By Will Mossa

Rap group Defy Culture featuring the spectacular talents of Faze 1, Solomon, King Shotta, and Chief Kaya dropped an 11 song album titled Overstanding tonight. Starting off, the production from Chief Kaya throws it back to a Wu-Tang vibe with clear roots in jazz music. Through the use of instrumental riffs that sound like a jumbled cornucopia of notes, Kaya somehow manages to spawn a rather irresistible sound containing a certain nostalgia factor that creates the amazing vibe. Utilizing real instrument sounds as opposed to the computer-generated ones we typically see in the industry today is a breath of fresh air and drives home the mash-up of old school vibes with new school flows and intellectual lyricism that Defy Culture brings to the mic in this project. 

Along with a new age twist on old rooted hip hop and jazz, each song has a cypher feel with a catchy hook in between verses that is rarely seen today; the ability to hear each artist bring their unique skill set in every track is a blessing to headphones and speakers everywhere. Standout track “3 Shots” (music video above) headlines a deep voice effect hook, both short and to the point that resonates with listeners. The funky piano riff and a dynamic drum track take center stage, mixed with constant cuts of the beat to emphasize certain words through the track-- a production skill that might go unnoticed but adds some pizazz and head-bobbing in its subtlety. “3 Shots” is by far a front runner on the project as each verse goes as hard as the last and might be one of the best overall vocal performances from each artist on the whole album. Clever word play and elaborate rhyme schemes are just the surface of the track highlighting bars like “I’m on the up and up and I’m building like brick and mortar/I’m aware of all my flaws I’m getting numbers in order.” 

At the album’s conclusion comes “Game Ain't Free,” another standout track on the project. An extremely high tempo piano riff and constantly prevalent trumpet makes for an uncommon flow from each artist where they shine through the mic using their versatility. Starting off with one of the most interesting up and coming artists in the game right now, Solomon uses his appealing cadence and talent to bring his ingenious bars. Not to be overhyped as Faze 1 and King Shotta follow suit without skipping a beat, each having bars that make you stop dead in your tracks and appreciate the lyrical genius that is displayed-- not just on this one track, but throughout the project. Defy Culture brings their “interpretation of REAL hip hop and lyricism” to life in their second album.  Overstanding is an understatement to what you will get out of listening to the full project, with 11 extensive tracks all headlining something different and giving listeners something special. All the artists that contributed to this project deserve far more exposure, and this is a project that will bring it to them.