Album is available on all major digital platforms (Apple Music / i-Tunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, CDBaby and more)
In the chorus of the album's opening track, Dice Low, Frankie Stones x Jeff James invite the listener to "Put your feet to the floor and just vibe to this." The sentiment while direct, could be somewhat misleading, if interpreted as prologue to a laid-back, groove-driven collection of hip hop songs, which might serve only as a soundtrack to nights of endless cruising. What develops, as one moves forward through the 13 tracks, feels more like an involuntary admission to a psych ward.
Your lowrider is a padded room. Your hoodie is a straight-jacket. Your pills are wearing off. All you can do is listen and bob your head to the beat.
Recorded over a four year period that ran the gamut of personal tribulations, from divorce and severed friendships to unemployment and depression, Stones and James, gather up that dark subject matter and lay it all upon the dashboard. Fueled by that classic West Coast aesthetic and lyrical prowess, Drop Substance stands far removed from trends of mumbling vanity.
Released on McCannabis Records, this is a hip hop album for people who understand hip hop. Straight up. Put your feet to the floor and just vibe to this.
Review by Charles Ghent