Cargo Records

$Martyr: Money Symbol Martyrs

2Mex of The Visionaries and Life Rexall of The Shape Shifters are $Martyr, the Money Symbol Martyrs.

This collaboration between two West Coast underground mainstays has been a long time coming, and the results are nothing short triple-dope, with a 13 track set centred on the premise that the love of money (not just the stuff itself) is the root of all ills. A theme that could be over-simplified or plain dull in other hands - who doesn't know what a flat pocket feels like? - comes to life here with both MCs rhyming throughout on varied approaches to their chosen subject, from first-person commentary to detailed narrative tales to light-hearted flows, but what really sets the pace is Life Rexall's incredible soundscaping production, drenched in the kind of uproarious Californian soul, funk and soundtrack horns & strings that made you love the likes of Pete & CL, Gangstarr, and that first PUTS LP so much. Lead single 'Green Grass' lays down a marker with a hook constructed from The Stylistics' classic flute-driven 'Green Grass - Shade Trees' that'll send you right to Golden Gate Park at the height of July as soon as the first chorus hits the speakers, and from then on it's a knockout display of highly developed rhyming and beatmaking skills, creative multi-layered sampling and incisive scratching (courtesy of Deskee), reminiscent of all your favourite soul-vibed hip hop LPs, and scoring high on the hard-hitting pure boom bap head nod scale. $Martyr is a project that already has the left coast scene buzzing, with guests including Busdriver (Project Blowed), Xololanxinxo (Of Mexican Descent), Die & Existereo (Shape Shifters), Son Doobie (Funkdoobiest), Lord Zen (Visionaries), and Mestizo (Galapagos 4).