Since the drop of this album, we are left with the hardest hip-hop quiz question of the year. Who had better chemistry with -ANKHLEJOHN? WHOA1.0 or V-DON? It’s not for me to tell you, but fuck is this a time for the ages. We get to hear two stunning albums by one of the most striking MC’s we’ve ever had in the culture drop heat with two of the strongest producers in the game, and now it’s time to discuss his second one of the year! Let’s talk about it!
This is the brand-new album by MC Legend ANKHLEJOHN and Producer V-DON, and together they drop this ridiculous set of 12 tracks with 29 minutes of content. On this one, they bring
-Sha Hef
-BabyMaine
-CRIMEAPPLE
And with just this trio, they come equipped to start underground World War 3 before the world starts WWIII!
It’s like I have a case of amnesia when it comes to V-DON because with every new album I listen to of his, I am re reminded like a sonic punch to the face just how exquisite this man really is in the production. The way he can make grand sounds meet the grimy boom-bap underground in a cinematic way that I’ve seen one else pull off quite like him!
He’s able to turn a handful of layers and create a score worthy of a half-a-billion-dollar film investment!
‘The streets have a story to tell,’ and V is the ultimate composer. The one to somehow turn instrumentation into a living sonic organism that is strong enough to tell its own vivid story that you can feel run through your whole bones! From the toughest street corners to the tension of the neighbourhoods, all the stress, anxiety, and drama can be conveyed through the music itself! That’s how fucking powerful and masterful the production is by V-Don! While I was listening to this, I felt myself sweating over beats! The way he can convey emotion through sonics is absolutely incredible!
The one thing I noticed most about this album was his utilisation of a set of various and unorthodox vocal harmonies that he was able to turn into loops! There were so many tracks where I heard the loop and I was like ‘what the fuck? How did he turn that into this?’ Further proof just how monstrous this man’s skill is!
An absolutely legendary effort fitting for one of the most unique rappers we’ve ever heard!
Listening to ANKHLE’S performance on this album had me smiling ear to ear because he’s just that original! We heard him on the WHOA album these same traits but it seems with every new album he improves himself or becomes more naturally chaotic in his vocal performances which makes for a more proper unhinged listen.
From the loud adlibs to the unpredictable bar placement to his freelance meets frantic tone he’s out here shooting verbal machine gun shells all over the track with no scope or target in sight just pure unadulterated energy that fills the beats with dope rhythm and penmanship unlike anything you’ve heard before.
He’s taking the grandeur of the production and adding pounds of animated performances that elevate the sounds 10x fold! He’s like if the Tasmanian Devil could speak, grew up in the hood and simultaneously was one of the dopest rappers you’ve heard in your life.
Combine all that and you get THIS!
Also, even though all three features absolutely slapped it was a bingo card win for me that I didn’t even know was an option to hear both ANKHLE & CRIMEAPPLE on the same track together! I was blown away! The chemistry they have together was incredible on top of that fantastical beat it was just pure track perfection!
If you ain’t on this wave then I hope you drown. Sounds aggressive I know but for real, if you don’t fuck with these two who can you trust in the culture? They say ‘Everything Beautiful Dies Early’ but that doesn’t mean your faith in the culture has to! Click the link below
https://open.spotify.com/album/3rtDkycSZiDaPrEpbyb5Hz?si=F69h8wmSQLqwZdIGGiylLw
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