PREMIÈRE: New Kinah Hamilton & The True Believers Release Is Pure Spiritual Hip-Hop

@whatslater

There’s serious heft to the new album by Kinah Hamilton & The True Believers. The work of Bruno Abdala and a number of Brazilian friends, M.T.A.G sees Abdala once again explore the spiritual hip-hop genre which he seemingly created himself (and which we’ve documented before here).

Featuring golden age hip-hop beats and loops augmented by propellant synth runs, sampled voices and field recordings, and plenty of additional percussion, it’s a sometimes cacophonous, but always breathtaking, listen. At its best, it’s rhythmic, powerful and consequential, music as message, people as power.

Abdala collaborated with Rogério Martins (Hurtmold), Guilherme Granado (Hurtmold, São Paulo Underground and Bodes e Elefantes), Danilo Rosolem (Vida Seca) and Fabio Chinca (a member of Joe Lally’s Italian trio) for the release, collaborators that give a clue to the album’s DNA, with Abdala’s use of field recordings, ambience and hip-hop beats allied to the rhythmic percussion associated with Vida Seca and the progressive electronics and soundscapes of Hurtmold. It makes for a fierce amalgamation.

Opening tracks “Friends Part (O.G’s Only)” and “Afternoon on a Satellite With Mau and Mary” set the stall out early, the former’s thick, powerful rhythm and preacher-like vocals hitting the perfect balance between music and message, while the latter is no less potent with greater use of electronics but no let-up in the focus on groove. And the same could be said for the rest of the album. This is a mesmerising, important release.

M.T.A.G is released as 15 tracks of audio and video (see the YouTube playlist below) via Próposito Records.

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