Onyx

Nearly two decades after the release of his classic debut, West Coast stalwart Ras Kass returns to “Soul On Ice” for a two-part follow-up album led by tough-as-nails lead single “Downward Spiral”. It boasts neck-snapping production by UK’s ILLinformed, and a series of grimy features from Freddie Foxxx and Onyx’s Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz. With slick references to Killer Mike, Conrad Murray (the doctor who killed Michael Jackson), artist Dorian Gray, and wack trend-hopping rappers, Ras steals the show here with his attention-commanding opening verse before passing the mic to his talented collaborators. Each emcee offers gritty, raw, and timeless rhymes that ultimately point directly back to the hook’s message of flushing all the bullsh*t directly down the sh*tter like it deserves. Given that Ras is an independent artist, he’s releasing “Soul On Ice II” on his own, and just launched an Indiegogo campaign to finance the project. You can learn more about the campaign (and contribute!) here. “Soul On Ice II” will arrive in two parts; Intellectual Property hits first in June 2016, while “SOI2” drops later this year in December. You can get familiar with what to expect by keeping the “Downward Spiral” (off “Intellectual Property”) on repeat, and peeping the full project trailer here.