andrew ft. Everyone: Flying Colors

As if 2022 hadn’t already been a hell of a year for andrew, he manages to add to his successes with a loosie that deserves as much attention as his earlier full-length offerings. The main reason being is that it takes the form of a gigantic posse cut that features the sort of guestlist that indie rap dreams are made of. Joining andrew on this self-produced behemoth are Defcee, Zilla Rocca, iAlive, Jymmy Kafka, Bloodmoney Perez, Jesse The Tree, PremRock, Rich Jones, Cody Cody Jones AND Alaska. A lineup so insane that you’d probably think I was making it up if the track wasn’t available for your listening pleasure below. As usual, downloads can be found on Bandcamp.

Defcee & Messiah Musik: Trapdoor (Stream)

Already way up in the upper echelons of 2021, Backwoodz Studioz continue their gold run with a couple more solid releases before the year is done. Defcee made his debut on the label, alongside the mighty Messiah Musik, as they joined forces to bring the world, Trapdoor. Showcasing both Defcee’s unfuckwitable writing levels and Messiah Musik’s equally indefatigable production output, Trapdoor burst into our lives and secured an AOTY placement in the process. The album is laden with top notch guests too, including features from PremRock, Alaska, Armand Hammer, Curly Castro and Henry Canyons. The album is out now and is very worthy of your concentration. You can test the waters below if you need any further convincing.

Jason Griff & Alaska: Human Zoo (Stream)

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Pleased to see the arrival of the new album from Jason Griff and Alaska, as they take us inside the Human Zoo. Being a cynical man (realist?) with a penchant for the dystopian, this album is right up my street. It also helps that Alaska is still rapping his ass off, however many years it is after I first heard him on the mic, and Griff keeps that same energy maintained throughout his production with ease. A nice selection of features too, including Fatboi Sharif, Scorcese and Love, Ulysses. Listen below, then head to Bandcamp to cop a physical and/or a throw pillow.

Jason Griff & Alaska ft. Love, Ulysses: Animal Farm

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New music on the horizon from Jason Griff and Alaska, as they ready us for the arrival of Human Zoo. All clues point to a distinctly dystopian vibe to the proceedings, including the first single from the album, Animal Farm. The full project is due for release on 3 September, but for now you can get a feel for what’s in store with this Love, Ulysses assisted joint. Pre-orders are available via Bandcamp.

Zilla Rocca: Vegas Vic (Stream)

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More essential listening from Wrecking Crew, as Zilla Rocca unleashes his new album, Vegas Vic. Zilla is the second member of the crew to raise the bar with their solo material this year, following on from PremRock’s magnificent, Load Bearing Crow’s Feet, which emerged back in June. Zilla’s pen is flowing stronger than ever, living up to the claims that this is his boldest album yet. The production picks prove the perfect fit too, with Disco Vietnam scoring the lion’s share of the credits, alongside contributions from Small Professor, Doc Heller, DJ M-1, Mute Speaker and The Expert, plus DJ Chong Wizard flexing his skills on the opening track. No surprises on a few of the features, thanks to guest spots from PremRock, Curly Castro and Alaska, as well as Scorcese, ialive and Alex Ludovico. You can check the album out in full below, then go cop yourself a download or physical via Chong Wizard.

Wrecking Crew: Steel’s Kitchen (Stream)

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Wrecking Crew assemble in full for their new project, which channels the spirit of the crew and label compilations that came before them. Every aspect of the album is on point, from the production picks and the artists they’re paired with, down to the song titles and artwork. Some stand out moments for me, include the Alaska assisted ShrapKnel track, Broken Handstyle, which features some rousing production from Steel Tipped Dove, and one of two fresh new Career Crooks joints, Looks Easy When it Works, which is further bolstered by Marcus Pinn’s precision cuts. The whole thing is worth your attention though and you can peruse it at your leisure below, with downloads, physicals and merch stacked up over on Bandcamp.

Cargo Cults: Nihilist Millennial (Stream)

The Wrecking Crew continue their gold run with this new collaboration between Zilla Rocca and Alaska. It marks the first fully produced album that Zilla has made for another rapper; something he definitely needs to do more of, as I’m sure you will agree after hearing the album. There is a reignition of the energy that Alaska and Zilla found on Doobie Brothers earlier this year, as Zilla drops in on Great Rap Duo, and then a further Wrecking Crew feature from Curly Castro on Pinky Toe. You can hear the album in full below and then head to Bandcamp to check the physical and merch offers.

Jumbled: August Heat (Stream)

Excellent new project to remind us of warmer times, as Jumbled releases August Heat. The project took shape during a particularly scorching summer in Baltimore, as Jumbled gathered together some of his recent beats with the aim of finding an MC to jump on them. This quickly turned from one contributor to many, as Jumble enlisted the ample assistance of Torito, ialive, Berko Lover, Alaska, Luke Sick and a whole load more. The album is available to stream below, with ‘name your price’ downloads found over on Bandcamp.

Words Hurt: The Attitude

Words Hurt have returned with a surprise new EP, as a sort of follow-up to last November’s Soul Music For The Soulless LP. I say sort of follow-up because the songs were actually written and recorded before the Soul Music project, according to Alaska. He explained that The Attitude was created in the vein of a punk record, with shorter track lengths and more of a focus on hooks, essentially inspired by Group Sex by Circle Jerk. You can stream the EP below and downloads are available over on Bandcamp.

Alaska: Interview

Alaska – he of Hangar 18, Atoms Family and more recently Words Hurt fame – released his new album today. This time he has teamed up with the producer PJ Katz and the pair have concocted a jazz-fuelled journey, with a whole bunch of different guests making their appearances along the way. I last spoke to Alaska back in 2016, when I interviewed him for Grown Up Rap, so I thought now would be a good time to have another chat about a few things, including the new record and reflecting on the past. There is also a new video from the album, which you can watch below.