J Soko “Stand Up” (Prod. by Apollo Brown) [DON’T SLEEP]

DJ Soko and Apollo Brown, two thirds of acclaimed group The Left, command you to “Stand Up.” For this brazen order, Soko enlists Brown on the boards and the incomparable mic skills of Guilty Simpson and Hassaan Mackey.

The 4th installment in Mello Music Group’s monthly 7” series finds Apollo finessing a triumphant horn loop that would make Pete Rock proud, while Soko adds personality to the beat via a scratch chorus made up of declaratives from past classics by Pharoahe Monch and M.O.P.. Motor City rhyme animal Guilty Simpson stomps into the track, providing a sixteen bar reminder why he’s one of the fiercest on the mic today. Low Budget’s Hassaan Mackey takes the baton from Guilt, inviting you to take his lines “like a razor to the throat.” Two raw MC’s going for theirs over an equally unprocessed beat; there is little gloss present here, this is meat-and-potatoes rap for hungry heads.