Watch: 100 / Marvin - @JoeCollege010

Joe College has had a busy couple weeks. Opened up for Retchy P and Smoke Dza at the Life Lab in Newark. A feature with MostDope, and a new dual-sided visual.

The first half of the video is for 100 off the Rugged but Smooth EP. The later portion is from a recent series of random releases before the summer started. This track is titled Marvin sampling from the great one Marvin Gaye himself. Anyways you can watch how gritty College put it in his video below.

#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.