DJ MUGGS AND ROME STREETZ- THE DEATH AND THE MAGICIAN REVIEW

DJ MUGGS AND ROME STREETZ

Since the golden days of hip hop until now, We have seen many rappers and producers come and go. Some didn’t evolve, Some got los tin the shuffle. But one thing for certain is DJ Muggs(from Cypress Hill) has evolved within every project and became one of the go-to guys for hardcore hip hop.

His Verses series with GZA, Sick Jacken, Planet Asia, Ill Bill Mayhem Lauren and Roc Marchanio have became cult classics and proved that Muggs has the ablity to bring the beast out of every emcee that he’s worked exclusively with.  And with this album here, Rome Streetz is no exception.

I haven’t heard much of Rome Streetz aside from a few collaborations with Griselda but he showed that he’s possibly one of the next prospects from the New York scene.  His style is very similar to Griselda’s Dump Gawds, 38 Spesh and many others from this new era of grimy spitters. But what’s brilliant about Muggs  is that he provided the sinister musical score that brings the vivid wordplay of Streetz to life.  When you listen to songs such as  The Manuscript,  High Explosive,  Zig Zag and Stone Cold Soul,  It’s the perfect combination.

Muggs explained the concept behind this project in a recent interview:

Death and the Magician is a sonic and lyrical onslaught on a dark rainy night in NYC, and is based on the Major Arcana cards in the tarot deck. The Death card signals that one major phase in your life is ending, and a new one is going to start. You just need to close one door so the new one will open. The past needs to be placed behind you, so you can focus your energy on what lies ahead. When the Magician appears it points to the talents, capabilities, and resources at the querent’s disposal to succeed. The message is to tap into one’s full potential rather than holding back, especially when there is a need to transform something.”

One of my personal records off  this project  has to be Wheel of Fortune where they cleverly flip the Wheel of Fortune sample along with Shooting at the Dance Hall which show cased Muggs strong sense of diversity with the dancehall flip.

If this review doesn’t convince you that Death and the Magician isn’t one of the best releases of 2021 then I suggest you check out the mini movie that both Muggs and Rome Streetz released which gives the audience a preview of what to expect.

King Eric: 10 OUTTA 10