You know you’ve got a high-quality song on your hands (or in your email inbox) when the beat excites every atom in your body like a charge does electrons. Producer Ryan E$L strikes your eardrums first, and he hits hard: menacing hi-hat rolls usher in a frantically spindling beat that sounds like an orchestral section on speed.
“N.W.G.” (N*ggas With Guns) – Chicago emcee Mic Terror’s final single before the release of his debut LP Fresh Prince of Darkness tomorrow – is quite possibly my favorite song of Mic’s thus far. He terrorizes the volatile backdrop with an expert delivery and an in-depth analysis of all that’s wrong with the streets of Chicago and their portrayal in the media. Some pronunciations and slurs occasionally make it difficult to entirely understand Mic’s message, but the song sings with passion and public-heigthening awareness.
Stream “N.W.G.” below, and support Fresh Prince of Darkness tomorrow if you’re a fan.