The Slaughterhouse machine is in full motion, and here goes the first video from their upcoming Welcome To Our House album. Hammer Dance is exactly the type of pulsating, driven hip-hop that fans expect from the foursome, and having given it some serious playtime upon the track’s emergence a little while back, the video release makes for a timely refresh of the track.
Opening with live footage that really sets the video off with some considerable energy, the video switches between a mixture of clips from live shows, backstage footage with several big name cameos (including some genuinely surprising ones), and some regular footage of each rapper performing their respective verse. It’s an uncomplicated, no frills video that pretty much nails the basic no-nonsense element of Slaughterhouse as a result, and is most definitely worth a watch for the hip-hop heads amongst you.
Latest drop from the Boston emcee and the hardest-working producer in the game. This can be found on their upcoming aptly-titled project 2012 which hits stores on May 22nd. This has got that military feel to it, slightly up tempo and sharp keys to boot. The verses are on point and each hold their own whilst Crooked exercises his lyrical muscle as to be expected.
Not a big fan of the artwork here, but as they say: “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. And hell, if we did that nobody would listen to anything from the 90′s… What is important is that we’ve got a real nice (and I’m going to steal this word from Ajay) slice of hip-hop with half of the Slaughter teaming up with SP Double, who I’ll admit, I know very little about. But this is good and definitely worth a listen, if only for Royce/Crook.
Welcome To Our House is coming on May 15th, and the Slaughterhouse juggernaut precede that with this entertaining slice of hip-hop. They’ve been relatively active recently with a couple of freestyles (here and here), and now we’re treated to some original material to really set things off.
A thumping, heavy-hitter of a production sets things off from the get-go, with a powerful percussion accompanied by a screechy melody that adds the aggressiveness and intensity associated with the quartet. The raps are as enjoyable as ever, with a strong set of verses anchored around a simple yet catchy hook that gives this track the all-round feel some of their material is often accused of lacking. Definitely worth a grab, and I’m looking forward to more new works from the foursome.
After coming together for an effort from Crooked I’s upcoming mixtape, the Slaughterhouse machine come together once again for a somewhat late remix of Lil’ Wayne and Drake once-ubiquitous She Will.
Late or not however, the moody, intense production is an excellent fit for every member of the collective (it’s a shame Royce isn’t on this), and as per they deliver their side of the bargain with a great output throughout; Budden and Ortiz even take on the hook with ease! Crooked I probably grabs the win with a variety of good flows on his verse, but credit goes to all three as they’ve injected that Slaughterhouse power into the track without losing the essence of the original.
Slaughterhouse return with some raps over a throwaway track from The Game. Would have preferred for them to hit us with some fresh production, but given their relative inactivity I won’t complain!
Something I think the group should be attempting to do more of is introspective type tracks, it’s something that individually they’re all so brilliant at, and it comes as a bit of a surprise that they haven’t done more of it as a group. This song is one that is more of that fashion, though they don’t really pull it off as well as I’d expect.
If 100 hip-hop fans were asked who they’d like to hear take on Common’s Sweet, I’m confident that Crook’s name would have been suggested by 99 of them. His aggressive, quickfire rapping style is ideal for a track borne out of anger and frustration, and whilst he could come with a little more punch and intensity, it’s still an enjoyable set of bars with some memorable lines packed into typically-slick flows. More good material from one quarter of the Slaughter.
Reuniting 5/6 of the rappers who obliterated the recent BET Cyphers, Yela grabs his Slaughterhouse labelmates and grabs a pretty solid substitute for Eminem in T.I. for a remix of his single from the Radioactive album.
The hard-hitting beat keeps things simple yet engaging, with a crashing percussion and hypnotising vocal sample set to a tempo perfect for the high-octane, densely-packed verses each of these rappers can provide. None of them disappoint either: T.I. opens with a laidback verse that switches speeds throughout and bounces off the percussion nicely, Yela follows up with a hushed verse that throws a few different flows into the mix effectively, whilst the Slaughterhouse quartet close the track out with four absolutely blistering, dizzying verses. An excellent effort that hip-hop heads will be replaying for quite some time.
