SUPASTITION

In no particular order….

01. Brother Ali – I admit that I was late to the party with Brother Ali. I only knew of him originally through his early Scribble Jam battles. By the time the Undisputed Truth rolled around, I was a big fan of his music. His new union with Jake One (who has also produced 3 tracks for me) is a match made in heaven. Brother Ali makes me want to create songs with meaning and purpose.   

02. eLZhi – This brother is technically one of the most skilled emcees I’ve heard to date. Although we appeared on ‘Best To Do It’ together, we didn’t record any of it together nor did anyone know who was going to be on the final version of the song. Knowing that Royce AND Elzhi would be on the song, I would’ve brought my A-game. Ah well, could’ve, should’ve, would’ve….  Listening to eLZhi makes you want to write… or not write at all.

03. Jay Electronica – Jay is one artist that I would love to see win in this game. His talent can’t be denied by anyone who appreciates lyrics. Though his rhyme schemes aren’t super complex, his words are very well put together and powerful in my opinion. He also reminds me that “it’s not always what you say but how you say it”. After spending the last two years studying Pan-Africanism and reading about people like Noble Drew Ali, I started to hear his music in a different light. Still waiting on that solo album like everyone else though.  

04. Nas - I mean, seriously…. it’s Nas! What more needs to be said?

05. Shad – I found out about Shad during a trip to Ontario about 4 years ago. The promoters (BeatBinjaz) were playing his album in the car (The Old Prince) and I asked who it was. Ever since then I’ve been checking for his work. I like the balance of him being wordy but not being over-aggressive with his delivery. I dare not label him ‘Christian hip hop’ because he speaks on all types of topics and does it well. I keep his music in the iPod.

06. Andre3000 – Most artists don’t color outside the lines but Andre3000 does whatever he wants on a song regardless of who’s on it.

07. Phonte – I first met Tay through Big Dho back in 2002 when Little Brother opened up for me at my 7 Years of Bad Luck album release party. Damn, time flies! I remember spending a weekend at Phonte’s crib while in town and he played me the beat for ‘Doin’ Me’. He was going through some personal stuff at the time so he rightfully poured his heart on that song. The next day, we returned to the studio to record ‘Rolling Out’ and I said to myself, “there is no way in hell he is going to murder me on this damn song like he does everyone else”…. haha. I spit one of my favorite verses to date (“I ain’t scared of newcomers my spot’s solidified”).

08. Kil Ripkin – Many people don’t know about my brother Akil but he is one of the few that I will co-sign when it comes to music and walking the walk when it comes to African heritage and Moorish Science. I met him through Torae (who is also a member of his crew, The Coalescence) when he first moved to Charlotte. His mixtape, The Quickening, and unreleased album, The Balancing Act, constantly stays in rotation in the car. Usually when I need some inspiration in this sometimes depressing Queen City (Charlotte), I’ll make that trek to his spot to hear some newness. Plus, he always puts me up on to the good books strengthen the mind. His video, Not You, is super slept on in my opinion.

09. Mattic – An that hails from Charlotte, NC. We met years ago during the Fat City days (it was our weekly hip hop event back then). I’ve seen him go from Katskills Project to The Others and now to living in France while touring with Wax Tailor. His former group, The Others, helped shape my sound from The Deadline until now. Madwreck (of The Others) engineered almost everything on The Deadline and Chain Letters and The Mighty DR (of The Others) produces for me frequently (3 Ladies, Step By Step, Self-Centered, etc…). Lately, I’ve been rocking to Mattic’s album, Abstract Convention and it’s left field yet right on point.

10. yU – Though I had vaguely heard him on some Low Budget crew releases, I caught wind of yU on the Diamond District album (probably the hardest hip hop production I had heard since the UN [Roc Marciano’s group] album). The Before Taxes joint was crazy but I became a certified listener when he dropped The Earn.