Boston-bred emcee and born survivor Elemental Zazen presents the first single from his forthcoming album Nothing To Lose But Change, also featuring Fashawn and Jean Grae. In 2007, a month after losing a close family member in an accident and his home in a five-alarm fire, The Weekly Dig voted him one of ’10 To Watch In 2007′. Shortly after undergoing brain surgery to remove a tumor – a procedure which left him with permanent sight damage – and learning how to walk again, The Boston Globe voted Zazen as one of their ‘5 Locals On The Verge’ in 2008 for The Glass Should Be Full, the astonishing album he penned through those dark times. Of the album, the Boston Phoenix wrote: “given the pain that moved his pen at such agonizing angst-addled angles, his sophomore release is as hardcore an opus as Tupac’s Me Against The World… it certifies that honesty, vulnerability, and introspection make for better hip-hop than masked insecurity and bullshit every single time.”
Zazen on working with Canibus:
“To this day, Canibus remains the only emcee in the game that consistently makes me hit rewind in order to figure out exactly what he said. His versatility is unbelievable; he can kill it with battle raps or spit an existential verse without blinking. Working with a legend like him is both humbling and inspiring. I’ve heard a bunch of collaborations where the emcees just ride their reputations. In this case, that’s not true. I think we both brought it, and this track speaks for itself.”
Preview/Download: 04 Hollow Heart (feat. Canibus) by Elemental Zazen
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