This song is a statement that the Slaughterhouse machine is about to go into overdrive as they near completion of their first album under the Shady Records/Aftermath umbrella. The very apt Biggie sample for the hook elevates the chilled nature of the beat, a beat some (who are more used to Slaughterhouse’s energetic tracks) may find a tad flat, but all four members come through with an onslaught of lyrical ability. Don’t ask me which one of these lyrical monsters came with the best verse…because I honestly couldn’t tell you. Download below.
The Shady collective come together for what is the standout session from the BET Cyphers, with each rapper delivering a set of raps that would have probably dominated in any of the other cyphers. Yelawolf opens proceedings with his blinding, breakneck delivery, whilst Joe Budden follows up with a slower, more lyrical affair that will understandably claim top spot for many, with a slew of clever, attention grabbing punchlines. Crooked I follows up with an excellent performance that will also have many fans, throwing some smart lines into a tongue-twisting flow, whilst Joell comes through with a verse that sits somewhere between Budden and Yela’s, though is certainly the weakest of the bunch. Royce brings the biggest quotable with his hilarious ‘Hi Rihanna’ line, and group captain Eminem finishes things off with a solid verse, though not quite as slick as some of his signees.
Sat thinking the other day how Crook killed that verse on Bad Meets Evil’s Loud Noises and that’s not to be sniffed at when you’re up against Em and the rest of the Slaughter.
Then I listen to the lead single from his upcoming Million Dollar Story and I’m thinking what differentiates this from any other bullsh*t rap emcees out right now? You’re right. Not much.
So I just checked our back catalogue for the audio and wasn’t surprised to find Ajay’s sentiments align with mine: “Normally, this is the sort of beat that really suits Crook but I’ve got to admit he doesn’t come through with his usual passion and aggressiveness. His flow sounds tired and the lyrical content suffers as a result, feeling a little forced and inorganic.”
Just seems a weird choice of lead single when he’s neither going for the club scene nor being uber lyrical.
I’d forgotten about this track. Released almost exactly 2 years ago, this was actually the track that probably got people familiar with Sir Aah, and to me still stands up as his best material.
All three artists come on a real conscious tip, with Sir Aah commenting on the political and social problems rife throughout many Asian states with honesty, and hence arguably delivering his career-best verse. Crook spreads his targets wider, as he trots across the globe with his verse, acknowledging a wide range of issues in a typically enjoyable verse, whilst Royce focuses on the American situation in a solid verse of his own. Enjoyable track, and worth a couple of listens.
It’s often discussed who’d make a great 5th addition to the lyrical machine that is Slaughterhouse, and it’d be hard to argue against the case for Ludacris to be this fabled 5th member (not that there’s any chance Slaughterhouse are looking to recruit!). So seeing this collaboration immediately piqued my interest, what with Luda’s penchant for mind-altering guest verses, and Slaughterhouse….well, being Slaughterhouse.
So the result we find here is 5 great verses filled with many a clever punchline, over a pretty decent beat. What I didn’t expect was the awful chorus, which quite simply makes my head hurt. Shame about this annoyance, because this would make a brilliant song with a better thought out hook. Definitely worth picking up by you hip hop lovers out there regardless of this though, as you won’t really find a better bunch of lyricists who are still relevant in the game today.
Oh man, what I would have given to have been in Detroit to see this live performance from the next generation of Shady Records.
Not the best quality of sound, given it was filmed by a spectator in the crowd, but it’s good enough. Hell, even if the sound was worse than terrible I’d still have posted this. Great seeing the dynamic of these collection of rappers on stage together, you can tell their rapport is genuine.
Go grab the audio for this by clicking right here. If you haven’t done so already, get yourselves on the Slaughterhouse & Yelawolf bandwagon now…by the end of the year there will be no room.
