Category: Hip-hop

Playlist: Best New Music – January 2019

Grown Up Rap’s first monthly playlist of 2019 highlights what a great start to the year its been for quality hip-hop, featuring new music from Conway, Blockhead, Sean Price, Pharoahe Monch, Nolan The Ninja, Smif-N-Wessun and more. Listen to the playlist below, and then go support the artists with a purchase from wherever you buy your music. Check us on Spotify for more curated playlists.

Exclusive First Listen: The Legion – ‘Three The Bronx Way’ + Interview

Bronx’s The Legion are back with a new album – their first full-length project since the classic Theme + Echo = Krill almost 25 years ago. The anticipated Three The Bronx Way drops everywhere tomorrow but we’re bringing you an exclusive first listen today. Stream it below, then keep scrolling to read our interview with all three crew members; Molecules, Diceman and Chucky Smash.

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We’ve been excited about Three The Bronx Way since the audio for “1980 Something” surfaced early last year. Now it’s finally here, tell us about what we can expect?

Diceman: Well for starters we definitely didn’t stray from our sound—not one bit. Classic hard drums, dope samples, and a rap style that’s our own and not dated. Most importantly, from here on out we will remain consistent with our output of music.

There’s a bit of a Blaxploitation movie theme with the artwork and to a certain extent the sound. Is that the kind of atmosphere you are trying to capture with Three The Bronx Way?

Diceman: Definitely, as with our first album title, Theme +Echo=Krill. Theme music is our thing. We feel like every track should have some sort of theme to create the mood/vibe of the song or songs. It just gives it feeling. It makes your song sound like it belongs to a score for a movie, and gives a different affect to the lyrics…more artful.

You guys have been putting out records since 1993, which is impressive to say the least. Even more impressive is that you are still together as a unit. What’s the secret to maintaining a creative relationship for so long?

Chucky Smash: There’s no secret to us maintaining our relationship. Fortunately for us we were a crew before the industry. We grew up together in the Bronx. Of course we are brothers so we bicker and argue like any other family, but thank goodness we never had a falling out. The creative formula has been primarily Molecules on production and Dice and myself coming up with concepts. That’s usually the way we create songs.

Molecules: We’re friends, but we’re more like family. I’ve know Smash since like the 6th grade and Dice since like high school. Their kids are my God kids. We watched our kids grow up together. It’s more than a working relationship. We have a bond. With that it makes it easy for us to work together. We get in the lab, I lay down a beat, Dice starts spitting and Smash starts writing a hook. The process is effortless.

That said, there are sometimes long periods of time between projects. Other than your individual solo stuff (Molecules’ A Bronx Tale EP with Showbiz, and Diceman’s recent The Power of Now project, for instance), what else do you guys do between the music?

Chucky Smash: Molecules was involved with production for artists like Pink and also Mos Def. Dice is always prospecting other artists for us to work with. I had a nice run at radio with DJ Bill Skillz WVKR. The three of us are also proud fathers and family men.

When we spoke to Molecules last year he talked about how impactful Dres has been to The Legion. You have him on Three The Bronx Way (“Make It Hot”). It must be good to know you can call on an icon of the game like that to support you anytime you make music?

Chucky Smash: Yes, being down with Dres has definitely been a blessing. He’s had a huge impact on our career, and getting us our start with “Jingle Jangle.”

You also have Sadat X on the track “Word.” Tell us about your relationship with him?

Chucky Smash: Sadat X has been a friend of ours for years. We’ve done multiple shows with him and Brand Nubian. It’s just easy to link and vibe with him. He has that distinct dope voice.

Molecules: Sadat X is like family. He’s a real good dude. Like Smash said we’ve been running with him for years, doing shows, etc. Our relationship with him is bigger than music. I’ve still got unreleased music with some of my close friends on it, including Sadat. Anytime I hit him he comes through no problem. Genuine love for him.

Anything else you want people to know about, Three The Bronx Way?

Diceman: Besides to go out and support Three The Bronx Way, we want you to know ya’ll won’t be let down. We’re a piece to the puzzle of Hip Hop—what we call the forgotten formula: hardcore music in song form.

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Three The Bronx Way is out tomorrow, and you can get it from here. Follow The Legion on Instagram, and Molecules, Diceman and Chucky Smash on Twitter. Interview by Grown Up Rap Editor Ben Pedroche.

Exclusive Interview: Rob Sonic

Indy hip-hop mainstay Rob Sonic recently dropped a new album named Defriender, released on his own label, Skypimps Music. We spoke to him about the new project, his studio process, the classic Telicatessen, his time on Def Jux and more. Words by Matt Horowitz.

Defriender is your second full-length release on Skypimps Music, correct? After 20+ years in the business, what finally prompted you to start your own label imprint?

Necessity really. No body expressed much interest in getting behind my solo stuff after Def Jux and I wanted to keep releasing my music so I kind of had to release it myself.

