What do you get when you take Nas’ Illmatic, Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s Mecca and the Soul Brother, and then bounce them off the walls of a Torbay, NL bedroom studio? The answer, in this case, is producer Darrell Kelloway (better known in rap circles as DK). The Newfoundland-raised, Dartmouth-based beatsmith was behind 2022’s Listen to the Masters with rapper Ghettosocks, a jazz-filled ode to hip hop’s cultural renaissance in New York, circa late 1980s-early 1990s. Now, Kelloway is back with another full-length offering in Atlantic Rap Vol. 1. On it, he reunites with ‘Socks and a cadre of emcees from Halifax to Sacramento, including Canadian heavyweight Saukrates (“Something Real”), West Coast rapper Chuuwee (“Gold Tooth”) and streetsmart Brooklyn emcee Wais P (“Intuition”). If you’re a fan of hip hop’s golden era, it’s one you’ll want to listen to.
A vinyl-sampling disciple of the likes of Rock, Q-Tip and DJ Premier, Kelloway tells The Coast that his idea for the project started as a nod to the jazz compilations he’d find at record stores: Archives of the genre’s greats, from John Coltrane to Miles Davis to Herbie Hancock.
“I wanted to take that concept and apply it to hip hop,” he says. “So the album definitely has a diverse range of guests, but the main thing was, I want people on the project that can actually rap. Like with jazz, those volumes are only [showcasing] people who can play, right? I wanted to use the same philosophy.”
That shines through on the likes of “Cycles,” which brings DK together with deft-tongued Dartmouth emcee Ambeez, and “Back In The City,” with Brooklyn’s Justo the MC. Turntable cuts from Shaun Ryan (aka DJ Uncle Fester) lend just the right finishing touch to the album’s nine tracks.
To celebrate Atlantic Rap Vol. 1’s release, Kelloway is hosting a free listening party at Alteregos Cafe (2193 Gottingen Street) this Saturday, Nov. 25. From 8-10pm, anyone interested is invited to drop in and enjoy the album.
“There’ll be swag bags given to the first 20 people who show up,” Kelloway says. “On top of that, if you’re an emcee and you show up, there’ll be a chance for a freebie or a spot on one of the future [Atlantic Rap] volumes—we’ll be drawing a raffle for that.”
Stream the album below:
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This article appears in Nov 6 – Dec 2, 2023.
