Northern State

Northern State consists of three NYC b-girls with a mission: redefine hip-hop. Hesta Prynn, Guinea Love, and DJ Sprout keep it old school with funky break beats and party-ready rhymes, sounding like post-op Beastie Boys. "At the Party” is a throwback to the days of block parties and jheri curls. Whether they’re name-checking Alex P. Keaton or rhapsodising about mom’s eggplant, Northern State make it fresh for a new generation. They save the best for last with the dancehall-inflected title track, complete with a toast-y intro and scratch solo. Still, it begs the question: if it were three brothers from New York dropping these rhymes, would you still care?