Video: Slum Village lyricist Elzhi drops "Detroit State of Mind"

Detroit MC Elzhi is the latest rapper to take his crack at what British rag The Guardian calls a "totem" of hip-hop -- Nas's Illmatic. The legendary 1994 album, released when young Nasir Jones was just 20 years of age, is consistently named one of the top rap albums of all time. Elzhi's mixtape interpretation drops May 10, and Elmatic is already receiving tons of buzz, from hip-hop heads in the 313 and around the globe.

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Layering trademark witty wordplay and fast-moving flow over classic tracks, the former Slum Village lyricist resurrects the spirit of his source material and rises above mere hip-hop karaoke. To quote Nasir Jones himself, though, It Ain't Hard To Tell why today's rappers are paying tribute to his debut album.

Click here to read the rest of the article, or check out the first single, "Detroit State of Mind," here.
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