If you’re just now getting familiar with The I V League, welcome. Those of you who keep up with the scene most likely have that one dream-team of artists that you would love to see join forces. This is where the League comes in, specifically stamped and served as an “international fraternity of extraordinary emcee’s, producers and deejays”.

Veteran emcees Ras Kass, Shabaam Sahdeeq and El Da Sensei have been in the mix for quite some time now, but still publicly unfold their craft every year offering something refreshing and equally satisfying. These gentlemen and their abilities do not age. So what happens when you get them in the studio with some of hip-hop’s more recently promising talent? Well, it’s the perfect mesh. That isn’t always the case, but with The I V League it sure is. New York wordsmith El Gant offers his expected, unapologetically piercing lyrics throughout the album. Sam Solo, 4rAx and thekeenone step up to the plate and necessarily deliver in the same playing field as the vets.

After a handful of released singles under The I V League’s umbrella and a busy year for each artist, the full length album is here. It’s versatile. It covers quite a few sounds – for you easily bored folk. It’s blunt. And it’s raw. Today it is not uncommon to hear your average social media surfer complaining that there are no good hip-hop albums out anymore. The League is here with a solution to that frequent complaint with an 11 track solution.

Snowgoons, Jake Palumbo, Poetiq Beetz and P Original are a few names handling the soundscapes throughout the album. The production is carefully selected to best suit the artists blessing the canvases. It would take hours to break down each artists current moves and what they’ve accomplished in 2015 alone. The League has quite the busy roster of recording artists. We hope you enjoy the project! Peace and love.

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New York’s El Gant returns with “Raw”, off his forthcoming Spray Music EP. The record finds El Gant delivering one of his most rapid fire, technically sharpened darts of his career. Chi-town’s 42 Keez laid the groundwork here for Gant to brutalize, providing a rather “in” sound – suitable for the 2015 ears. Don’t let that fool you though. Gant is in the lab with Ras Kass, Shabaam Sahdeeq, El Da Sensei and other veteran emcees/new school staples – alongside his IV League camp. He keeps the hip-hop heads fed. Enjoy the track and keep your eyes peeled for the official release date of the upcoming EP. Peace and love.

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Moving forward from their successful debut, Jersey’s own El Da Sensei and Tame One needed no introduction three years later. But “Art Of Scratch” still opened up album with a raw, neck snapping introduction to the crew anyway. “Who’s this? The knotty headed terror and the sensei.”. By this point Between a Rock and a Hard Place (1994) swarmed the underground and built trust in all hip-hop fans. Their music has graffiti writers, b-boys and anyone immersed in the culture sold. Many call that record a classic, and there’s honestly no arguing that. How about their sophomore That’s Them?

Though not as critically acclaimed as the groups first record, this album falls far from short. Us real hip-hop junkies are not too interested in album sales and chart rankings; we are looking for quality and substance, which this album certainly obtains. Tame and El stayed true to their craft here and gave us what we expected from them following the debut – head nodding, raw underground boom-bap. The album has features from the likes of Lord Jamar, Showbiz, Da Beatminerz and other notable artists on and off the microphone. Covering all grounds and giving us the Artifacts sound we all loved in 1997, That’s Them is now eighteen years of age and still relevant.

Don’t sleep on their recent moves, either. As a group they’ve been crushing venues pretty often, which RESPECT. Magazine‘s Dread Solo had the pleasure of catching back in Philadelphia alongside Ras Kass and company. El Da Sensei has recently announced his upcoming XL release, and we heard he brought on some heavy hitters. “It’s gonna be beats, bars and Lo all over this album. Whatever you’re expecting – it’s going to exceed that!” Keep up with the release and everything going down in 2015. But while you wait check out the 1997 visual for “The Ultimate” below. Peace and love.

The post Artifacts’ Sophomore LP ‘That’s Them’ Turns 18 Today appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

via 2dopeboyz

El Da Sensei is getting set to release his newest project, The Nu World Remix EP.  The Newark-bred emcee’s EP drops on November 15th.  It’s still a ways away so we’ll have to make due with the dope cover art.

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