Career Crooks: Never at Peace (Stream)

Last month gave rise to a flurry of new releases, including the latest from Career Crooks. Never at Peace marks the end of a superb year for Wrecking Crew, as well as a strong finish for Zilla and Small Pro, who dipped back into the same winning formula that had made their earlier projects so successful. Features come from the likes of ShrapKnel, iAlive and Blueprint, while the release itself was accompanied by a bunch of merch and physical options, including a very limited Mini Disc version. You can listen to the album below, then check Bandcamp for the full array of goods.

Career Crooks: Benicio Del Toro

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Wrecking Crew fans rejoice. Not content with already offering up four of the year’s best, in the form of three solo LPs and a crew compilation, now Zilla Rocca and Small Professor are reuniting for another Career Crooks adventure. Benicio Del Toro is the first track to be unveiled, which you can hear below and then head to Bandcamp to secure your pre-order. The full release is scheduled for 26 November.

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.

PremRock: Death on the Installment Plan

Next week we will be blessed with the latest release from PremRock, as he makes his official debut on the ever-strengthening Backwoodz Studioz label. Death on the Installment Plan is the first single from the album and sees Prem drafting in fellow Wrecking Crew member, Small Professor, to handle the production. It’s a wise move and sets the bar high for the remainder of the album. Load Bearing Crows Feet is due for release on 25 June.

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.

Small Professor: A Jawn Supreme Vol. 3 (Stream)

A new selection of beats from Small Professor, as he continues his run of instrumental releases with A Jawn Supreme Vol. 3. Partly inspired by the current global mood, while also serving as a glimmer of hope for the future, it’s another solid release from a producer who deserves your attention (and money). Check the full tape for yourself below and then head to Bandcamp to cop a download.

Small Professor: A Jawn Supreme (Vol. 1)

The man of a million jawns returns with his latest selection, a timely compilation of his favourite tracks, which have all been remastered to perfection. As the title suggests, there are more volumes to follow, but for now you can be satisfied with this run of poignant tracks, including the essential, wish cops would stop killing unarmed black people. You can listen to the album below and there are downloads available on Bandcamp, as well as some t-shirts which were made as a tribute to Breonna Taylor. Featuring a lovely design by collage king, Dewey Saunders, 100% of profits from the shirts will be donated to Breonna’s official GoFundMe page.

Grift Company: Two By Four (Video)

New visual treats from the Wrecking Crew camp, as Curly Castro and Zilla Rocca unveil the latest Grift Company video. Two By Four is lifted from the duo’s Too Many Secrets LP and features fresh two-part production from Zilla and Small Professor. The video was made by Bob Sweeney. Too Many Secrets is available now via Bandcamp.

MC Paul Barman: Hairy Moth Owl Pt. 5

New track from the ever-intriguing, MC Paul Barman, which sees him connecting with one half of the Career Crooks. Hairy Moth Owl Pt. 5 is produced by Small Professor and it’s available to stream below.

Sean Price & Small Professor: 86 Witness (Instrumentals)

If you enjoyed the brilliance of Sean Price and Small Professor’s 86 Witness album, you will be pleased to hear that Small Pro has now released the instrumentals from the project. You can hear them in all their original glory below and downloads can be found over on Bandcamp.