In the smoke of charred religious iconography, the hip-hop anthem New Levels rises from Shrine B’s EP, Ashes of a Burning Saint. Joined by 40XL and NAWZ, the New Jersey juggernaut of a rap renegade augments the ultimate hard-hitting rap anthem with the force of an underground artist who understands the difference between impact and empty aggression.
Known as Shrine Bloodjinn, Shrine B carries the East Coast 90s-inspired boom bap lineage into something darker, sharper and more spiritually scorched. The volition in the low, snarled bars growls meta wit into your psyche as Shrine B turns quite literally damning cultural observation into street-level poetry. His multi-syllabic writing gives the track its serrated edge, while the aggressive delivery lands with the clipped authority of someone raging from inside the wreckage.
In the cinematic energy of the production, the wailing rock guitars charge the track in a kind of unchained rebellion; a refusal to remain complacent in a society that is dead set on becoming an international den of iniquity, looked down upon by elite classes watching us turn from being distracted by bread and circuses to deadlier vices.
With 40XL and NAWZ adding extra pressure to the record’s furnace, New Levels feels primed for underground hip-hop heads who still want bars, atmosphere and consequence.
New Levels is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
