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The Professionals – Self-Titled (Album Review)

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The Professionals are a hip hop duo from Oxnard, California consisting of Oh No on the mic along with his older brother Madlib on production. Both of whom have made household names for themselves in the West Coast underground in their own rights. An album together has been long overdue in my opinion & has been hinted at since 2008, but it seems like we’re finally getting it a little over a decade later.

After the “My House” intro, we get right into the first song “The Pros”. Which is a very short but gritty way for the duo to reintroduce themselves to the listener. The next track “Payday” of course talks about making money over a nondescript instrumental while the song “Give N Take” tells the story of Oh No trying to sleep with a woman at 3am over a somewhat funky instrumental with this vocal sample relaying in & out like a radio transmission. The track “Superhumans” with Chino XL & eLZhi sees the 3 comparing themselves to superheroes over a haunting instrumental while the song “Buggin’” talks about people annoying him over a somber beat.

The track “CDP Breakdown” talks about wanting to fight someone over a grimy boom bap beat while the song “Timeless Treasure” gets conscious over a tense instrumental. The track “I Jus Wanna” talks about wanting to relax over a mellow boom bap beat while the song “Away Too Long” talks about the rap game over an extravagant instrumental. The track “Make Due” is a dedication to people putting their last buck on trying to get it over a gorgeous instrumental while the song “Tired Atlas” is another politically charged cut much like “Timeless Treasure” over a hypnotic loop. The album then finishes with “Dishonored Valor”, where Oh No talks about the soldiers who went A.W.O.L. over a vintage sample.

I personally have been waiting on this album for a long time & now that we finally got it, it’s not as perfect as I’d hoped yet solid. Madlib’s production is creative always & Oh No’s rapping is sharp, but it could’ve used a couple more features in my opinion. Nonetheless, I’m still happy with the outcome of what the 2 legendary Oxnard siblings did together.

Score: 8/10

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com

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Elzhi Sounds Superhuman On His First Song With Madlib (Audio)

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Although the two are brothers, Madlib and Oh No have only collaborated on a handful of tracks over the years. The Oxnard, California Brothers Jackson first introduced themselves as The Professionals on Madlib’s 2008 “Beat Generation” series album, WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip, with their track “I Want It Back.” The Lootpack and Gangrene members, respectively, teamed up again several times on Medicine Show albums and Adult Swim loosies. Now, The Professionals ready their debut for early 2020 via Madlib’s label, Madlib Invazion. The Jacksons are giving Heads the album’s first taste with a song featuring two lyrical O.G.’s: Elzhi and Chino XL. On “Superhumans,” Oh No and Madlib explode onto the track with a raw drum loop, scratching, and a vocal sample of Too Short rapping, “I must have superpowers.” Oh No starts the tune off, spitting a few dizzying lines over the cut’s high-pitched synths: “Marvel the marvelous / Blow your marbles all on the marble floor where the target is, and play marbles wit’ it / In a straitjacket, my mind is a powerhouse, a nuclear blast, all I taste is acid.” Elzhi’s kicks up a mean two-liner for the song’s second verse, rapping on point, per usual. Although Madlib has worked with Detroit’s Guilty Simpson on full-length OJ Simpson, this marks his first properly released union with Elzhi. “El be going hard like he’s trying to make his ex look / I ain’t learn to earn these types of checks inside a textbook.” He goes on to ride the beat, tightly flowing through with superhuman precision before Chino XL closes the track out on a high note, with one of his trademark punchlines. “The Puerto Rican superhero sniffin’ kryptonite / It’s a trip tonight / You could possibly f*ck yourself like a hermaphrodite,” XL raps, kicking the pace up in double-time and scattering superhero references throughout his verse. The trio connects with uncanny ability here, definitely earning their own rights to deem themselves superhuman. Skyzoo, Elzhi & Griselda Body A Pete Rock Beat On 2019’s Hardest Posse Cut (Audio) According to Rappcats, The Professionals’ self-titled debut will only see three features: Chino XL, Elzhi, and Adub. The album will release on January 17, 2020, and the vinyl will feature an all-black embossed and die-cut cover, featuring artwork by Gustavo Eandi and Jeff Jank. There will also be a 2LP version of the album bundled with a 7-inch single featuring Freddie Gibbs, which may presumably be “The Next Day.” The Professionals tracklist: 01. My House 02. The Professionals 03. Payday 04. Give N Take 05. Superhumans 06. Buggin 07. CDP Smackdown 08. Timeless Treasure 09. I Jus Wanna 10. Away Too Long 11. Make Due 12. Tired Atlas 13. Dishonored Valor Apollo Brown’s Album Features Royce, Elzhi, Slum Village & More. Listen Here (Audio) Earlier this year, Madlib partnered with Freddie Gibbs for Bandana. Oh No linked with Blu for A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night as well as New York MC/producer Fokis on This Thing Called Life. New music by Elzhi and Madlib currently appears on the official Ambrosia For Heads Playlist. KXNG Crooked, Tech N9ne, Rittz & Chino XL Go Berserk On A Killer Collabo (Audio) #BonusBeat: At the top of the decade, Elzhi released a video for the “Undefeated Freestyle,” which was recorded to a Madlib beat, “The Comeup (Come Down)”:

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

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