Wise folks talk about &ldquo;the calm before the storm&rdquo;, and I&rsquo;ve never encountered such a literal example--I&#39;m talking about the return of Zack de la Rocha and his solo single &ldquo;Digging for Windows&rdquo;.

While Prophets of Rage emerged earlier this year with such a bang,&nbsp;as was to be expected I&rsquo;d say&mdash;many others could only speculate the whereabouts of Rage Against The Machine&rsquo;s former vocalist. Prophets, however, addressed his dive into solo productions and claimed that the band had Zack&rsquo;s full support with the band&#39;s current status.

Well, like I said, the man&rsquo;s back with a new single, folks. And he&rsquo;s loud, and he&rsquo;s booming, and he&rsquo;s banging&mdash;here comes the storm.

The track begins with a constant boom-boom echoing to an ethereal bass sound&mdash;and then we hear Zack: &ldquo;This city&rsquo;s a trap my partner/ Under the lights of they choppers / Bodies tools for they coffers / Not worth the cost of our coffins / I stare at a future so toxic / No trust in the dust of a promise / Won&rsquo;t mark the name on a ballot / So they can be free to devour our options&rdquo;.

The overall impression is indescribable. At best perhaps most can agree to&nbsp;Stereogum&rsquo;s&nbsp;definition of &ldquo;Digging for Windows&rdquo; as &ldquo;a monster, pounding skronk-rap attack with the sort of brain-shattering evolutionary Bomb Squad production that El-P has been bringing to Run the Jewels&hellip; [with guitars and drums] big enough to, at the right volumes, reduce your ribcage to atoms&rdquo;.

Nostalgic? Perhaps even reminiscent? I can&rsquo;t assure you its classic Zack, but I can tell you that listening to this new single hits home in many&nbsp;many&nbsp;ways, but it also hits something new.&nbsp;But I&rsquo;ll leave that all to your perusing.

&nbsp;

By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com

<center><iframe src="http://www.rapstation.com/videos/embed/183" width="670" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" ></iframe></center>

Wise folks talk about &ldquo;the calm before the storm&rdquo;, and I&rsquo;ve never encountered such a literal example--I&#39;m talking about the return of Zack de la Rocha and his solo single &ldquo;Digging for Windows&rdquo;.

While Prophets of Rage emerged earlier this year with such a bang,&nb...

Storm Alert: Zack de la Rocha x “Digging for Windows”

BROOKZILL! has unveiled its latest single,&nbsp;&ldquo;Mad Dog In Yoruba,&rdquo; an indisputable party jam born of out of the urban summer. Featuring iconic Brazilian singer&nbsp;Faf&aacute; De Bel&eacute;m&nbsp;and cutting-edge Brazilian duo&nbsp;Met&aacute; Met&aacute;&nbsp;(Kiko Dinucci and Thiago Fran&ccedil;a), it follows lead single &ldquo;Saudade Songbook (feat. Count Bass D),&quot; which is currently charting on&nbsp;Spotify&rsquo;s Viral List.&nbsp;

As stated in a press release, BROOKZILL! is comprised of legendary hip-hop artists&nbsp;Prince Paul&nbsp;(Stetsasonic, Gravediggaz, De La Soul, Handsome Boy Modeling School), producer&nbsp;Don Newkirk&nbsp;(De La Soul, The Dix), MC&nbsp;Ladybug Mecca&nbsp;(Digable Planets + Grammy Winning daughter of Brazilian jazz musicians), and Brazilian MC&nbsp;Rodrigo Brand&atilde;o&nbsp;(Gorila Urbano),&nbsp;BROOKZILL! traces Hip-Hop&rsquo;s future with its far-reaching past, exploring the sonic and cultural connections between the Afro-Brazilian and rhythmic rituals on the debut LP&nbsp;Throwback To The Future&nbsp;out&nbsp;October 7&nbsp;&nbsp;via&nbsp;Tommy Boy Entertainment.&nbsp;In addition to the principal players,&nbsp;Throwback To The Future&nbsp;includes myriad guests such as&nbsp;Del The Funky Homosapien, Count Bass D, Kid Koala, Mr. Len, &amp; Brian Jackson&nbsp;and a host of&nbsp;Brazilian artists&nbsp;including&nbsp;&nbsp;Faf&aacute; De Bel&eacute;m, &nbsp;Faf&aacute; De Bel&eacute;m,&nbsp;&amp; more.&nbsp;Ten years in the making, recorded in five cities across two nations and two continents, BROOKZILL! is an international family of four core artists and myriad collaborators who&rsquo;ve joined forces to become one. 
 
By Kyle Eustice for RAPstation.com

<center><iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/281683015&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true"></iframe></center>

BROOKZILL! has unveiled its latest single,&nbsp;&ldquo;Mad Dog In Yoruba,&rdquo; an indisputable party jam born of out of the urban summer. Featuring iconic Brazilian singer&nbsp;Faf&aacute; De Bel&eacute;m&nbsp;and cutting-edge Brazilian duo&nbsp;Met&aacute; Met&aacute;&nbsp;(Kiko Dinucci and Thiag...

