Heavy Crates was founded back in 1999 by hip-hop DJ’s Tony Driver and Ben Lilly, before they established a base in an independent record store in Hebden Bridge five years later. Another five years on, Heavy Crates became established as a record label. Since then their intentions have been set on “keeping vinyl alive and independent whilst supporting fresh new music from street level”.
The Saran Rap EP is the fifth Heavy Crates vinyl release, a unique collaboration of seasoned lyricists and world-renowned producers, who together recapture the nostalgic culture of 90’s bootleg white-label vinyls straight from the slums of New York. As well as American artists the project also features musical attributes from hip-hop artist from Europe as well as Australia, giving the EP an engrossing variety of authentic intercontinental melodies whilst lyrically remaining true to the rugged roots of hip-hop’s Golden Era.
The Saran Rap EP is the fifth Heavy Crates vinyl release, a unique collaboration of seasoned lyricists and world-renowned producers, who together recapture the nostalgic culture of 90’s bootleg white-label vinyls straight from the slums of New York.
The eight track project features an array of renowned underground rappers, including Finsta Bundy, Blaq Poet of Screwball, Kev Roc of Darc Mind and multiple members of New York collective Monsta Island Czars such as King Cesar, Kong and Spiga. Then there’s Mitchell Aimss who hails from Brooklyn, an artist who is in his own words “cut from a 90’s cloth”, a frequent collaborator of Spit Gemz who also laces the EP with words of wisdom.
Finsta Bundy’s featured track Bizm is a revisited version, from the epic B side of Boogie Spirit 12″ (1998). Bundy relieves his heavy consciousness with a laid back flow as he ponders consequential actions and opportunities encountered, defining his insightful character as he conclusively claims undying dedication to his career as an artist, backed by a melodic beat by Debonoir P.
My Ninja is another track which 2 Kool Tony created with X Ray Da Mindbenda aka King Cesar, who produced the composition sometime last year. Those that have previously heard a Mitchell Aimss release will already be aware that “Ninja” is one of his main references. The track essentially depicts the reality of his circumstances, which are deeply rooted in the projects. With no hooks throughout, the tune is fast-paced and showcases Aimss’s lyrical versatility like no other, symbolising his admirable tenacity as an artist.
Crystal is a joint which has a grimey 90’s feel to it, featuring Blaq Poet, Kev Roc and Stoet Poetic. Blaq Poet’s introductory verse depicts the mindstate of a street-smart hoodlum before Kev Roc Of Darcmind, an artist who’s been in the shadows of the underground for many years, boasts his self-proclaimed dominance with intelligible wordplay until Stoet Poetic, who’s been down with Heavy Crates since day one, completes the track with a final gangster rendition.
Organik Poisons are a new formation between King Cesar and Bazooka Joe, two of 2 Kool Tony’s oldest friends. Their exemplary composition for Ferocious features Agallah The Don, Smoovth and Spit Gemz holding it down lyrically. Agallah begins, defining his frightening persona with wordplay laced in militancy, taking aim at anybody who’d dare doubt his self-acclaimed supremacy. Smoovth brings it back with a slick flow, making each bar count with dramatic pauses that allow his intelligent verse to really resonate before Spit Gemz finishes with a hard-hitting story-telling rendition which clarifies his unassailable determination for success, disregarding anybody that’d try to contest.
The 6 Degrees Of Separation track is based on a theory which states that everyone or everything is six or fewer steps away, or as 2 Kool Tony puts it: “within six handshakes, you can reach anyone in the world”. The concept was initially mentioned by F.T. of Street Smarts, a friend of Mitchell Aimss who also features over a contemplative production by Part Time, a producer from Hebden Bridge.
