Fresh off the unveiling of their debut single and video for “Sugar & Salt,” new hip-hop duo Monday/Friday, aka rapper Yamin Semali and producer Illastrate, took to Facebook last night to announce they will be releasing a track a day all this week until their self-titled LP drops on Friday. First up from this welcome bit of generosity is “Monday – Classmates,” a classic East Coast-style banger that finds Semali sharing rhyme duties with Sean Emcee of Civil Writes, along with the inimitable Señor Kaos and blctxt.
From the get-go the track takes aim at present day hip-hop, lamenting the state of the culture—or lack thereof—while engaging in unabashed generational warfare (“Youth is not a talent, give me more than that”). The combative stance is not all that surprising given this particular crew of battle-hardened vets, but it’s somewhat refreshing to hear them rip into differences in priorities (“I spend my money on the mortgage, not tires and rims”) rather than flex continuously over rhyme skills or the supposed superiority of golden age hip-hop. Still, we’ve heard this beef before, and you can’t help but wonder whether some listeners, especially younger ones, will find the generational divide too large to breach. Let’s hope not because there’s considerable talent on display here, and while these guys may be old pros, they still sound as hungry as ever. Listen below.
Monday/Friday will celebrate the release of their debut LP on Sat., Aug. 15 at 529. Supporting them will be Binkis Recs, Dirty Rotten (Joe Stu & Shred TVT), Cornbread, and DJ Nervex. Advance tickets are $8 or $15 with a CD.
More Info
Bandcamp: workingclassmusicgroup.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @MondayFridayMusic