When it comes to the best and most consistent emcees in all of Hip-Hop right now, Rochester, New York native, Eto, is easily right near the top. His grind and consistency to deliver such dope audio crack not really matched by many. Such is the case with Eto’s newest album, RocAmeriKKKa, which he dropped nearly two and a half months ago.
Already the New Crack Era reps third album of the year and fourth release of the year. It’s yet another collaborative album, but unlike his previous releases this year that finds Eto teaming with a producer to produce the whole project. This new album is more of an actual collaboration that finds Eto teaming with fellow upstate New York emcee, Flee Lord. As two of the most venom spitters in not only New York, but period right now, really light the streets on fire with this one.
Resulting in a 10-track extremely ill and dope effort from two of the most gutter, grimey and gritty street emcees there’s in all of Hip-Hop right now. The two emcees delivering the usual dark, gritty and raw street tales we’ve come to expect from the two N.Y. natives.
The very dark and cinematic production from DJ Green Lantern on the opening track, Don’t Get Lined Up, really setting off and sparking the amazing tone for the album. Eto’s opening lines of, “Before glory, I had a war story. It started with little Paul Georgie. Couldn’t afford Mauri’s, all of us had a pair of four 40’s. Fresh ave, forty clips made us notorious and we still are. I should kill y’all n***as, wouldn’t let Georgie slip.” Showing how Eto has no remorse knowing how him and so many others had to grow up in such not so safe street environments. Which includes Flee, who’s chorus of, “Can’t go to war when you poor. Can’t be beefing when you eating. Lost it all for a whore. Now she cheating on the weekend. You already know she down for the cause. A bottom b***h at the worse, ass in them drawers. A foam full of lineups, don’t get your ass lined up.” Perfectly shows the great chemistry the Rochester and Far Rockaway natives have together throughout the album.
Eto & Flee Lord are able to have such great chemistry throughout, even despite having different producers for each track cause they all stick to that dark and cinematic boom-bap sound. Which so perfectly compliments both emcees. As evident on the Tricky Trippz-produced single, Roc Connection, which has one of the lone features on the album, 38 Spesh. Who also co-executive produced the album. All three emcees sounding as hungry as ever on the very standout track. But 38 Spesh’s verse of, “I think about the days I was poor. Just spend a thousand dollars in Colorado inside the chronic store. Tom Ford designer drawers. My whole crew arrived in suits and ties, we look like The Commodores.” Eto even lacing something real nice on the self-produced, Felon Paper.
Getting closer to the midway point of the album we get another real standout with the Melks-produced, 44 Long. The very cinematic slow piano chords laying the perfect backdrop for the two emcees great chemistry rhyming from one to the next. As evident with Eto’s closing verse of, “That 44 long, you in the wrong game. I send my blessings to him. He will never get respected again, now look at him.” Perfectly seguing into Flee’s standout opening verse of, “I’m the hardest in my weight class. Y’all n***as straight gas, spray fast.”
The JR Swiftz-produced, Mob Ties, by far one of the best tracks on the whole album. Is yet another gritty and raw grimey effort that finds both Eto and Flee Lord showing off their very raw and gritty ill emceeing street tales to pure raw perfection. Just when you think the album couldn’t get any better too, they delve the very grimey Graph Wize-produced, Out The Mud. Arguably the best track on the album.
As the album shifts to the last tracks it only continues to get better. With the V Don-produced, In The Lobby, and the Big French-produced, Strip Talk, easily two of the top three or four tracks on the album. At the very least top two or three. Especially Strip Talk with the way they go in.
Closing out the album, the very cinematic piano-laden Fith-produced, Past The Curb. Which features singer Imanii Skyy and provides the perfect backdrop for Flee Lord’s very hungry opening lyrics of, “They say the feds tapping him, but they ain’t hearing much. Except good bars. They ain’t hearing us. Merged like the coke game. Lord got his own lane. Humble, but grimey. I put dirt up on my own name.” The perfect lyrics on the closing track of an audio dope masterpiece album to describe how dope the album truly is. The great and seamless chemistry both Eto & Flee Lord have together not only providing a very classic Hip-Hop album. But providing the second classic album Eto has been apart of this year and one of the best albums of the year across music period.