FEATURES

Who Had the Best Verse in June?

blame it on Shake July 2, 2018

Lyricism is the backbone of hip hop. Although there are a ton of rappers who aren’t saying a gotdamn thing, there are those who are exceptionally gifted at putting words together over a beat. And with so many songs dropping during any given month, we feel that those rhymes that combine lyrical dexterity and cleverness with verbal gymnastics should be celebrated. Enter: Verse Of The Month.

Well… this month was a lot, wasn’t it?

Never mind the scorching, “Ring of Fire” weather blasting the country. Ignore the many, many problems destroying the country. June 2018 was easily the busiest month of the year and the “Amistad galley” temps had nothing on the heat from the albums that dropped.

Both JAY-Z and Nas released music in the same month – when was the last time that happened? – and each delivered noteworthy bars. Jay reflecting on his loved ones with “FRIENDS,” while Nas dropped knowledge on “Adam & Eve.” Meanwhile, Griselda’s secret weapon Benny the Butcher supplied the raw on Westside Gunn’s “Brossface Brippler” with Busta Rhymes.

At long last, Black Thought went solo and continued to show why he’s one of rap’s greatest emcees on the 9th Wonder-laced “Twofifteen.” Hov’s Roc Nation disciple, Vic Mensa, cut off his hair and dropped some of the most introspective rhymes of his career on “10K Problems.” But, of course, we can’t talk about music this month without eternal rivals Drake and Pusha T.

Ziplock P reignited their long-running beef with his DAYTONA closer, “Infrared.” After the 6 God took the bait and responded with his “Duppy Freestyle,” Push absolutely went for the jugular with “The Story Of Adidon,” a track that exposed so much of Drake’s laundry that the reverberations are felt on his new album Scorpion. To his credit, Drake showed out on his fifth solo album, and “Sandra’s Rose” — his “it finally happened” track with DJ Premier — took his fans back to his Comeback Season days.

I’ve said enough, though. We’ve got seven great choices, but only one can win Verse Of The Month. Our votes are in, and we need your help on making a decision. Who ya got?