MCs with references to early hip hop fashion, rappers and expressing a passion for their music. You can peep the video down below.
‘I am…‘ sees each rapper take just one verse each. Tame One takes the opportunity to remind us how much he’s still into his drugs, which seems to be a lot, whilst Del uses his verse to simply spit some on point bragadocious rap. You can grab a free download of this track below.
‘Before this‘ is a story about how Del and Tame started out in rap as they map out scenes at school and home from their earlier years. A real head nodder with some curvy bass strings.
‘We Taking Over‘ is smoother on the beat and talks about disappointment of most current hip hop artists’ efforts, whilst name checking a lot of legends as examples of how to do it. Tame says “There’s more people spitting than ever, it’s just that nobody’s kicking it clever. I’m proud to have heard, Organsied Konfusion and AZ, but lately this whole past decade ain’t amazed me.”
‘Special‘ is some straight up ‘you ain’t shit’ lyric flipping with a stabbing beat. Leaving behind the old school homages, it’sa good example of how these two MCs flow together. As Tame ONe finishes his verse with “…you no threat, throw your set, you solo, I’m Boba Fett”, Del slides straight in with “I’m Lando in my own millennium, falcon, a lambo, chillin’ in places you can’t go”.
Some Del & Tame One goodies
Check the video for ‘Flashback’:
Download the unreleased track ‘I am…’ via zShare or MediaFire.
» Visit the Parallel Universes microsite
» Listen to Parallel Uni-verses on Spotify
Doom – Unexpected Guests
Another release out this month is from the legendary Doom. This guy has put out more material than London Fashion Week, so when you hear about this, you might be like whaaaa? another album? so soon after ‘Born Like This’? Well, no, rather than a new Doom album, this is a collection of the best collaborations with Doom, plus a couple of solo joints for good measure, which you may, or may not have heard before, depending on your Doom geek rating.
14 tracks deep and arranged as a continous mix, this compilation also features tracks by other artists that feature Doom. You’ll find some classics like the spooky All Outta Ale and the meaty Bells of Doom, alongside some lesser known Doom gems such as the 2 minute Dilla and Doom joint, ‘Sniper Elite’ and Jake One’s Get ‘Er Done. All in all a great addition to the stash for any Doom fan.
» Buy on Boomkat (UK)
» Buy on Underground Hip Hop (US)
