#ICYMIMonday: Sip The Nectar - @AgdaCoroner; A Niles P. Joint

There’s a section of modern popular hip hop that is a haze of Xanax and lean and men’s leggings and overproduced beats and vocals. Somehow this plague spread to the East Coast. While it may be cool for the whippersnappers, the old guard is being underserved by the current climate in the culture. Enter AG Da Coroner. The East New York emcee finally delivered his long awaited album Sip The Nectar not too long ago and immediately threw a layer of much needed grit on top of the sweet shit that’s been out lately. The game was missing hip hop that sounds like funeral music, but Coronelli is here to fill that void. Let’s take a look at the highlights.

One of the most powerful songs comes early.  My Truth details Coronelli’s hardships growing up. In an album full of some of today’s hardest raps and threats, you have to give him props for opening up about his own personal struggle. The beat is appropriately grandiose for such a compelling track. The title track keeps it short and sweet. Over a masterful Adrian Younge sampled instrumental, AG Da Coroner spits daggers in his unique raspy baritone, commanding your attention automatically. For a change of pace, I95 is a pensive yet coarse song about drug trafficking on the interstate.  It has a real nighttime vibe, which makes sense because you’d assume that’s when you'd do the most coke moving. Bodega Bamz provides a hushed hook and a great guest verse. He’s best when under the tutelage of a veteran.

There’s not much in the way of levity on this album, but Church is pretty close. It showcases what might be the most extravagant beat on the whole album. Coronelli pines for the old days of music, and cringes at modern wack rappers and 360 deals. Serious subject matter, but on a neck breaking beat that’s the most positive sounding thing on the project. Conversely, Alchemist provides a more sinister instrumental with The Stick Up. The twin guitars fit AG Da Coroner’s rugged flow like a glove. As far as guests go, previous collaborator Meyhem Lauren lends his lyrical talents on two different songs.  The latter of the two is Blades in the Wind, which takes it back to the old school with a cut and scratched hook featuring some old 50 Cent vocals. Instrumentally, the album’s customary organ and electric piano provide a bleak yet engrossing base for the tough guys from BK and Queens.

This project, with the exception of a couple songs, has one speed and one speed only: grimy. Yes, grimy counts as a speed in this review. Nearly every track has an ominous tone both lyrically and musically. If you're into the darker side of hip hop from the golden era, you’ll love it. If you like things a little more cheerful and poppy, this isn’t for you by a long shot. While I delivered the highlights, there’s other quality production from the likes of Statik Selektah and Harry Fraud to be found.  There are only a couple of cons. Firstly, the album version of Park Ave with Action Bronson & Roc Marciano has a different beat (possibly due to sample clearance issues?) than the single which I reviewed and fell in love with. The new one isn’t bad, but it’s not as good as the original.  Also, at 18 tracks, the tracklist was somewhat crowded. It would have been more concise at around 13 or 14 songs, especially when some of the musical themes repeat. It’s a niche album, but it represents a demographic that’s been largely ignored and will really appreciate it. Sip The Nectar was a long time in the making and despite its hitches remains solid. Hopefully we hear more from AG Da Coroner sooner rather than later.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5

Purchase Sip The Nectar on iTunes here.

Listen: Park Avenue - @AgdaCoroner feat. @ActionBronson & @RocMarci; A Niles P. Joint

It’s oddly specific that this week saw two tough Brooklyn emcees release songs named after famous streets in NYC.  Both are dope, but this one carries a very different tone.  I first became aware of East New York’s AG Da Coroner from his memorable verse on an older Action Bronson mixtape.  Via his Instagram, he’s been promoting his debut album Sip The Nectar via hashtags and we finally have the first single.  Park Avenue is guitar driven (think 70s rock) and features the aforementioned Bronsolino and Roc Marciano as co stars.  The instrumental reminds me of a rock song that Martin Scorsese would use in one of his crime epics, specifically in a montage that includes people eating, counting money, and beating the shit out of someone for said money.  If they make a video for this song and none of those things happen, it’ll be a travesty.  It’s the hardest thing out in this young year.  Check it out after the break and be on the lookout for Sip The Nectar (along with a review from WTM) coming soon.

#InCaseYouMissedItMonday: Silk Pyramids - @MeyhemLauren & @BUCKWILD_DITC; A Niles P. Joint

Throughout history, rappers have a history of being too generous. Aside from general financial assistance, emcees have the Havoc philosophy of “Once I get on I’ma put on all my people.” This comes in the way of giving childhood friends features on their mixtapes/albums. This often doesn’t go too well as talent level doesn’t match the bond rappers have with their friends. Fortunately, this is not the case with Queens native Meyhem Lauren. He’s childhood friends with Action Bronson and has made guest appearances on every Bronson Project out. Lauren has the proverbial bars to stand on his own two and has actually been rapping longer than his childhood chum. For this inaugural edition of In Case You Missed It Monday, I took a look at Silk Pyramids. This is actually a collaboration album as Laurenovich enlists D.I.T.C. beatsmith and hip-hop legend Buckwild to produce the entire album. This was a great move, as their respective production and rapping styles fit each other like a glove. Aside from giving a classic NYC sound, this album could best be described as gritty yet extravagant.
  

Truthfully it’s a chore to pick even a handful of standout tracks. This isn’t because the album is lame, but because each track is pretty dope and flows together with the next one seamlessly like prestige TV on AMC.  100 MPH features the aforementioned Bronsolino, but like I said serves as a quick cosign and intro rather than the album’s only high point. Make no mistake, this is Meyhem Lauren’s joint and he owns it from start to finish. QU Cartilage features periodic sinister strings between cuts from PF Cuttin. It gets grimy on Salmon Croquettes where AG Da Coroner makes an appearance.  Besides rap braggadocio, Laurenovich is also able to make concept tracks. For example, Narcotics Anonymous talks about being addicted to the overall hustle of selling drugs from the POV of a dealer as well as the physical addiction to drugs from the perspective of a fiend (in this case Meyhem Lauren plays the dealer while guest Heems plays the addict). Honey Champagne Sorbet has more of a glamorous beat that helps showcase Laurenovich’s capability to adapt to different types of beats.  Guests are well chosen as Troy Ave and Retchy P complement Street Hop quite nicely. Aside from giving a classic NYC sound, this album could best be described as gritty yet extravagant.  

Meyhem Lauren once said he was “New York before it turned into a bike lane,” and I can’t think of a more apt description for this album and Laurenovich as an emcee. While having a famous best friend may help introduce him to a new audience, he definitely has his own style and legacy. This is a rapper that can punctuate street tales and braggadocio with talk about wheat grass shots and Billie Holiday references. Aside from rap, he founded the graffiti collective Smart Crew and is a member of the infamous NYC-based Lo Life Crew. Anybody that can master more than one of hip-hop’s four elements is good in my book. You can tell Meyhem Lauren has real reverence for the culture overall.  The fact that he chose to work with the legendary Buckwild cements this as a must-hear album even a year after its release. It’s never too late to get familiar with a dope emcee, so keep an eye out for Meyhem Lauren.