(Mantequilla)

Let’s run this down, shall we? In the last few years alone, this man has dropped: -All Shall Perish -Back To Mecca 3 -The Past, The Present, The Future - Guerrilla Dynasty 3 I swear if anyone else dropped this level of consistency in a matter of a year and a half, they’d retire as a content legend. But what does he do? Continue to upgrade his already established legacy! Combine that with one of the most profound producers in the game right now, and you’ve got a duo that is sure to unapologetically sonically kick you in the teeth! Let’s talk about it! This is the brand-new album by Recognize Ali and Producer Giallo Point, and together they drop a solid 11 songs, 28 minutes, and the likes of: -Tru Trilla as the core feature! And it seems that every time this man drops a verse, he somehow increases his own ability and elevates and pushes just how far he can go! How much homage can he pay to the old school and how far ahead of the so-called ‘competition’ can he push himself? And at this rate, he’s circling around the culture! I’ll never be able to get used to his meticulous style. He’s one of the few that has inherited the true soul and essence of the 90’s golden era and morphed it into his own dominant style! For those that grew up in that timeline, you know most of those cats didn’t need anything flashy or over-the-top to make it; they were just dope spitters, consistent, and absolute! That’s what Ali is. Each bar, sentence, and verse hits as hard as concrete and leaves your face all scrunched up due to the automatic mean-mugging energy of the track! This man wouldn’t know how to take it slow if you paid him too! He’s lyrically one of the most talented I’ve heard in the culture. His deep and powerful vocals make each word feel savage, and his charged-up yet precise flow and word placement are bar none. He couldn’t fumble if he tried, and more often than not, we see him rock albums with little to no features because he knows he’s that guy and he doesn’t need anyone to make his albums pop except himself! Shoutout to -Tru on this one for the killer feature and the connection he formed with Ali! Of course, the second part to this equation is Giallo! A man with a storied record himself of dope albums he’s produced from Estee Nack to Napoleon Da Legend and everyone in between! A real one of the culture who brings that strong, bombastic energy to life on this one! From tracks such as -Defy Death, which starts off with this epic samurai snippet that reminds me of ‘Liquid Swords’, and this track combines epic scratches and cuts with these long-winded and methodical chord progressions and what sounds like a subtle use of a xylophone key? There’s some type of rhythm that comes back every 3-4 seconds that I can’t identify but gives a special texture to the track! All this is combined with some sharp strings and thick drum patterns! We have the track -Mantequilla, which has one of the more minimal instrumentals with the use of this exquisite vocal 2-second loop that towards the chorus and 3-4 timed loop expands into the rest of the vocal harmony! This is combined with plucked strings, slow drums, and this sharp violin sound that returns every 7 seconds or so that gives this song a theatrical feel to it that I loved! This track is the definition of boom bap and it was sick! Even tracks like -A King’s Ladder, this one has the most 90’s themed vibe to me! It has a lot of things from those infectious and hypnotic piano keys combined with this real light vocal snippet, mesmerising drums, and thick bass! This is the kind of instrumental you could play back then and people would still bump in! Homage paid in full! I never expected anything less from a collaboration of this caliber. Two of the strongest in the game meeting to provide greatness! Make sure you tune in below!