One of the baddest up and coming hip-hop artists A-F-R-O (All Flows Reach Out) has been teasing anxious fans since his breakout in 2014 when he won R.A. The Rugged Man's "Definition of a Rap Flow" contest. Since then, the only project we've gotten from him was the 7-track free download Tales From The Basement last November, which included the lyrical slaughterfest in "Code #829," but it's been awhile since we've heard any updates on his official album which is rumored to be produced entirely by none other than DJ Premier.
Yesterday we were given an artistic masterpiece to hold us over in the meantime. A-F-R-O teamed up with NGHTMRE, a newcomer on the EDM scene, to give us a live direct-to-vinyl recording of their new collab "Stronger." We were also given a behind the scenes peek at the entire creative process, and it is nothing short of pure brilliance. Peep both videos below and let us know what you think!
Royce has been in the game since the late 90s, but the Detroit emcee's life has gone through many major changes in the 2010s. In 2011 he dropped his fifth studio album, Success is Certain, and Hell: The Sequel. The latter was a collab album along with Eminem, who form the rap duo Bad Meets Evil. That same year he also joined the rap super group Slaughterhouse (along with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and KXNG Crooked) and signed to Em's Shady Records label. 2012 brought the first LP from the super group, Welcome to: Our House. And because apparently Royce can't keep himself from making the greatest team up choices, he formed PRhyme with the legendary DJ Premier and dropped their self titled LP in 2014. That same year we heard Royce on a variety of Shady Records projects like the Shady XV album and the Southpaw soundtrack. We know that PRhyme 2 is in the works, and that we will see the next Slaughterhouse LP later this year. But Royce is gearing up to drop his 6th studio album, Layers, on April 15th.
The first single, Tabernacle, debuted a few weeks ago and we finally have some visuals to accompany the track. Royce pours his heart and soul into this track. Taking us on a journey through his early years in the rap game. Even before I saw the video, I could see every scene played out with Royce's descriptive lyrics. The song plays like a movie script and the video uses this to its advantage. But the director inserts a clever twist that ties the video and song together perfectly.
If you can't tell, I am in writing job applications mode. Hence the "work history" timeline above. But I'll let it ride. Royce's skill and hustle are opening so many doors for him. It is good to see him survive the beast that is the rap game and overcome his alcoholism. I think his sobriety has made him an even sharper emcee, which is scary because Royce could already go toe to toe with the best of them.
Peep official video for Tabernacle below. And I am also throwing in the Heltah Skeltah track he references at the end of the first verse.
