Hip Hop, Music

Ab the Audicrat and Xkwisit Drop ‘Ax To Grind’

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About Ax To Grind

Ax To Grind is a new EP from Albany New York hip hop artists Ab the Audicrat and Xkwisit. The album was released on August 28th, 2020.

This EP comes with a total of 12 tracks. There are three songs (Hunt Us Down, The Hammer, and XCaliber). Ax To Grind also includes one bonus track (Dark Clouds) from 2015. The rest of the Tracks are the accompanying instrumentals and acapellas.

MORE: Ab The Audicrat Talks Music Production

Track List

Listen To Ax To Grind

Spotify | YouTube Music | Bandcamp | Apple Music

Ax To Grind Review

Anyone who knows me knows that Ab The Audicrat is one of my favorite hip hop producers. He is been a huge influence on my own production. Everything he makes sounds full and gigantic, but also has subtle aspects that keep your brain engaged.

I have always loved Xkwisit’s ability to make extremely hard, yet humorous lyrics. Listening to Xkwisit makes you feel tough while smiling and laughing. In my opinion, one of the marks of a talented rapper is the ability to use multiple perspectives and styles in their music. Xkwisit hits this nail on the head every time.

The track ‘XCaliber’ is an excellent example of this concept. The song is based around a medieval-style sample flipped in Ab the Audicrat’s signature style. The introduction shows Xkwisit as a king ordering around his servants. I don’t know where this servant is finding a “pile of ladies”, but I would like to see him try.

I love that this album comes with instrumentals and acapellas. I feel that this is something artists have not been doing much of recently. In general, albums seem to be getting shorter. Instead of artists dropping 12 to 14 song albums once a year, they drop multiple 3 to 5 song EPs multiple times a year.

It makes sense. Our media cycle moves so fast that artists need to constantly drop new material to keep people’s attention. I think adding the instrumentals and acapellas helps flesh out this trend of short albums. Hopefully, Ab the Audicrat and Xkwisit can be the trendsetters for this.

My favorite track on this EP has to be ‘The Hammer’. I feel this track takes boom bap into the weird year of 2020. Xkwisit touches on many issues that are affecting people in our current state of affairs. Add in a catchy hook and Ab the Audicrat’s crazy beats, and you have a great song.

Ab the Audicrat and Xkwisit go together like Batman and Robin, or Archie and Jughead. Ax To Grind is a great listen, and I encourage everyone to check it out. Both of these artists are extremely talented and even more powerful when paired together. If you are a fan of boom bap, or hip hop in general, Ax To Grind is an album for you.