Van Buren Record's 'Black Wall Street' Is a Sinister Look Into Hip-Hop's Golden Future
Photo: @xoxohadas
Does anybody in hip-hop work as hard as Van Buren Records? It seems unlikely, as the Massachusetts-born collective has been steadily amassing a burgeoning yet devoted fanbase thanks to a collection of singles and projects that showcase the relentless drive of the collective of rappers, producers, engineers, visual creatives, and fashion designers.
The collective's debut album Bad For Press originally caught the attention of several publications, and Van Buren Records makes a bold return with their latest EP, Black Wall Street, featuring production from AzizTheShake and even a surprise appearance from Toronto's Jazz Cartier. Delivering ravenous fans five new tracks, including a visual for "Cult," Van Buren Records show no signs of slowing down as they blast their way into the hip-hop stratosphere.
If you're not one for keeping your ears to the ground, then you may not be familiar with the Massachusetts collective. Their immediate charm comes from the collective's devotion to culture, community, and forward-thinking ideology that has not yet been tainted by dogmatic faux-diplomatic industry politics. Van Buren Records is not here to provide listeners with radio-ready hip-hop releases, instead, they offer their fans high-octane and tightly-written bangers bursting at the seams with promise and personality.
Black Wall Street feels like a reward to those who are tapped-in with rising artists. Artists like Luke Bar$, SAINT LYOR, and FELIX! might ring a bell, but even to the uninitiated, their undeniable group chemistry results in gritty hip-hop tracks primed to win over even the most hard-headed hip-hop skeptic.
The thundering and bouncy bass signals on EP standout "Cash Rules" serve as the perfect foundation for the collective to flex both their writing chops and affinity for cleverly crafted wordplay. From the eclectic percussion-heavy mix of "Fingerprints" to the uneasy horror movie-adjacent "Jumpstreet," Van Buren Records pull no punches on a tracklist that is just as polished as it is understated.
Listen to Black Wall Street below:
