Raleigh, North Carolina duo God Cypher Divine (composed of emcees Creme de la Creme and Mike "Live") released their self-titled debut album earlier this year. The duo has a distinct boom bap/90's hip-hop sound, and their production spans a combination of jazz, funk, and grime. Emcees Creme de la Creme and Mike "Live" are by no means amateurs on the mic - each has flashes of excellence - but what most impressed me on this album was the consistency of fantastic production. All producers and contributors are local to North Carolina/ATL and include Reef Ali, DJ Grazzhoppa, KonSci(of the MindsOne crew), DJ Soulchildd, Introspective Minds, Jamoculous & Cytero. Overall, the production and lyrical abilities of God Cypher Divine - not to mention the natural chemistry between Creme and Mike "Live" - combine to create a solid album. Early favourites include "Got Daym", "Cold Hard Truth", "In Ya Area Code", "Life's Hourglass", and "Dragon Ball Z". Stream and purchase the album below.
