Released: October 13, 2023

Genre: Hip-hop

From: US

Label: Knowhatimean / Fused Arrow Records

Why you should listen: Seattle, Washington emcee AJ Suede and Brooklyn, New York producer steel tipped dove have teamed up on a short but punchy new collaborative project titled Reoccurring Characters. AJ Suede has been one of the most exciting and talented wordsmiths and poets making music today, and recommend you check out projects such as Indica Music and With Hundred Year Darkness with Small Professor. steel tipped dove on the other hand is one of the most exciting experimental hip-hop producers and this year painted the soundscape for Decay, the incredible collaborative album with Fatboi Sharif, who is also featured on this album. Reoccurring Characters has some varied and really inspired production, with steel tipped dove providing some heavy and cacophonous production to complement AJ Suede’s wordy, disorienting lyrics about the state of politics in the States, the dystopian reality a lot of people live in, relating that to personal experiences and observations that makes his words incredibly interesting. “Automatic Amnesty” kicks the album off with a soul loop and heavy drumming, as AJ Suede sets the tone with intricate verses that ebb and flow in between the stunning production. “Kluxbusting” has heavy drums and an intense tone, as AJ Suede’s hellish verses about his observations on the world around him makes for an insightful and interesting listen. The piano key loops on “Tell Me When To van Gogh” are incredible, while dystopian and dark “One Way Ticket” featuring PremRock and Fatboi Sharif is quite a spectacular moment on the album, as all three emcees sound menacing, with really unsettling verses about that state of the world, and with fitting production to complement the disorienting and almost depressing lyrics throughout. “Sour Disposition” and “Hovercraft Jeep” have some heavy drumming, as AJ Suede flows effortlessly over the thumping instrumentals, talking again about observations and experiences and channeling that through introspective and unassuming bars, flowing effortlessly throughout. “Excessive Celebration” featuring Duncecap feels grandiose, while the delicate and lush “Dreads At The Monastery” probably has by favourite beat, though the lyrics here are more damning as AJ Suede’s focuses his lyrics on political and economical injustices, dealing with poverty and mass surveillance by a controlling, invasive state. “Cold Hue” featuring Curly Castro has this smooth and jazzy beat, with both emcees providing reflective verses that complement the energy of the track poignantly. “Continental Drifting” closes the album out with another introspective verse from AJ Suede over a phenomenal beat. With Reoccurring Characters, AJ Suede and steel tipped dove have created a mesmeric and important new album touching on experiences and traumas of life in US, over some incredibly dense yet inspiring production.

The album: