Five Steez – These Kingston Times [EP]

Just as promised, Five Steez drops off his brand new digital 8-track EP, “These Kingston Times”. The project “captures the modern tale of the Jamaican capital, Kingston.” Check it out below! “I wanted to paint my city the way I see it, and in a way I’ve never heard the story told before in music,” says Five Steez. “Since Hip Hop’s genesis with DJ Kool Herc, there has always been a Jamaican influence and involvement in the genre, but you’ve never heard about actual life here in ‘yard’, as we affectionately call it. It’s a new perspective in Hip Hop, but parallel to that of urban environments worldwide.” Five Steez presents an unapologetic, raw and gritty reality-based portrayal of his city, described as a “paradise and a slum”. While Jamaica is recognized worldwide for its music and athletes among many other things, the country has developed an unenviable reputation of having one of the highest rates of murder and questionable killings by police as well as widespread government corruption. Much of this has historically taken place in Kingston. These Kingston Times by Five Steez

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Diamond District – March On Washington [Album Stream]

When Diamond District dropped In the Ruff on Mello Music Group in 2009, the gritty drums and grimy raps combined as elementally as hydrogen and oxygen. The D.C. Voltron of Oddisee, yU, and X.O. dusted off and revitalized a sound once consigned to the catacombs. Hailed as an instance classic, its impact reverberated throughout the underground and mainstream. The Washington D.C. City Paper called it the city’s best album in many years. During an era when lyricism was deemed too intellectual and samples too dated,Diamond District overturned conventional logic. They preserved the raw and made it righteous. A half-decade later, the holy trinity has returned with March on Washington. The truths remain timeless. Wisdom over rhythm. Slang turned into testament. March On Washington by Diamond District

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