The Realest - Drowning Beat

Hear The Track Here

As I've said before, by far the largest musical genre on Soundclick (and probably the world) is hip hop and its assorted sub-genres. One of the largest sectors of the genre, and a cottage industry in its own right, are the endless beat factores who make beats for other artists to license for use. It has to be said that not all beat factories are alike, and in fact having reviewed a good many of them one way or another I certainly have my own favourites - which also happen to the top beat factories. The reason they are the top is because they are extremely good at what they do.  Sinima Beats is a beat factory I have become more and more aware of this year, simply because their beats are always interesting and covers a lot of ground.

Wherever possible I try to listen to the original track but I really don't have the time to go through all 395 tracks on their site, so that one bit the dust pretty quick. Drowning Beat is a bit more standard hiphop than most of their tracks, but still has their classy blend of excellent rhythms and orchestral scoring. Although I like them when they are more on the cutting edge, the musical track here will blow most other factories away - listen to the sound quality and its obvious that these guys know what's what. Where the plot usually fails is when the rapper (in this case The Realest) comes to put their own stamp on the affair.

It is to The Realest's eternal credit that not only has he not stepped over (Ed: musical speak, he means obscured...) the original track and, in fact, has even added more power to it. Part of that has to be attributed to the man's light touch with the rap, not too much but just enough which is important with the slower forms of hiphop. Much more so, at least in my opinion, credit should go to the lyrical content and flow. Drowning Beat is effectively a very strong anti-drug song that condemns the whole ethos that seemingly pervade the genre like a virus. It is very refreshing to hear a rap artist laying down lines that lament the effect drugs - and its endemic corruption from both 'gangsters' and police - has on the community he lives. 'Crack cocaine got my hood drowning, crooked police got my hood drowning, n**** with guns got my hood drowning' is probably one of the best hiphop choruses I have heard this year and is a message that so deserves to be heard - but that isn't the reason I give this such a high rating. The reason I love this track is because - even though its a semi ballad - it's technically perfect. I certainly don't get to say that about hiphop very often.

MUST HAVE message. MUST HAVE track. Superb.