I may not be a fan of his most recent piece of original material, but he’s recovered well with this enjoyable freestyle over the Kanye and Rick Ross collab. As with most of his freestyles, he gets his flow just right for the production and comes through with the inimitable Crooked I lyrical style. Really can’t describe it any better: if you’ve heard any of Crook’s freestyles, you know exactly what you’re getting.
With Crook’s new Million Dollar Story EP released on iTunes yesterday, we’re pleased to give you the first single from his upcoming Million Dollar Story LP (which is also included on above EP!).
The track boasts an intense production that grabs the attention right from the off. Normally, this is the sort of beat that really suits Crook but I’ve got to admit he doesn’t come through with his usual passion and aggressiveness. His flow sounds tired and the lyrical content suffers as a result, feeling a little forced and inorganic. For me, it’s a poor choice of lead single given his ability and back catalogue.
This is actually the second trailer for Slaughterhouse’s upcoming music video, Everybody Down, but I didn’t bother posting the first as it was a little short/didn’t reveal much.
However, this trailer gives us a glimpse of the roles each of these rappers play in some sort of bank heist or other high risk endeavour. The effects used on this has the super-lyrical group situated in a CGI constructed world and surprisingly comes off well. Looking forward to the release of the full video.
The track Everybody Down features on the Slaughterhouse EP that was released last month and is available to purchase on iTunes.
You can always count on Crook to grab hold of a mainstream beat and mutilate it into a hip-hop head-nodder. Here he’s gone for Wiz’s latest single and certainly doesn’t disappoint, coming through with some pretty memorable lines.
Personally however, I think this may have been a mainstream beat too far, as its happy-go-lucky vibe really doesn’t blend with his style and lyricism, and hence the raps feels very isolated from the production. Difficult to be mad at the raps as they’re typically enjoyable, but should have maybe been thrown on another beat (I’d have picked Lupe’s Words I Never Said).
Really not sure how I completely missed this, I guess I got too lost in the Lupe Fiasco excitement, but this dropped earlier: a new track from the (recently Shady-signed) Slaughterhouse boys.
Produced by Mr. Porter, we’re given a very good hip hop sounding lyrical affair (come on, did you expect any less?). Will be on their upcoming EP, of which the tracklisting for can be checked out over here.
Too many remixes for my liking, I won’t complain though as it’s ALWAYS great to hear new material from these guys, in whatever form. Having said that, the Move On remix could end up very interesting listening (assuming it’ll contain all new verses from the group), as the original was top-notch.
Fresh off their recent signing to Shady Records, 2011 is going to be a very busy year for this group.
Now it was no secret Slaughterhouse were going to sign with Shady Records, it’s only been due to record label issues that it hadn’t already happened, but Yelawolf? Crazy stuff! And by crazy I mean genius. Yelawolf was already signed to Interscope, so it was a good move to put him onto Shady.
Here’s what Em had to say: “Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse, it’s kinda phase two of Shady. It’s the new generation of Shady Records and as we’re trying to rebuild our label, it’s exciting for hip-hop and with all of these forces coming together and with what everybody’s capable of on the mic, it’s gonna be fun.”
Yelawolf also comments on the powerhouse move: “Considering where I’m from and the shit I’ve been through, it’s hard to put into words what partnering with Shady means to me, my team at Ghet-O-Vision, and my state of Alabama. I can tell you that when you’re willing to give your life up to see a dream through, the reward is great. And now that I’ve become an apprentice to one of the greatest artists in the world, my potential reaches beyond anything I ever imagined. Let’s kill this shit.”
Off the new Horse Shoe Gang EP, Opening Round (which is available now), here we have a type of track I really wasn’t expecting to hear from these boys. I’m used to hearing all of these guys tearing apart everyone else’s songs with their brazen delivery, but instead what we have is a very chilled vibe and something fans of more mainstream sounding hip hop could definitely get into. That’s not to say they’ve dumbed down their verses, quite the opposite in fact: we still have the witty punchlines and infectious flow these rappers all possess, it’s just now we have them doing it on an original song with very refined production (which sounds great with decent speakers/headphones!) and a very likeable hook. Top effort.
