After two years sharpening his pen at Pendulum Ink, Hip-Hop’s legendary lyricism academy, John Brown The Rapper stepped into the studio with pioneering manufacturing duo Da Beatminerz (Mr. Walt & DJ Evil Dee) and by no means seemed again. What began as a single tune grew into an EP, then lastly Waxing In Mecca, an 18-track full-length album out now through Soulspazm/Fatbeats. With visitor verses from Mickey Factz, Your Previous Droog, Rockness Monsta, Ras Kass, and Smif-N-Wessun, the album pairs sharp, dense lyricism with the uncooked, rugged boom-bap sound that Da Beatminerz helped form within the early ’90s. The title itself nods to each “waxing poetic” and Harlem as a cultural mecca, reframing boom-bap as a sound nonetheless very a lot evolving. From quantum physics to non-public resilience, the album is sonically cohesive however thematically wide-ranging, grounded in sharp songwriting and real-life stakes.

Lead single “Basement 2 Penthouse” captures that journey completely. John Brown wrote the primary verse acapella for Ransom throughout a visitor lecture at Pendulum Ink, opening with “Placing 2X4s within the rafters like Kobe” and weaving development metaphors all through, a theme that got here actually whereas he was actually residing in a flooding basement house, dreaming of the penthouse. The video, directed by Tribeca Movie Fest alum Victorious De Costa, was shot in that very same Harlem constructing, shifting from basement to penthouse as a visible testomony to progress and perseverance. Whether or not you got here for the Beatminerz grime or John Brown’s technical pen, Waxing In Mecca delivers on each fronts, a collaborative album that really appears like two forces constructing collectively, not simply buying and selling verses. Stream it now and watch the “Basement 2 Penthouse” video above.

Score: 8/10 — A cohesive, replay-friendly album that honors boom-bap’s roots whereas proving the sound nonetheless has room to develop. Stream it now and watch the “Basement 2 Penthouse” video above.