Both of these artists reside in places where I personally haven't heard much in the way of good hip-hop, to be perfectly honest. Gezi's from Slovenia, and Soulless is from Russia, but if Kristaps Porzingis has taught us New Yorkers anything, it's not to worry about where a talent is from, so much as how damned good they are. These guys are cut and chop masters - which probably means they're tearing through MPCs like its their job... maybe it is? I'm not inclined to verify if these guys are amateurs or not, because... who cares? The music is good, and thus the recommendations stand. Anyway, Gezi is shredding up some good ol' soul here, and Soulless mashes up Pink Floyd and remixes the legendary New Yorker MF Doom aka Metal Fingers aka King Geedorah aka Viktor Vaughn aka... etc... so whether from Slovenia, Russia, or Jamaica, Queens, good hip-hop is good hip-hop.
On a side note, this thought gave me pause - hip-hop is international now in a way that it never has been before. How amazing is it that people all over the world are crafting, refining, and developing the art form with this kind of passion? So far, I've highlighted beat-makers from Holland, Japan, and now Slovenia and Russia. I never expected this to be the case when I set out to start writing these things up, so anyway, that was a nice realization.
It especially resonates that one of these is Russian - while our politicians lead us head-wise into war and calamity (perpetually), or fear-monger regarding immigrants and refugees, here we have an American beat-maker writing about (commending!) a Russian beat-maker regarding the common language of music, and more specifically hip-hop music. Given the time and energy that goes into doing this, and the degree of knowledge regarding music, sampling, mixing, etc, etc, etc. it goes without saying that even despite potential 'differences,' there's no doubt we could probably sit down and talk about music and chop samples up for hours. It's not an invitation, I'm just saying that it's a good moment to remember that despite the perceived differences we're supposed to have with certain people, at the end of the day, we're all just that; people - the products of our experiences - and as such, we're probably not all that different. Even though we're supposed to think of Russians as a threat, and Russia as this meta-physical manifestation of some kind of 'evil,' it's just a place with borders drawn on maps, full of people in most ways like you and I. That this artist is making hip-hop at such a high level speaks loudly to our similarities far more than it does any of those perceived differences. Music is one of those great equalizers, and carries with it the potential for so much more than just music or art.
Anyway, enjoy the beats of Gezi and Soulless, and as always, the songs I linked you guys to here are only a small sample of an otherwise fantastic selection of music that both of these beat-makers have up on soundcloud. Check out their music, and of course, mine as well (I put up a Brazilian sample-infused beat after I wrote my Lost Perfection rec for you guys, check it out), and as always, all hail the Mimar!
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