DJ Muggs & Meyhem Lauren Drop Frozen Angels EP w/Video For Title Track

There’s a certain demographic of rap fans that would be perfectly happy to have seen time frozen in the early to mid-90s, never shifting beyond that sound, but part of the main reason that so much great hip hop music came out during that period is because it was innovative, in that moment. The truly great figures achieved greatness, because they were individuals that brought something unique to what they were doing.  One-of-a-kind individuals still exist and they still create.  It isn’t the time period that matters.  It isn’t the era.  And even if it was possible to force every successful mumble and/or soundcloud rapper from today to blindly adopt a formulaic style of the past, the most that you could ever hope to achieve would be comfort, but definitely not true excitement, because it wouldn’t be natural.  You’d just be trading out one played out cookie-cutter blueprint for another.  Hip hop music is an artform and, as with any other, it’s intended to progress, move forward, and break new territory.  Even if they don’t always rise to the top in a world where marketing and sales numbers reign supreme, lyricism and artistry still exist.  Of course they do, because true individuals continue to be born and formed every moment.  And if you’re looking for a true individual, in this rap game, you needn’t look any further than New York‘s Meyhem Lauren.  Not only does he provide a particular brand of vision and artistry unique unto himself, but he infuses it with a tangible reverence for the forefathers that have influenced and inspired him; many of which he can now count as collaborators and peers.

More recently, Lauren (born James Rencher) has garnered a certain level of notoriety from his appearances on the Viceland documentary food program, Fuck, That’s Delicious, hosted by junior high friend, fellow Queens rapper, and longtime collaborator, Action Bronson.  The same charismatic personality and natural gift with words showcased on the program are at the forefront of Rencher‘s music.  He was only 15 when he got his first break in 2004, popping up on tracks by DJ/producer/rapper, J-Love, known for his prolific mixtape output (not to mention attempted murder and weapons charges).  Meyhem is a wordsmith and storyteller whose appeal stems from his strongly defined identity and, when his boastfully titled album with J-Love, Acknowledge Greatness, dropped in 2007, he was already holding his own on tracks next to such legends as Ghostface Killah, Large Professor, AZ, and Kool G. Rap.

The old-school Eric B & Rakim style model of one emcee working exclusively with one producer on a project had become rarer and rarer in an age where pop-star rappers don’t so much collaborate with the people creating their music, but rather pick out random pre-made beats from a selection of different names and/or simply jump on whatever is fed to them, based on whoever may be considered a hot producer at the moment.  Meyhem has worked with a select stable of top notch beatsmiths over the years, himself, but he’s also pushed out a number of projects that have found him linking up side by side with a singular producer to do it.  Besides his efforts with J-Love, there was the Raw Cashmere [2013] and More Cashmere [2015] EPs produced by Ice Rocks; 2014‘s Sylk Pyramids and its accompanying Sylk Pyramids Extras EP handled entirely by Buckwild of the D.I.T.C. crew; and, earlier this year, the album Glass and its More Glass EP of bonus cuts and remixes, created with Harry Fraud, who previously split production duties evenly with Tommy Mas on Meyhem‘s 2012 album, Respect The Fly Shit.  Today we learn of his latest collaboration and this time it’s with a highly respected producer with a solid 30 years in the game under his belt.  But even if we chose to ignore the undoubtedly impressive resume and strictly went on nothing other than the first single, it would still feel incredibly promising.

The Frozen Angels EP by Meyhem Lauren & DJ Muggs drops today and is a follow up to the duo’s critically acclaimed Gems From The Equinox LP from last year.  If the name DJ Muggs sounds familiar, you might know him as a founding member of Los Angeles-based West Coast rap pioneers, Cypress Hill, or for his production work for other artists on tracks like the classic early-90s radio hits, “Jump Around” by House Of Pain, and Ice Cubes “Check Yo Self.”  Credited for mentoring fellow legend behind the boards, The Alchemist, Muggs has a history of teaming with established lyricists in his VS series, producing one-off albums with impressive names like GZA, Ill Bill, and Planet Asia.

The combination of a producer who has been able to maintain such relevance, while consistently evolving his style and expanding his arsenal, over a 3-decade period, now laying the foundation for someone like Meyhem, who is a newer school lyricist with throwback tendencies, is a dynamic one that has already proven it’s potency and versatility through their work together.  Recorded in LA, Frozen Angels is “described as the more experimental output that resulted from the ‘Gems’ sessions.”  On first listen, I’m already really enjoying this one.  Although it’s never disjointed, they still manage to switch up their approaches from track to track, delving into different territories from spaced out and ethereal to gritty and subterranean.  The lead off single introducing us to the new 8-song EP is the title track, “Frozen Angels.”  It’s a timeless sounding banger with a dusty East Coast 90s beat that’s heavy on the Wu Tang vibe.  Check the video for it below.

Frozen Angels is currently on streaming platforms with limited edition vinyl copies of the EP (200 gold / 200 silver) available now through Soul Assassins, both individually as well as in t-shirt and hoodie bundles.