BROOKZILL! has unveiled its latest single, “Mad Dog In Yoruba"

Murds, the uncompromising UK rapper who has been dominating the RAPstation charts, is back with a new music video for &quot;All We Got.&quot;

Underground rapper Murds&#39; star is on the rise, and he&#39;s maintaining that upward momentum&nbsp;with the new video for &quot;All We Got,&quot; his highly anticipated new work.&nbsp;&quot;I think like an intel, move like a jetski /&nbsp;You man are frothing on the spot, a spot of epilepsy /&nbsp;I&#39;ve shift weight, and i ain&#39;t talking bout a bunny hop,&quot; Murds declares in his gritty new video, which was shot in black and white and features the British rapper in striking face paint.

Earlier this year, Murds&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DPgrZZp9Yz0w&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1473377200770000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGFKcyZ3P_E7qR8CV9ROAeq8Sqjcg" href="http://www.rapstation.com/videos/181/murds-turning-point-freestyle" target="_blank">released the video of his &quot;Turning Point&quot; freestyle</a>, which he says represents his unique style as a lyricist and his grounded, realist&#39;s perspective.&nbsp;

&quot;I think life and music were always entwined for me. I used to escape to the world of rap from my religious parents etc.. and in the end I sort of shaped my life (probably negatively) into the world i was so familiar in from young. Rapping has always been an identity for me when I didn&rsquo;t know what I was. Much like shotting I guess,&quot; Murds recently&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.rapstation.com/article/murds-interview-exclusive-rap-station-article-uk-under-ground&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1473377200770000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEYKPEIoUUiiy7hpts9-AgrBiO8zw" href="http://www.rapstation.com/article/murds-interview-exclusive-rap-station-article-uk-under-ground" target="_blank">said in an exclusive interview.</a> 
 
By Michael Lacerna for RAPstation.com


<center><iframe src="http://www.rapstation.com/videos/embed/182" width="670" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" ></iframe></center>

Murds, the uncompromising UK rapper who has been dominating the RAPstation charts, is back with a new music video for &quot;All We Got.&quot;

Underground rapper Murds&#39; star is on the rise, and he&#39;s maintaining that upward momentum&nbsp;with the new video for &quot;All We Got,&quot; his hi...

Murds releases video for All We Got

Slug, one half of acclaimed hip hop duo Atmosphere, turns forty-four today. The Minneapolis rapper is best known for his introspective, reflective style of rap and for co-founding indie hip hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment.

Slug, a.k.a. Sean Michael Daley, has been rapping since the golden age of hip hop, and in his almost three decades in the music industry, he&#39;s worked with legends like KRS-One, Run the Jewels&#39; El-P, Sage Francis, Murs, Aesop Rock, and many more.

Slug has made a name for himself both on the mic and behind the scenes. His smart, metaphorical lyrics have earned him a reputation for being one of the most thoughtful and creative rappers around. In 1995, he co-founded Rhymesayers Entertainment, one of the premier independent hip hop labels, which helped keep true hip hop alive during an era in which big, corporate labels were seeking to monopolize the genre. Despite already possessing a body of work most rappers would be jealous of and being busy running a label, Slug is still releasing new music alongside his longtime partner DJ Ant as the group Atmosphere, who are preparing to release their ninth studio album,&nbsp;Fishing Blues, later this year. 
 
By Michael Lacerna for RAPstation.com

Slug, one half of acclaimed hip hop duo Atmosphere, turns forty-four today. The Minneapolis rapper is best known for his introspective, reflective style of rap and for co-founding indie hip hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment.

Slug, a.k.a. Sean Michael Daley, has been rapping since the golden age...

Happy birthday to Slug of Atmosphere

&nbsp; If you&rsquo;re up for explosive beats and some heart-piercing rhymes, then I strongly,&nbsp;vehemently, suggest you get acquainted with this week&rsquo;s Spotlight Artist. He goes by the name K.A.A.N.&mdash;an acronym for Knowledge Above All Else, and the name alludes to his virtuoso approach to his music. He&rsquo;s a Hip-hop prodigy, they say&mdash;and frankly, I believe them.

Already accomplishing notoriety in Hip-hop underground, Brandon Perry, began writing music only three years ago., two years recording after admitting to an immersion break spent entirely towards his wordsmithing.

Long story short, Perry&rsquo;s self-hiatus reaped an artistic harvest, and it shows when asked about his style of writing: &ldquo;I like the expressionistic part of music. Like how you can say the craziest thoughts, feelings, and emotions inside of you, put it in over instruments, put it out&mdash;and then you find there are people that feel exactly the same as you do. I spend all of my free time writing or recording. I work best when I&rsquo;m just left alone, so I&rsquo;m always isolated without any real human interaction, so it&rsquo;s cool that I can be cut off from the world, but still be able to express myself and the way I feel&rdquo;.

