It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Sylvan LaCue, but Merlaku Ra got the him to emerge from his self-imposed isolation to bless up a new record before dipping out the spotlight again. There’s something about Sylvan that has hit my soul going on well over a decade now, so it’s always a special treat for me when I get to experience something new from him. And “Real Rap” serves as my introduction to Merlaku – it’ll always be my favorite thing when I hear an artist for the first time and get to then dig through their previous releases in hopes of catching up to their artistry.

“Real Rap” radiates as a straight forward and to the point lesson from both emcees as they offer up observational prose on rappers, the game and, most importantly, life. It’s poignant and raw, leaving no stone unturned as Sylvan and Merlaku take turns trading verses over the gritty production that was self-produced by Merlaku.

I’m grateful for the little reminder of exactly why LaCue has been one of my favorite artists since the QuESt days. “Real Rap” leaves me looking forward to whenever Sylvan decides once again share his thoughts and his growth with the world. And the record has me hooked on the presence of Merlaku, who I’ll be spending today looking into.

“Real Rap” is available now on all your favorite streaming platforms.

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