Apt. 505 Review; Coast Contra Debut

A discussion of whether or not, hip hop has died, has been going for quite some time. Coast Contra is here to let you know the answer, with their debut album.

Many of the youth are almost at war with older hip hop heads over this debate. Terms like ‘real hip hop’ tend to bother many of the younger ‘fans’.  However it’s true, regardless of feelings which don’t bother to worry about the facts. Rap, is really what you do, but, hip hop is a way of life. It’s apparent on the Mic, when MC’s are serious about this artform. The stories told by this group are the evidence, they’re serious about this craft.

No surprise, two of the group members come from great hip hop stock. Sons of Ras Kass, who’s we consider one of the West Coast’s finest, Ras & Taj Austin were clearly reared properly. Both are unique in their presentation and similar to their pops, they rip verses apart! Rio Loz, in my opinion switches from English to Spanish, better than I’ve heard done before. He spits actual bars and transitions smoothly into Spanish, without it sounding ‘forced’ or unnatural.  Let me know if you feel someone else has done it better. Eric Jamal from Philly, rounds out this quartet perfectly, with styles that remind me of a mixture between Abstract Rude, Acey Alone & Myka 9.

In many ways, as a quartet, they remind me of Freestyle Fellowship, Pharcyde, Souls of Mischief, but .. far more balanced. Each member is carrying their own here, and gotta say, real good to see it. Coast Contra firs got my attention with a lot of clips going around social media. Looking forward to much more from them in the future.

Coast Contra is evidence that hip hop is absolutely alive and well.

They blend together so well. It’s evident, they all share a love for hip hop.  This fantastic four showcases that love, with poetic bars blending, literally, into each other’s verses. Wordplay bouncing off one another’s previous bars blending with the production on each track.  It’s really a no skip album, but def a few standouts; 505, Family, Pangea, Legacy, Coupe Dreams, Pimp Benjamin, Explicit, Get the Worm … I mean … the entire album is fantastic!

Apt. 505 takes me back to how hip hop used to be in mostly Underground scenes.  MC’s made albums as teams who wanted to be as ‘on the same page’ as possible.  We hear a lot of albums these days, where the ‘theme’ seems to change from verse to verse. Each MC talkin about some unrelated shit.

Also, a blend of Styles from several ‘coasts’; even other languages – at the proper times.

This album, and this group is a breath of fresh air.

I hope they make several albums together, for years to come. Although I am certain, there will be temptations to put out their ‘own’ solo albums. My hope, is they at least collaborate on about 5 more albums first … then, whatever … they have potential to make some super classics.  Including this debut.