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On November 6, Monk E and Mike Shabb’s joint album Sculpteur d’étoile, the second part of a probable trilogy as announced by the first, was released on all streaming platforms. To promote the release, Monk E organized a release party at the Redroom bar on Rue St Denis. A free event that brought together some of Montreal’s hip hop community, as well as those from New York.
Monk E had announced in his instagram story that the evening was free, and that anyone could show up at the bar. Some forty people attended, many of them acquaintances of the artist (friends, but often artists themselves). The evening began with a cypher as a warm-up for both the artists and the crowd. Some of the artists present were able to perform to attract the audience, and the level of presentation was breathtaking. No one had planned any lyrics, yet everyone rapped with precision and clarity. Hip hop at its finest.
Then Monk E took the microphone and explained the project he was going to let us listen to. It’s an album that, like the first one he released with the Hochelaga rapper and producer, has enabled him to make a lot of lyrical progress, thanks to prods alternating between drumless and boombap.
Many of the artists who participated in the project were present that evening, and accompanied Monk E in the presentation of each of their tracks. The perfect representation of this strong community spirit.
The lyricism of the album and the level of the chosen prods and samples is impressive, and matches the level of technique of the rappers on it. A typical example of what Mike Shabb is capable of as a producer, but also as a rapper, since he offers a very good verse on the track Raisin Bread.
The evening could have ended with the end of the album, but Monk E had other plans for us. After a short break and a new cypher to get the crowd going, the two rappers from the Godsofthebasment collective delivered an exceptional show. These two important figures of the New York underground scene, and even of the world thanks to their End of the Week movement, left a lasting impression. A concert offered by Monk E that pleased the audience.
To finish on a high note, and continue the community spirit that had been present throughout the evening, another cypher was launched, this time with a dozen artists each performing in turn. Once again, everyone’s benevolence enabled them to express their technique. The evening’s bartender even ended up posing on the prod.
A lot of generosity in the evening for this album and for the artist Monk E himself, and this is probably also what drives him to make albums in collaboration with other artists.
Photo : Witz.Raw
