Artist: The Left Album: Gas Mask

Whenever I find myself looking for new Hip-Hop to listen to, I find it very difficult to find anything that even remotely worth listening to. There really are only a few TRUE hip-hop artists that are left. Ever since hip-hop hit the mainstream, it has been muddled by very generic beats and very bland lyrics that all are about the same vulgar things.  The evolution of the genre has made it so the people who listen to it are almost frowned upon.

Luckily for those who are still looking for good, conscious hip-hop there are still some who hold to the original form. The Left is a prime example of this.  The Left is a hip hop group consisted of Journalist 103 (rapper), Apollo Brown (producer) and DJ Soko (Turntablist) out of Detroit Michigan.

Gas Mask is a fantastic old school album that really is refreshing to hear in these times. The production on the album make it a very strong outing. His production consists of soul and jazz samples from the 60s and 70s, placed on top of hard-hitting drums and occasional horns and piano melodies.

But what makes this album standout, is the witty and catchy lyrics within it. Starting from the song "Gas Mask". They basically send a heavy message out to the phony artists that real music triumphs over the mainstream rap that is out there. This is what makes this album so great. The fact that they know they could create songs like the ones you hear all the time, but they choose to treat the music like it is art, like it should be.

Overall, if you are a hip-hop lover, or just getting into it this is a great listen!

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gas-mask-deluxe-edition/id528504237

The Left - Gas Mask