True artistry permits no shortcuts, and believe me, K.A.A.N.&rsquo;s succeeds in this concept.&nbsp;Abstract Art&nbsp;features seventeen songs&mdash;most of which we&rsquo;re initially scrapped and returned after intense tinkering&mdash;but are now defined as &ldquo;so directly vulnerable and commanding that they feel channeled&rdquo;.

And man, he wasn&rsquo;t kidding about the whole relatable-factor he strives to master. Take his song &ldquo;Antidope&rdquo;, which flaunts as Perry&rsquo;s take on Travis Scott&rsquo;s hit single &ldquo;Antidote&rdquo;.

Take a look K.A.A.N.&rsquo;s rhyming scheme: &ldquo;Lately I haven&rsquo;t been sleeping / I&rsquo;m terrified that I&rsquo;m falling off / I&rsquo;ve been scheduled, ashamed that I lost it / Forgiving myself is a daunting task / Now I&rsquo;m serving the vision / Slow down the rhythm, it&rsquo;s easy to listen&rdquo;. I don&rsquo;t know about you, but not only do I find myself woven within the words, I find myself strangely uplifted.

And why shouldn&rsquo;t a listener feel such way? K.A.A.N. himself attests to be a &ldquo;voice for the voiceless&rdquo;, not only aiming to be a distinct voice within the Hip-hop scene, but to embody the voice itself.

Indeed, his music attracts certain Kendrick Lamar-type moments, but at the core, what we get is pure, unobstructed, passionate, almost spiritual at times, masterpieces. That&rsquo;s my way of saying: Dude, this guy&rsquo;s the real thing&mdash;why aren&rsquo;t you listening to him yet?

&nbsp;

By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com

<center><iframe src="http://www.rapstation.com/videos/embed/177" width="670" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" ></iframe></center>

&nbsp; If you&rsquo;re up for explosive beats and some heart-piercing rhymes, then I strongly,&nbsp;vehemently, suggest you get acquainted with this week&rsquo;s Spotlight Artist. He goes by the name K.A.A.N.&mdash;an acronym for Knowledge Above All Else, and the name alludes to his virtuoso approac...

Spotlight Artist: K.A.A.N.

Stop the press and take a minute of silence, today embodies the birth of the late-but-forever-great Eric Lynn Wright&mdash;but y&rsquo;all know him as the one and only Eazy-E.

Dishing out hits and records in the Hip-hop world, Eazy-E became an iconic figure both as a solo artist and member of the controversial N.W.A. Born and raised&nbsp;straight outta Compton, Wright played no stranger to rap, and even in this day-and-age, he still rightfully deserves the title &ldquo;The Godfather of Gangsta Rap&rdquo;.

Who could forget Wright, teaming up with Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Arabian Prince, to form the infamous rap group, &ldquo;Niggas With Attitude&rdquo;, and their most controversial album,&nbsp;Straight Outta Compton&mdash;an album so cohesive Hollywood simply had to make a movie out of it.

To allude Eazy-E solely to Gangsta-rap and the N.W.A., however, would be an understatement to his career. His music itself fashions a blend of 1970&rsquo;s funk, contemporary rap, and&nbsp;comedy.&nbsp;Aside from this, several critics attest to his unique style towards the chosen genre, while a specific individual by the name of Steve Huey (All Music Guide) shared his critique on the Godfather.

&ldquo;While his technical skills as a rapper were never the greatest&rdquo;&mdash;God forgive him&mdash;&ldquo;His distinctive delivery&hellip; over-the-top lyrics, and undeniable charisma made him a star&rdquo;. Well, he&rsquo;s on-point on a couple, but hey&mdash;that&rsquo;s just my opinion.

All varying viewpoints aside, the facts remain: Godfather Wright is one hell of an individual, both onstage and off. Onstage, Eazy-E&rsquo;s been there since the beginning of Hip-hop, shooting straight through the Golden Age. Offstage, he narrates a very intriguing life story&mdash;the type you&rsquo;d find on bestsellers. Heck, they don&rsquo;t call him Godfather for no reason.

Birthday Greetings go out to the Godfather of Gangsta-rap, Eazy-E!

By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com

&nbsp;

Stop the press and take a minute of silence, today embodies the birth of the late-but-forever-great Eric Lynn Wright&mdash;but y&rsquo;all know him as the one and only Eazy-E.

Dishing out hits and records in the Hip-hop world, Eazy-E became an iconic figure both as a solo artist and member of the...

Storm Alert: Zack de la Rocha x “Digging for Windows”

BROOKZILL! has unveiled its latest single, “Mad Dog In Yoruba"

Murds releases video for All We Got

Happy birthday to Slug of Atmosphere

Spotlight Artist: K.A.A.N.

Birthday Greetings to the Godfather Himself, Eazy-E!

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