Group Therapy is the project of Crooked I and King Tech, who work together (the former on the mic, the latter on production) honing skills and verses over claustrophobic live beats dotted with heavy synths and guitar arpeggios. Crooked I rallies against hip-hop’s current state, decrying the auto-tune (“unless it’s T-Pain”) and ringtone jams. But this cut is more than a “back in the day” ode to old-school. Group Therapy takes things forward with its dark minimalism and righteous anger.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
The cascading synths remind us of Kraftwerk, while the slow-paced drums exude hip-hop swagger. Paper Route’s MCs do their part, too — spitting clever braggadocio between choruses that call to mind Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em (“Ohhh!”). The result is something you can lean and rock with. If you like the track, check out a capella version.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date. 
SLO-O skates over a classic Dr. Dre-style production with his crisp, laid-back flow. The San Francisco newcomer’s hazy tale about grinding on sleepless streets takes on added drama thanks to strings that sweep across a hypnotic keyboard riff. The song’s title references Eldridge Cleaver’s collection of essays and SLO-O proves he too has literary flare: “I walk with my soul on ice, on gasoline blocks, matchbook ready to strike, I’m trying to weave out.”
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
