Spectacular Diagnostics ft. Curly Castro, Illogic & Defcee: Class + LP News

Spectacular Diagnostics is gearing up for the release of a new album, which looks set to continue the pretty formidable run he has been on for the last few years. The Chicago producer has a habit of amassing an impeccable roster of guests for his releases and the tracklist for RAW LESSONS is further proof of that particular skill.
Take the new single, Class, which features a trio of commanding voices, in the form of Curly Castro, Illogic and Defcee. Elsewhere on the album, we find a diverse range of appearances from the likes of Sonnyjim, Bruiser Wolf, CLBRKS, Fatboi Sharif and Lee Scott, collectively bringing forth one of the most intriguing lineups I’ve seen for years.
You’ve got to wait until March for the full release, but if you head over to Bandcamp you can hear another feature from King Kashmere, as well as one of the instrumental cuts that pepper the album. Pre-orders for digital and vinyl are also available.

ShrapKnel ft. billy woods: Mescalito Remix (prod. by DJ Haram)

How do you improve on greatness? Well if this latest release from ShrapKnel is anything to go by, then the answer is to get DJ Haram involved. The 700 Bliss producer and Backwoodz affiliate brought new vitality to PremRock and Curly Castro’s Mescalito track, which also includes a feature from billy woods. Now the remix has been given the ideal accompaniment, thanks to some visuals from Modungoa Sebokholi AKA Mo Sebo. You can hear both the remix of Mescalito and the original on Metal Lung, which is out now on Backwoodz Studioz.

ShrapKnel: Lazy Dog

A brand new video from the equally new ShrapKnel album, as Curly Castro and PremRock reconvene in their faultless combination to deliver another essential set of raps. Lazy Dog features production from Steel Tipped Dove, while the video was made by Owen Taylor and Mike Petrow. The album, Metal Lung, is out now on Backwoodz Studioz.

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.

Curly Castro ft. Breeze Brewin: Weapon 13X + LP Stream

Sticking with the Backwoodz camp for a minute, as yesterday marked the release of the highly anticipated solo album from Curly Castro. Following in the footsteps of his Wrecking Crew brethren, PremRock and Zilla Rocca, the ShrapKnel MC pulled out all the stops to make Little Robert Hutton another contender for those album of the year lists. Among the many gems to be found on the album, is the Breeze Brewin assisted, Weapon 13X, which you can watch the video for below. The track is produced by Quelle Chris and the video was made by Duncecap. If you’re yet to experience the rest of the album, you can peruse a few joints below, before heading to Bandcamp to cop your download.

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.

Curly Castro & Jason Griff: Dreadlocs Falling

A new video for a previously released track, as Curly Castro and Jason Griff unlock the visuals for Dreadlocs Falling. The track was originally featured on the Wrecking Crew LP, Raheem’s Lament, which surfaced back in June. Downloads of the album can still be found over on Bandcamp, as well as a whole bunch of merch offers.

SHRAPKNEL ft. Zilla Rocca: Gun Metal Paint

New serving of visual excellence from Shrapknel, as they unveil their latest video for Gun Metal Paint. The track is taken from their self-titled album, which saw its release back in March, and features a solid guest spot from Zilla Rocca. The track was produced by ELUCID and the video was made by Owen Taylor. The album is out now on Backwoodz Studioz.

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.

ShrapKnel: Shrapknel (Stream)

This month saw the release of the debut LP from ShrapKnel, aka the well-matched pairing of PremRock and Curly Castro. It follows on from their introductory EP, which was released last year to triumphant acclaim and helped build the intrigue for this album. Considering we’re dealing with two already established rappers here, this latest outing appears to have urged them to push their levels even higher, with each bar seemingly trying to outdo its predecessor. Sonically it’s a masterpiece as well, thanks to the involvement of not one, but two production talents, ELUCID and Willie Green. Further fortified by some impeccably chosen features, from Zilla Rocca, CASTLE, billy woods, GOOGIE and Henry Canyons, the album shot into the upper echelons of the 2020’s releases and will no doubt remain there until the year’s end. You can hear the album in its full glory below, with downloads and vinyl available on Bandcamp. As well as the album, you will also find their latest video for Fashion Week, featuring production from ELUCID.