Beneath the Surface is a series dedicated to underground artists who are on the grind and doing great things. Raw Side Hip Hop are huge supporters of REAL hip hop and those on the come up that are true to the culture.
It’s time you knew about EXP (The Expendables), who they are and what they do. While they appear to be (and sound like) a supergroup, they are more or less a collective of dope emcees from the metro Boston who have collaborated together to form EXP. Comprised of JK, Sha-Elemental, Dirt Rustle & G.I. Jonez, these guys bring that East Coast boom bap sound, so it’s not surprising they list some of their influences as Wu-Tang Clan, Slaughterhouse, Notorious B.I.G. Nas, Gang Starr, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Beastie Boys, and Boot Camp Clik.
Now, almost a decade later, they have quite a story to tell. Through hard work and diligence, particularly in the Boston underground rap scene, they’ve secured opportunities such as opening for major acts like La Coka Nostra, U-God (Wu Tang Clan), Slaine, Action Bronson, Freeway, Madchild, Cormega, and Planet Asia. If that doesn’t give you an idea of just how real and raw EXP are, then you’re gonna need to check them for yourself.
In March 2019, they dropped ‘The Lost Sessions’ mixtape on www.datpiff.com which you need to check out because it’s rugged and raw, then in late 2019 came their epic LP ‘Full Circle’ which features Sean P, Sicknature among others. The EXP crew themselves admit it’s probably the best body of work they’ve done so far and I’d agree, as this record ensures they’re punching with the heavyweights in terms of beats and bars. Check the first video ‘One Way’ below.
“We wanted a positive meaningful song for our first video, where everyone had a chance to tell their own introspective story” EXP state, and while it’s a pretty positive song, we still love the rawness in the delivery of these stories.
Even though ‘Full Circle’ has only been released and streaming for the past 3 or 4 months, the lads from EXP aren’t resting. They’re fired up and focused and will be delivering more dope ass music in 2020. They have JK dropping his solo joint ‘Eleven’, Sha-Elemental & Silly Grinn will release the sequel #DastardlyGrinn2 and the EXP crew will also aim to deliver another LP later this year.
We’ve done our part, the EXP team have done theirs, now it’s time for you to go and support the crew and check out their music and socials.
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