Justus Served

The Justus League are pretty highly thought of in underground rap circles as you know. Except for the odd criticism about their sound being ‘same old’, every album released from their collection of artists seems to get at least a bit of fanfare on the internet. From Little Brother, who are easily the most recognisable group from the camp, all the way down to the lesser known artists such as Joe Scudda or Median, they are doing alright for themselves.

One reason for their almost domination of the underground/mainstream crossover scene is because of their in-house production. In times gone by 9th Wonder was THE man. When ‘The Listening’ was released, some people were saying he was the new Pete Rock with his bass and soul heavy production ruling the boom boxes of many fans. But, in my humble opinion, 9th Wonder’s production is eclipsed by that of fellow Justus League beat makers Nicolay and Khrysis. Over time, there’s something about 9th’s beats that have seemed very recycled these days, and his fellow beat creators have managed to find themselves higher on my top producers list of late.

Nicolay is most notably famous for his ‘Foreign Exchange’ album with Phonte (of LB fame), but the focus of this post is on the music of Khrysis. He has quickly took over 9th Wonder’s spot as the go-to guy for Justus League beats, and has made a lot of the music on Little Brother’s upcoming album apparently. In the past he's also produced Big Rapper Pooh's 'Sleepers'

To showcase his music, I’m going back a few years to an album he produces entirely with his partner in crime Sean Boog in the group The Away Team. Their album ‘National Anthem’ was released to a lot of critical acclaim and here it is for you. The album has that classic Justus League feel to it, with the sound they’re famous for dominating it throughout. The guest rappers are primarily in-house, with Little Brother, Chaundon & Joe Scudda turning in a verse. Smif-N-Wessun also make an appearance on the track ‘Come On Down’.

Sean Boog is a talented rapper and sounds right at home over the backdrops created by Khrysis, and the album is a great listen - possibly one of the best album's released by the whole 'Hall Of Justus' crew so far.

Enjoy!

The Away Team - National Anthem

1. And Now Folks
2. Competition
3. Likka Hi (Last Call)
4. Shining
5. Come On Down ft. Smif-N-Wessun
6. Blah Blah
7. So I Tells The Bitch
8. Fuck You
9. Let Off A Round
10. Me And My Fellows
11. Make It Hot ft. Phonte & Joe Scudda
12. End Of The Day
13. Upnatem
14. One 'n' Only ft. Percy Miracles
15. Always Be Around
16. On The Line ft. Joe Scudda, Chaundon, and Big Rapper Pooh

For more info on The Away Team & Justus affiliated artists, go to:

http://www.hallofjustus.com/