New Music – Slam Dunk Contest

Looking like the Ball family when they step on the track, Your Old Droog and Tha God Fahim share even gameday stats on the joint venture Tha YOD Fahim. Like a call back to the victory lap, Tha YOD Fahim is everything exciting about hip-hop.

The introductory track, “Icee Shop/Entrées” is a perfect slice down the middle for carrying the weight and impact on first moments. Your Old Droog is the starter, adventuring over a Preservation beat for production that resembles that summer heat where the ice cream man can be heard from round the block.

Capitalizing on the fact of being both charismatic and being able to transition effortlessly, Your Old Droog dawns the barbershop quartet vest and straw hat as he points to the menu, illustrating a world of treats for the audience. He illustrates, “Pull up to the park, I hop out everybody flock. (Like Who?) Grown-ups, children, the women on my jock. Life I know a little about this, I know a lot. And it’s hot, welcome to my icee shop.” As the almost too-smooth-to-be-real beat continues, the sampling here resembles the break from the sun.

It all comes together however when Tha God Fahim is able to break-in at the halfway mark and transition the track from a catchy and uplifting hip-hop barbecue to a heavenly ride cymbal bearing boost of choired warmth. It is a dichotomy that Tha YOD Fahim continues to balance on and ride without sequence being damaged. Like angels coming to the ears, “Entrées” as the second half here sets the energy like a pristine bar for both Your Old Droog and Tha God Fahim to continue to vault with ease each time.

Pieces that follow like “Slam Dunk Contest” gives the similar feeling of watching Street-baller Hot Sauce punk on your favorite rhymer. Droog opens up the track with some AND1 levels of busted plastic backboards. The production from Nottz is slick, but feels grimy and gives off the blistered greens of Rucker Park. Tha God Fahim here is the sonic champion describing, “Stones get to flaring up ya retina, come correct or, I split ya to a trifecta… before you ever test Tha God, you better off being dead.”

When tracks slow however and become more personally touching, “A Long Time Coming” swings to mind like Peter Parker through New York. Droog and Fahim take the well-deserved step back and admire their work from the ashes to the marble halls. “It’s been a long time coming from dumping and drumming, it’s been a long time coming hard-headed and stubborn,” describes, Tha God Fahim.

His entire verse on “A Long Time Coming” is filled with gems and hidden treasures, some more apparent than others. The instrumental is gorgeous in a lounge act sort of way, giving that vibrant fuzz off the saxophone that stumbles against the electric piano keys.

Both Tha God Fahim and Your Old Droog embody the step out the box for each solo release, so hearing them both after their shorter joint Tha Wolf On Wall St gives nothing but hope for the future. It’s the Dump God versus Cooler Than Kinison, except often they work more as a group of ruling kings than dueling champions, especially on Tha YOD Fahim.

Listen To Tha YOD Fahim Here!!! – BandCamp/Spotify/iTunes