Las Vegas producer Dixon Hill’s new instrumental album, ‘Holodeck Beats: Program 3,’ beautifully captures the feeling of isolation while also being a treasure trove of head-nodding beats. Hill’s humility as an artist is admirable, especially at a time when ego-tripping is at an all time high. But he’d probably be the first one to tell you otherwise, because he’s simply interested in creating and sharing music that he hopes his audience will connect with. It’s a mindset he’s had since he started playing music in his teens, and he continues it today after pushing through hardships (he lived in his car for a time) and working with his heroes such as Guilty Simpson on their ’19 released collab LP,  Actus Reus. And with Holodeck Beats: Program 3, Hill is continuing an instrumental series that just gets better with each release. There’s just so much to love and dig into with Program 3, and it’s only the first bit of new material we can expect from Hill this year. As he tells us, he’s working on two collaborative albums—one with AG of DITC, the other with Noveliss of Clear Soul Forces—and he has plans to dip into other music genres. Until then, immerse yourself in the sounds of “Holodeck Beats: Program 3” which is available now via Fat Beats.

Son of Tony is a Buffalo-born MC. Over the past few years, he’s released a series of projects, including “The Son and His Father Tape 2” and “Tshaft3 Sunset”. To kick the new year off, he’s dropped a brand new album, “Son on a Sunday”. With features from industry titans like Skyzoo and Mickey Factz, will Tony be able to make his best album yet?

What separates Son of Tony from most rappers in the underground scene is his relentless demeanor. From the banging intro “Energy” to the climactic outro “Iron Heart,” the passion in his vocals nearly force you to love him. Rounding out his stylistic grit, the Buffalo spitters songwriting is both passionate and relevant to the current issues millions face today. Whether it’s the prideful “All Mine” or the traumatizing “Fore Thought,” the knowledge embedded in these stories truly deems Tony the title of street prophet. Out of all these moments, “Wet Stones” with Tish Hyman I found to be one of the most memorable of the group with its memorable hook and lighter-toned themes. On the note of collaborations, Son’s guests keep this experience every changing and exciting, which is emphasized by Mickey Factz on “Comicon,” Ren Thomas on “Zoo,” and especially the legendary New York MC Skyzoo on the projects ultimate highpoint, “Snd”. Overall, the show-stealing features and Son of Tony’s well-equipped skillset set this record apart from 95% of his rivals. 

Behind the boards, theres a soundtrack that embodies both the fierce and glamourous sides of hip hop. Best seen on “Comicon,” the beautiful vocal sample is chopped up and tampered by with an array of effects to create something much more haunting than any of Tony’s older material. On top of this, the soundtrack is rounded out with other standouts like the piano-based “No Mercy” and hard-hitting “Iron Heart”. While none of these tracks are doing anything to break the sonic boundaries hip hop has been stuck in recently, each beat spices things up with an interesting sample choice. On top of all this, the soundscapes’ best quality is that it masterfully matches the skilled MC’s gifted demeanor holding this entire journey together, which is certainly a pro. Going down the line, each one of these moments can be broken down for the sonic beauty they withhold, but with the knowledge of their core, each instrumental twist and turn will be more enjoyable when listening. 

In conclusion, “Son on a Sunday” is hands down Son of Tony’s magnum opus, and it may just be the best underground record of 2020. His lyricism is super refined, and between his potent songwriting and well-fitted production job, there’s so much to enjoy here. As Buffalo continues to grow into rap’s new hot zone, I’m sure Son of Tony will get the recognition or being one of the top guys in the entire city!

Rating: 9/10

Highlights: Lyricsm, Subject Matter, Production