Written by: Oliver Heffron
CYN founders and cousins Niko Brim & Kai Ca$h drop a new music video for their standout single “Sunday Service,” off their recent collaborative EP ELEVEN53—an electric six-track showcase of their independent sound.
Bridging the gap between the old and new schools of New York Hip-Hop, the duo combines expert lyricism and buoyant energy with undeniably good sampling and beats that pack a punch when necessary. Fresh off the From a Bird’s Eye tour with Cordae, Brim and Ca$h kept the momentum moving with ELEVEN53, the first collaboration project between the two since founding the CYN collective, with hopefully more on the way.
Recorded mainly during the “CYN-ATL Camp,” a weeklong recording session for the collective in a rented Atlanta mansion, ELEVEN53 bounces with spontaneous energy and competitive bar-spitting. No track embodies this exuberant energy more than the fiery posse-cut “CYN Anthem,” the first track to feature the entire CYN Mob (King Combs, Niko Brim, KaiCa$h, Great Dame, K Wales & ShaqnLivin) on one track.
Photo Courtesy of Trish Mollo
“Hard Times (feat. Scooter & Raury)” features the ATL native Raury and live instruments from his band, an impromptu pull-up to the crib producing a multi-layered banger. Brim and Ca$h square off on “Kingz,” the cousins going bar for bar over a velvety-smooth horn and bass sample. “The Light (feat. Reuben Vincent)” shows off each of the MCs’ surgical precision over filtered vocals and crispy percussion, while “Sunday Service (feat. K Wales)” sees the pair and K Wales beating up an incredibly produced beat, slow-stepping with the swagger of an old western hero over flourishing sample shots and thumping 808s.
Niko Brim and Kai Ca$h are day-one partners in their respective careers and it’s evident in the tracks that this project’s been a long time coming. ELEVEN53 exudes effortless chemistry and joy that could only come from an independent project with family ties and longtime commitment. With “Sunday Service” booming out of car stereos from Power 105.1 throughout the city and new music on the way, it’s safe to say that Brim and Ca$h have achieved some of the dreams in the bars they rapped to eachother as kids, but more are on the way.