Philadelphia's own rhymesmiths, King Syze, Planetary and Reef the Lost Cauze are back and stronger than ever! These men, all known as members of the legendary collective Army of the Pharaohs (AotP), have joined forces for a new, collaborative EP project, produced entirely by the masterful hands of the Snowgoons. For those heads who have been in the game for a while, you know that this combination alone guarantees an overkill of salt!
Let's blend in a little history lesson: Planetary formed the formation OuterSpace with King Syze's brother, Crypt the Warchild. This duo had been at work long before AotP coalesced into the hip-hop superpower it is today. Reef and King Syze have shown fireworks together before with their collaborative EP "Year of the Hyenas," a decade back. With 'Murderers' Row,' they bring that salty chemistry back to life, this time teaming up with Planetary. A golden trio, if you ask us.
The banger of the opening track "Yard Rec" immediately shoots the tone in the air, pure boom bap style, and calls for everyone to prick up their ears. On "Royal Family," we hear Planetary's brood ELEMXNT, backed by Kxng Charisma and Trxstworthy, in action without letting Reef take the mic. They dish us stories centered on their love of the scary and mysterious. Then "The Most Imperial" comes on to tell us what kind of hardcore crew they hang out with, and in "Heat Wave," they give a big side kick to all the nothingness in the business.
The tunes continue at a fast pace with "Death Penalty," complete with a piano-driven boom bap vibe that warns you that your game is over if you're not paying attention. And then we have "187," in which the trio elevate murder to true art form. The closing "Something Outta Nothing" sums up the essence of "Murderers' Row": hustle, grind and straight-up kick ass to get where they want to be.
Personally, I think back with a smile to "Year of the Hyenas" from the cold, stressful winter 2014 of my senior year of high school. That EP was constantly on repeat. But man, 'Murderers' Row' grabs hold of that energy and adds another helping of salt from Reef the Lost Cauze. With sublime production from the Snowgoons and unparalleled performances from each AotP member, we are experiencing hardcore hip-hop on a new level.
Score: a highly deserved 9/10. For those who love hard, pure hip-hop vibes ... check out this salty banger!
#hhz #houhet salt #hiphop #AotP #MurderersRow #KingSyze #Planetary #ReefTheLostCauze
