After a career spanning over 35 years, Kool G Rap is gearing up for a statement album. On October 14, 2022, the lyrical legend from Queens, New York will be released The last of a dying breed. The upcoming album features contributions from Sean Price, AZ, 38 Spesh, NEMS, Royal Flush and Vado. Domingo, a producer who has worked with G Rap for over 20 years, is behind the beats. Today, six weeks before the arrival of The last of a dying breed, Ambrosia for the heads features the lead single, “Fly Till I Die”, featuring G Rap’s Juice Crew brother Big Daddy Kane.
“Fly Till I Die” embraces heritage and compares two of New York’s most famous boroughs, in hip-hop and otherwise – Queens and Brooklyn. After the beat drops, G Rap spits on sexy women and expensive habits. “We popping Louis XIII corks / Nasty rags, clean Porsch / Knockin’ b*tches of your dream off / Money in washing machines, boss / Little ni**a, come on when you finally climb on the magic bean,raps one of the MCs who invented the mafiaso style. DJ RBI punctuates the verse with some scratches on the kings of Queens, from G Rap pals Mobb Deep and others.
Big Daddy Kane & Kool G Rap Battle song for song, in concert (video)
In the second verse, G Rap takes listeners to his borough. “Where he’s swayed by drugs, blood flows, so fluently / Ruined houses, funeral parlor visits / Caught in the gunfight, usually his own actions,he spits, mixing an inventive cadence with striking imagery.
RBI then scrapes lyrics to Brooklyn, using lines from Gang Starr, Boogie Down Productions, JAY-Z, Biggie, and more. The pivot creates a strong entry for Big Daddy Kane. He spits on a belly of BK: “We’ve all seen a path that was lucrative, somehow / Even though that’s how we know you’re usually caught up / Trying to fly a bird and move it from its corner / And run with the rockets like the Houston kid Porter / Brooklyn sh*t, but y’all talk big / No man, I’m talking hawk, dog and pig / We don’t seek approval, we just keep it crucial / Jesus play withdrawal / Fuck this, run this, I’m talking about home from me, Big, and Jay / Brooklyn do shit in a whole different way.”
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Along the same lines, Kool G Rap is part of this year’s National Hip-Hop Museum initiation class. This also includes Whodini, Slick Rick, UTFO, Diamond D and Chubb Rock. Notably, Diamond published THE REAR VIEW this month, and I talked about it with AFH. The induction ceremony takes place tomorrow (August 26) in Atlanta, Georgia, with “Fly Till I Die” set to begin the affair taking place in Alantucky (owned by members of The Nappy Roots). The event will be hosted by Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers and Master Gee of the Sugarhill Gang.
Years before Verzuz, G Rap and Kane did song-for-song gigs. From the lyrics to the artwork ‘Confrontation’, this track celebrates the competition of two artists who have been pushing the envelope of skill for over 35 years.
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“Fly Till I Die” will be available on DSP at midnight tonight (August 26). It is released through DMG Entertainment.
Press photo courtesy of Kool G Rap.
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#BonusBeat: Kool G Rap is among those who have charted a Top 5 and appeared on many peers’ Top 5 MC lists, as covered in a recent episode of AFHit is What is the title podcast:
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