If you had to make a list of the most underrated rappers going right now, you’d be trippin’ not to have this guy on the list! A man who has already dropped a small handful of fire this year alone and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. But for now, I want to take you back in time to an older record that deserved to be discussed more!
I’m talking about the 21st of August 2024 record by MC Concept and Producer Lo Katana. These men dropped five tracks, 10 minutes with one feature in—Basik on track 2 and 5.
Let’s talk about the production first. Because what I find fascinating about the beats is the execution of it. It feels like a blend between classical, minimalistic gritty East Coast and lo-fi/art rap all in one.
You’ve got those classical old-school vocal melodies (like on track 1) that remind one of an opera or a classic church choir set up!
Then in the same breath, you have those lo-fi/ambient subtle and low-key synth chords and hypnotic instrumentation.
But also in the same sentence, you have those gritty, muddy, and raw manipulated strings and skeletal atmosphere of the East Coast era.
I feel like Lo is walking one of the hardest tightropes possible by combining three separate influences and combining them into one coherent sonic narrative that somehow works! Each track has a certain level of each element, some heavier than others but all equally important, unique, and as fluent as the other!
Although each song has its own personality and soul, each of the five helps come together as a project that works in harmony from start to end!
If I had to choose a favourite track, it would have to be ‘The Abolitionist’, the intro track solely due to the addition of those angelic vocals that loop throughout the track! I’m a sucker for some vibrant singing, and this song had it in spades!
As far as the MC work, as I stated above, Concept is slept on far too often in this industry. He’s remained consistent with every new release for the past few years, and this one is no exception!
From the opening track, he brings his trademark unwavering swagger and conviction to the mic alongside his no-nonsense delivery and sharp penmanship. He’s here to bring sleep paralysis on you haters as you sit there forced into a trance, focusing on his every word!
He doesn’t waste a single second of this 10-minute project, with everything from deep and in-depth visuals to clever phrases and one-liners to introspective dialogue that will make the listener pause and think on the words!
The chemistry he has with Lo is immense, with his knowledge of where to land the flow on which part of the beat being extraordinary and proving he’s one of the best and smartest in the game. Of course, the one feature provides incredible chemistry and maintains a strong aura and vibe that Concept spent creating from scratch, and they both kill their respective verses!
All in all, a fantastic showing by all three men. The production is crazy, the MC work is ruthless, and the entire EP is one that should have been far more talked about than it was! Definitely worth the revisit!
https://open.spotify.com/album/270ktM4HkBnTaWytNEuJAP?si=1aaO_YsvSu-XLac3HD91rg
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