@The1978ers (@yUthe78er & @Slimthe78er) - OneNine7-T-8 @MelloMusicGroup

Diamond District (@yUthe78er x @uptownxo x @ODDISEE): March On Washington (Album)

We attract people who need that boom and that bap." That's more than a line; it's a legacy. When Diamond District dropped In the Ruff on Mello Music Group in 2009, the gritty drums and grimy raps combined as elementally as hydrogen and oxygen. The D.C. Voltron of Oddisee, yU, and X.O. dusted off and revitalized a sound once consigned to the catacombs.

Hailed as an instant classic, its impact reverberated throughout the underground and mainstream. The Washington D.C. City Paper called it the city's best album in many years. During an era when lyricism was deemed too intellectual and samples too dated, Diamond District overturned conventional logic. They preserved the raw and made it righteous.

A half-decade later, the holy trinity has returned with March on Washington. The truths remain timeless. Wisdom over rhythm. Slang turned into testament. The march turned into indelible memory. This is rap for every man (and woman) done by extraordinary men. They're doing it for the pioneers of the culture and for Trayvon Martin, for those workers toiling on the weekends to get their moms out of the hood.

It's music to entertain, but also to restore a feeling. It places an increasingly rare value on wordplay, flows, concepts, breath control, and passion. It's replete with the intangibles that make hip-hop special. Oddisee crafts beats that bang like galvanized soul, hard enough to deflect bullets but infused with a veiled sensitivity. And as the group says on finale, "Bonus Flow," they made it cool for "K. Dot to do what he do....and "Oddisee's better than Kanye too."

The songs reflect the creative push and pull of the group itself, three solo artists who manifest something greater than the sum of their parts. This is the antidote for those who feel like they didn't leave hip-hop, hip-hop left them. It refuses to spin its wheels or let its focus stray. It is filthy enough to come from the gutter, but it doesn't cater to low sensibilities. There is the spirit of the old transplanted into the legs of the new. Round up the troops, lace those boots. This is triumph that you can march to, until you can't walk anymore.

@yUthe78er - Never Burning Out (Produced By @DrewliusDave) (Single)

This song will be featured on an upcoming EP from Drew Dave called "Sumthin Slight". Perspectively speaking.. What if I could get close enough to exchange in conversation with the brightest, most seasoned & experienced "star" in our realm, the Sun(or Amen-Ra), who in convo, would tell of some of the things its seen throughout the many trips around this universe. And after comparing, both the sun & I, realize that "the main thing we have in common, in our heart there's a fire, never burning out".

*I dedicate this song to my father, Michael Willingham Sr., who just passed on Fathers Day. The song kinda reminds me of how he'd break things down to me. Of how he didn't exactly understand my world, being 18 years older than I, but by principle, we still found things that we could relate on. As people, we all are different, but still very similar when u get to the root of things.

-yU

@ApolloBrown Cellophane Cypher Ft @QuelleChris @RasKass @yUthe78er @Has_Lo @Cavwins