You’d have to be living under a very deep rock to not know who Griselda is. They arguably resurrected hip hop or at least the wide interest in it with a defying style that has since swept the culture and bred a brand new wave of artists and albums like that are inspired by what they created.
In saying that, we have a brand record featuring the members handled by one of the illest producers we have going right now, so let’s talk about it!
This is the brand new album by Produced Jamar Johnson, which is accompanied by the likes of
– Westside Gunn
– 38 Spesh
– Benny the Butcher
– Conway the Machine
– Fuego Base
– Estee Nack
– OT the Real
– Boldy James
– Keisha Plumm
– El Camino
– Sule
– Che Noir
A true who’s who of names to accompany this phenomenon of instrumentals. Speaking of that, that’s where I want to start because Jamar ain’t no idiot; he understands when you’re working alongside these modern-day legends that you have to be at your very best game, and that’s exactly what he did by providing us with some of the most important, atmospheric, and cinematic content we’ve gotten so far in the year!
Across these 11 tracks, we have this man encapsulate the characteristics of each man (and woman) involved and utilise their specific talents and skills to the distinct beats he produced! He wasn’t just throwing anyone on anything; he’s carefully calculated the production and who should be on it!
For example, let’s look at the track – Sin City. This track contains Griselda originals Benny & Conway, and on this song, we have a beautifully orchestrated minimal song featuring these angelically looped choir vocal choruses on top of some methodical drum patterns and some light bass and synchronised organ arrangements that pair with the vocals!
This type of stripped-back layer beats is the definition of Griselda, the type of songs where both Benny and Conway go hardest on, and it’s evident by their verses on this specific song!
We can look at the track – LEAVEEMFROZE, which has this splash/boom Bap flavour mixed with the golden 90’s, with the utilisation of those cuts to create the perfect fusion of sound that fits to the tee with Estee’s versatile cadence and individualistic approach to the culture!
On this song, we have a nice homepage to that old era with these delicate piano keys that are accompanied by some subtle hints of drums and light bass!
That and those cuts combined puts one of the more smooth and lighthearted tracks on the record, one that is amplified 10x fold with Estee’s notorious vocals on top!
We can even look at the track -100, which has the assistance of Boldy James and Keisha, and once again, this song is the perfect extension of the artiste involved, as we get a more sombre, serious, and introspective take on the production. If Jay-Z made the song cry, then Jamar made this song become self-aware and think about its life, mistakes, and failures.
On this track, we get this humbling vocal snippet that has a hint of sadness attached to it as well as power!
We have these plucked chord progressions and super subtle drums!
I can’t imagine anyone else more fitting to go off on this one than the two names provided above! Absolutely incredible chemistry.
As I stated at the start, when Jamar works on the production, he does more than make the music; he creates sonic replicas of the MC’s and their environments. God-tier work.
The quality of the roster speaks for itself; you’d be a fool to assume that any of these artists would ever take an L when they have been the ones contributing to the revival of the underground Hip Hop scene.
Each and every MC here has enough power, respect, and skill to dominate whatever lane they choose with impressive discographies to match. So what do you think would happen when they all come together under one roof? I’ll tell you what, a sonic renaissance!
So, please. Make sure you go support Jamar and his work with these incredible artists. To gain access to this tape, find him on IG and DM him for the purchase of the record. I can be a witness and testify that it’s worth every dollar you spend!
The Serpent Tongue Reviews 