Slim’s Pickings 2022 Pt. 2

Following on from last week’s continued roundup of some of my favourite releases from 2022, I’m back with what I thought was going to be my final selection. The original plan was to cover 30 EPs and albums, but as time has gone on my mind has decided to trigger more musical memories from the year. Add to that the fact that the last breaths of 2022 brought us a few more releases and I realise now that I could easily do a top 40 (shout out to 80’s Sunday evenings on Radio One). So without further ado, here are my next ten choices, and as usual they arrive in no particular order beyond the sequence my memory brought them to the surface. The third and final instalment will follow shortly.

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.

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.

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.

ShrapKnel ft. Zilla Rocca & Marcus Pinn: Poets Who Last

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Good news for Wrecking Crew fans, as the Philly crew announce the imminent arrival of a new project. Steel’s Kitchen is due for release next month and will serve as a homage to influential mixtapes and compilations, like Soundbombing and Ryde or Die. Their own version will feature new tracks from the whole gang, including fresh material from Career Crooks and the lead single from ShrapKnel, Poets Who Last, which also features Zilla Rocca and Marcus Pinn. In addition there is some hypnotic production from DOOF, who is among a strong array of producers involved with the project, including Small Professor, Disco Vietnam and Steel Tipped Dove. You can hear Poets Who Last below and then get your pre-orders in for the 4 June release.

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.

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.