Godforbid is a New York emcee, formerly of the group Alaskan Fishermen with Fathertime and Thirstin Howl The 3rd, currently fronting the band That Handsome Devil. He now steps out to release a solo album, Jesus Chrysler. Now, if you’re only familiar with Godforbid from his work with That Handsome Devil, which plays a sort of cabaret punk style of music similar to Gogol Bordello, you might be a little surprised by the sound of this album.

Routiger Slob is and emcee from Toronto who has been putting out music for over a decade now. For his latest project, out on Milled Pavement, he teams up with a Russian producer by the name of Ilya Id to release an EP called Flux Apogee. Flux Apogee is a short release, but it’s impactful. Ilya Id knows how to put together some hard hitting, metal/industrial-influenced beats that will start strong, end strong, and not let up at any point over the course of the five songs on this EP.

It’s been a couple years now since Bay Area hip hop staple Zion I went from a duo to just emcee Zumbi, but he keeps the banner flying and putting out music. Most recently, he began recording with DJ Fresh as they hit the road with Slightly Stoopid. The result is their new mixtape, The Tonite Show. Typically, when I think of Zion I, I think of a big sound, one that draws on hyphy and dancehall, one that can really fill up the room and get your heart pumping.

Marjen is a producer from Saskatoon who first came to our attention last December when he was part of the drmn album, which featured four different producers from around the world, all contributing one fifteen-minute track apiece. Marjen now comes back with a new EP that’s all him, Dirge. Instrumental hip hop EPs are a dime a dozen these days, and most of them are good, but ultimately forgettable. That’s why it’s always nice to here an EP like Dirge and immediately get drawn into the music.

We may never know much about the man behind the name The Waxidermist, but we do know that the French producer makes records, and we can at least talk about what the man is laying down on wax. Last December, we got an EP called The Snow that hinted at bigger things to come. Now those bigger things are here in the form of an album called The Origami Case.

French label Cascade Records has brought us great hip hop and electronic music from around the globe, but their latest offering comes right from Paris. After making their recording debut with their first EP in 2015, the quartet known as Keys Zuna now delivers their first full-length album, which is self-titled. The quartet features Kiala Ogawa on synthesizers and vocals, Ferdinand Cros on guitar, Jimmy Top on bass, and Hugo Besikian on synthesizers and beats.

Factor Chandelier has become one of the most sought after and respected producers in independent hip hop today because he’s not only extremely talented and inventive, but he’s also prolific. Just about a month after he released his latest solo album, Wisdom Teeth, he turns around and releases an EP with Los Angeles emcee Matre called Who The Crown Fits. Of course, it’s not just that Factor is talented and prolific, it’s that he knows how to shape a sound that will fit the artist he’s working with.

Steel Tipped Dove is a producer from New York, who has worked with such artists as Astronautalis, Kemba, Milo, and PremRock, to name a few. He’s also been releasing some really interesting solo material along the way, with his last release, to name it, coming out just last December. Now he comes back with his latest project, Cui Bono. What makes Steel Tipped Dove so interesting as a solo artist is the way that his music doesn’t easily fit into any category.

Sango is a producer from Seattle who has been releasing music since 2010 at a very steady pace. We last heard from him just one year ago, when he released De Mim, Pra Voce. Now he comes back with his new full-length album, In The Comfort Of. In The Comfort Of is a bit of a strange and ultimately disappointing album. As the album begins, we start off with some downtempo tracks that are fine, but ultimately kind of forgettable.

Calvin Valentine is a young producer from Eugene, Oregon that’s already made quite a name for himself. He’s produced a full-length album with Planet Asia, and he’s produced tracks like “God It” for De La Soul. Most recently, he produced the album Home for Illa J last summer. Now he comes back with a new beat tape, Plush Seats. Now this release is a beat tape, and it does feel like one, with twenty tracks in the one to two-minute range, just giving you a taste of each groove before moving on to the next.