Jersey City MC Ransom and producer Nicholas Craven recently released a full-length collaborative project, Directors Cut 4. For fans of soulful and sample-heavy production, intricate rhymes, and a refreshed take on classic hip-hop, this is one of the most notable releases of the week. Although it contains plenty of standouts, one that’s bound to particularly resonate with fans is the stacked “Minority Report.” Featuring Talib Kweli and Raina Simone, this song focuses on authenticity, talent within hip-hop, and emerging from a system that is stacked against you. There are a lot of heavy street bars on here, as well as more spiritual fare and comments on political oppression, but don’t let this denseness put you off.
For starters, the beat by Nicholas Craven might remind listeners of some of Ransom’s earlier beats like “Sinatra’s Demons.” Like that song, this track contains some powerful strings and a minimal but still noticeable drum pattern to keep the song grounded. Also, there’s an interesting mix between these strings and some faint background vocals that seem more ghostly than anything else. Considering the track’s weighted subject matter, this just adds to the drama and impact of the sharp bars. For example, the legendary Talib Kweli’s verse takes more of a violence-oriented focus, speaking on snitches and posturing in the world of crime.
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Ransom & Nicholas Craven’s “Minority Report”
Matched with Ransom’s opening verse and chorus, this makes for a bittersweetly triumphant cut. To close things off before the last chorus, lyricist Raina Simone delivers a killer verse about her struggles, experience, and legacy as a Black woman. Even though this songs packs a deep punch, it still thrives in the fundamentals of the genre (like much of his material) to make an engaging listen. If you haven’t heard Directors Cut 4 yet, you can find it on your preferred streaming service and peep some notable lines from “Minority Report” down below. For more great hip-hop each week and the latest news from these artists, log back into HNHH.
Quotable Lyrics
I keep a small circle period, they algebraic theory is
We act up, we act some life serious, man ain’t no fear in this
Generation of offspring of Ronald Reagan experiments
Was rounding good bricks like Legos, shout my Nigerians
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