Neak Ready To Go (Slot-A Body Bags Remix)

Okay, I'm gonna say it: popular rap and hip hop of late has been more than disappointing. A genre which grew out of empowerment and self-expression has mainly been reduced to autotune and poorly executed samples from its archives. Last week, I heard a single by Chicago MC Neak called "Ready To Go (Round The Way Girl)." It's clear listening to his catalog that this guy is someone with real, organic talent and (gasp) something to actually say. This is not surprising since he comes from a musical heritage, his father singing with James Brown and Sam Cooke and an older sibling being involved with hip-hop production.

"Ready To Go (Round The Way Girl)" is steamy and sexy, as is Neak's velvety voice. There's a blatant homage to LLCoolJ's "Around The Way Girl" presented in the most brilliant, seductive manner. The beat is slow but well balanced, and Neak's lyrics are smooth, harking back to the 80s and 90s rap scene. It's as if A Tribe Called Quest and a young LLCoolJ gave birth to a hip-hop baby, and that child's name is Neak.

For more stylings from Neak, get excited for a new release, Love Greater // The Prequel, via Earmilk, DJBooth, and Prefix Mag in December. Also, get a free download of street album Neak Rock here and check out this sweet video for single "It's Your World" here.