Phill Most Chill is “Captain (African) America”, an emcee of the old ways who returned, without having to spend decades as a popsicle, to show the contemporaries how its done. So it’s only right that the album’s intro, “The Feeling”, sets the pace and attitude for the project with the kick-in-the-door aesthetic of Hip-Hop’s golden era. Phill’s “rap has no respect for speed limits” evident by the warp-speed construction of exponentially complex rhymes. And who else to keep tempo to such lyrical bad-assery than DJ Format? Bold, brazen breaks and a whole assortment of other sampled instrumentation from his vast vinyl collection; his is a sound that’s been honed extensively over a solid discography, and its the perfect accompaniment to the aforementioned rhyme style on The Foremost.

It isn’t all quick-draw bars asserting microphone dominance though. Between “Diggin’ For A Livin'” which sets itself up as an anthem for record store plunderers, “Take A Stand”, which goes straight for the socio-political jugular, and “The Foremost” which seems to include an introspective message to a struggling Phill Most Chill circa ’88, listeners will get a lot of diversity on this album that will ensure it avoids being pigeon-holed as simply old-school.

Fans of the sound will instantly be hooked, particularly on the posse-cut with fellow Rampagers Oxyen and Emskee, finding little to fault with The Foremost. Check out the album’s sampler video (left) which, like the album itself, absolutely smacks of effort.

Pre-order / purchase The Foremost, out tomorrow on Project Blue Book

Trivia Footnote: Phill Most Chill shouts out Paten Locke on the finale “The Shape Of Things To Come” who fill feature on Phill’s upcoming LP with Paul Nice as The Fabreeze Brothers!

For more don’t forget to listen to our episode #81 of the Rap Radio Hour, featuring DJ Format