SHARP. is one of the coldest producers in the game, his credits are impressive but the music well and truly speaks for itself, even on his instrumental works there’s a deeply evocative love for the culture seeped into every kick and bass note. If you’re unfamiliar with the man’s work, and you need definitive evidence of his talents, look no further than this fourteen minute sampler. Allowing for an intensive exploration of every facet of his music, this mix incorporates all of the greatest things about SHARP.’s music, not least his ability to craft masterful backdrops for some of the dopest underground MC’s right now. In just the first four minutes of the project, Stack Skrilla utters murderous rhymes over a paranoia-laced noir-rap masterpiece while The God Fahim unleashes flagrant brags over a gutter-soul hybrid. ‘Intro’ and ‘Marathon’ kick this project off nicely, demonstrating two wholly different aspects of underground hip-hop, and things only improve from there.

MidaZ the BEAST grabs the reins next, his delivery husky and cold-blooded. The sample takes much larger precedence here, but its not at the expense of songwriting at all as the song continues to lurch triumphantly forward even with just a loop and subtle drums. Lil Eto batters his way through ‘The Offering’ with some of the mix’s most sinister, world-weary lyricism. SHARP.’s drums were complimented ridiculously well here, his punchy beat peppered with vicious, angular verbal blows. My favourite on the mix however is the final vocal number, the unsurprisingly lengthily-titled ‘My Bitch Celibate but Got Racks Though’ with Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon. Jah-Monte has the slickest flow here, and the most personal story to tell. I’d say out of any of the rapper collaboration here, this one is the most natural and effective-sounding. This is partially down to the aforementioned MC’s boundless diversity as an artist, but also because SHARP. (regardless of who he’s working with) is an insane talent with a keen ear for great samples in his beats as well as detecting which cream-of-the-crop underground rapper would sound best over them.

I’m glad, then, that this short mix concludes with an instrumental cut. Although the rap tracks here are excellent, its particularly impressive to hear the producer in his rawest form, forging some of the most impactful hip-hop that you’re likely to hear from the current underground scene.