Moka Only

Moka Only has, at last count, been in the game for over ten years having released an incredible 26 LPs. You may know this, but your little sister knows him mostly for being the "hook homie” for Swollen Members. On his latest release he pulls off a record of J Dilla-style musical snippet work that comes out of the former underground experience, not the former "overground Much Music-ing.” Just try to find something better to rock in your earphones whilst riding your city’s public transportation. Or whilst sitting through another show of some carbon copy snowshoe MC doing a bad knock-off of Toronto doing a bad knock-off of New York. While his lyrics appear seasonably flavoured from touring with MF Doom, it’s the production that makes this great: live instrumentation and well-used sampling are expertly combined, which they needed to be if you’re going to be rocking the Donuts template in the year of J Dilla. He even manages to add a little extra bounce to the bloomp. Leaving the commercial viability of Swollen Members (which does not have to be an insult), it’s not a surprise that his last release, Desired Effect, was more mainstream-aimed. But this looser and loopier shit is so much better that it would be a crime not to do this type of music instead. I just hope you got some money saved, Moka, because the underground uses Limewire.