Now, I’m sure you get this type of question all the time… but once and for all, what’s the current status of your groups Hail Mary Mallib with Aesop Rock & DJ Big Wiz, as well as Sonic Sum with Preservation, Fred Ones & Eric M.O.? 

Currently I am not doing any group projects, HMM was more of a fun side project and Sonic Sum was like 15 years ago or something like that.

I’ve read that an ARo Odyssey, ARP Little Brother, Mini-moon, Yamaha SK-20, Roland Juno-106, Fender Rhodes Piano Bass, Korg MS-2000, Akai MPC 2000 XL, and Technics SL-12000s were all used to help create your 2004 solo debut, Telicatessen. Would you mind briefly walking us through your production/beat-making process, at the time?


It has always been sort of more of a collage with me, I tend to vary the way I approach each song individually. It would be hard to summarize an overall process or theory as much as it being whatever works for whatever notes I have written down and what fits rapping wise, that is usually most important to how I make beats. It’s one of the pluses of making your own beats.

How would you personally say your overall sound, style delivery, production process, etc. has changed and progressed between Telicatessen and Defriender? 

I might have just answered this to an extent, but I’ve sort of just become more aware about what works for me best. I don’t consider myself a natural or even particularly talented so understanding what I was capable of was a huge part of my progression over the years.

What would you say would be the greatest lessons or most meaningful advice you received from El-P, Aesop Rock, Hangar 18, etc. during your time spent at Def Jux? 

We didn’t really give each other “advice” per se as much as look out for each other as friends. I think El (as the head of the label) told me to stop being a knuckle head and short sighted musically once, that was good advice.

You have previously mentioned within our emailed conversations that Defriender was close to not being released at all. Would you mind briefly getting into some of the specific reasons and circumstances why?

Because I’m older and have had some real bad experiences in the business, and I literally do not give a fuck about being the biggest turd in the cesspool anymore. The craft of rap music is what is and has always been the most important thing to me, making it public was… for a long time but not so much anymore. My focus has sort of done a 360. And that is not to be taken out of context or as to say I don’t want to share it with anyone. It’s just I don’t focus on that 100% anymore.

How exactly did Mr. Dibbs get involved to provide his “All The Drugs” (Ohio Dirt Mix)? Do you have any particular insight into his beat-making/remixing process(es)?


Dibbs is doing some amazing shit with Circuit Bending these days and I love it, so it was only right to ask him for the heat since he did the cuts for the song already.

How would you say, the Dave Correia-designed album cover and artwork Design for Defriender directly ties to the themes and matters discussed within?


I don’t really think it does, but that wasn’t the goal. I wanted him (and every other artist I’ve ever worked with) to interpret a series of basic ideas I gave them. I’ve always reached out to artists I’ve already been a fan of for my cover art, from Dan Lang, to Remi “Rough”, to Dave Correia because of those specific people’s existing artistic approach and style, I want them to do them basically.

Do you have any immediate plans to tour behind Defriender? Now that the album has been effectively unleashed into the terribly unsuspecting world, what you have planned next?

Indeed I am touring for it, ha, “unsuspecting” world,  it certainly does seem that way doesn’t it? It’s as if people never knew who I was at all. Pretty crazy but I’ll take it. As far as plans? I mean your going to get some very different stuff from me from now on, my approach to the business, people, my music, and the world has changed.

I’m always curious as to how featured artists and associates get involved in artist’s projects. How did you decide to recruit Mr. Dibbs for cuts and scratches throughout Defriender and Milk Gold with vocal assists on “All The Drugs (Do Nothing)” & “JJ SAD?”

I always wanted to work with Dibbs, he’s been a favorite of mine for years and we share a certain appreciation of raw sounding music. I’m glad he was down. Milk has a super unique, sultry voice, I needed that for both of those and luckily she agreed.

Aside from your solo discography and series of note-worthy releases with Sonic Sum & Hail Mary Mallon, what might you deem as a few of your most important/widely “slept-on” featured appearances? 

I don’t really do many features, I’m not sure why that is, nobody really hits me up for that (unless they already know me). Hell, judging by the response to Defriender, maybe my entire catalog is the “slept-on” feature.
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Defriender is out now and you can get it here. Follow Rob Sonic on Twitter.
Matt Horowitz has been a hip-hop fan ever since he first heard Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) back in the mid-90’s, which positively or negatively changed his life ever since, depending on who you ask. He single-handedly runs online music publication The Witzard, and has been fortunate enough to interview Eothen ‘Egon’ Alapatt, Guilty Simpson, Ice-T and Mr. X, Dan Ubick, Career Crooks’ Zilla Rocca & Small Professor, Cut Chemist, and J-Zone, amongst countless others. He enjoys writing about and listening to hip-hop, Punk/Hardcore, and Indie Rock on vinyl with his lovely wife, while drinking craft beer, red wine, or iced coffee. To paraphrase both Darko The Super and the Beastie Boys: “Already Dead fans, they want more of this… I’m a Witzard like my man Matt Horowitz!”. Follow Matt here.