The other three quarters of the Slaughter join Joell’s collaboration with The Lox, Put Some Money On It, which is from Joell’s recent Free Agent album.
With that classic early to mid 90′s sound with the production, this song is all about a hella amount of top-level lyricists doing what they do best. A great beat can make any artist sound good, but only the truly special emcees can take average beats, or looping posse cut type beats such as this one and make it into an enjoyable track. I’m unsure as to has the best verse on this, I’m going to need to listen to it a lot more before I come to any real conclusions, but on first impressions Royce takes it for me. Great to see Slaughterhouse on their grind again, what with their other recent track announcing their return.
Apologies for the delay on this, but only this evening have I managed to get myself back up to date with music and/or life!
I couldn’t be more sorry either: this track is painfully good. Slaughterhouse recently announced an 8-track EP to be released Feb 8th, and this seems to be the first track from said EP, and most certainly commands attention. Pounding bass and drum work keeps your head nodding, whilst an electric guitar provides the edgy feel that only the Slaughterhouse trio can provide. The combination is an intense, memorable production that amplifies each rapper’s natural energy superbly, and we’re treated to some typically-strong verses from the fearsome collective. SLAUGGHHHTERRHOOOUSE!!
Slaughterhouse-Back on the Scene ft. Dres
As the end of year lists begin to pop up everywhere, it’s only right that we enter the fray. Murray, Indi, Liam and myself have put our heads together to compile a list of the very best acts in hip-hop this year, and come up with shortlist of who we feel stood up and really did something worthwhile this year. With the differing tastes and perspectives of four writers, you’ll definitely find some good talking points amongst the commentary we’ve offered on our selections, for better or worse (hopefully better!).
Click below to see who ranked at #15 all the way up to #4. The top 3 will be released shortly afterwards. Without further ado, let the mayhem begin!
One thing I love about the Slaughterhouse collective is that each member can lyrically hold their own against anyone in the industry, and are capable of switching up their flow. Not only this, but they all able to make introspective tracks with emotional appeal.
Crooked I shows off these credentials with the first single from his upcoming album, Million Dollar Story. He raps about his thoughts on the inner demons he, and many others in his situation, have had growing up, having done wrong but wanting to do right.
Superb track with very fitting production, as well as a very ear pleasing chorus from Sally Anthony. You can purchase this single right now from iTunes by clicking here and/or preview the track below. You wanted this for free? Crooked has delivered so much free material for his fans over the years, it wouldn’t hurt to part with 99 Cents (that’s just 79p in real money), especially for a track of this quality.
It’s a Thursday, it’s new Crooked I material, and despite ‘ending’ that particular series last week, Crook still graces us with some strong material with thw HHWR shout at the start.
Regardless of that confusion, this is some great material. Sampling the 1988 hit Listen To Your Heart, Crook does a great job on this powerful production and turns a retro pop production into a legitmate hip-hop track with some introspective lyricism. It’s definitely the right sort of beat/appropriate era of beat to bring reflective rhymes out of Crook, and is certainly worth a listen.
Seriously, what is it with end of eras tonight? As mentioned earlier, Crook cuts short his Hip-Hop Weekly Reloaded series due to the influx of imitations now on the market. This is a great shame for the underground heads amongst us, but no doubt Crooked being the innovator he is will devise another industry-defining method of supplying his lyrical slaughter to his fans on a regular basis. Anyway, as promised, hit the jump for the complete collection. #COB #OKBYE
Crooked decides to end his Hip-Hop Weekly Reloaded series due to too many ‘swagger jackers’ jumping on the weekly series bandwagon. It’s a shame, but him and his brothers jump on Dre’s official Detox single to great effect. I know a certain writer over here will love the lyrical addition to the thumping baseline and driven piano chords Kush brings to the table. As with the Blue Fridays collection, expect a HHWR recap any time soon. #OKBye
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