Beast Coast is a rap supergroup formed in 2012 which has long been the gold standard of New York hip-hop, only rivaled by A$AP Mob when it comes to critical acclaim and fan love on the East Coast. The group is made up of members from Pro Era, Flatbush Zombies, and the Underachievers, totaling in 17 talented rappers and producers, all from Brooklyn, New York. While the Flatbush Zombies have gained a large cult following since the release of their excellent mixtapes D.R.U.G in 2012, Beast Coast’s most successful solo artist is undoubtedly Joey Bada$$. Joey has released nothing but great music from his classic mixtape 1999 in 2012 to his latest release All-Amerikkkan Badass in 2017.

Beast Coast took to social media to roll out their first collaborative album with every member flooding the feeds of followers to build hype. “Left Hand” was the first single to be released from the album and was well received by die hard Beast Coast fans and strangers to the group alike. The group followed with two more singles, “Coast/Clear” and “Snow In The Stadium”, before concluding their roll out with a 25-minute parody news show called “LSD 25”, a series that Flatbush Zombies’ fans were already familiar with. Finally, on May 24th the album was released alongside a limited edition vinyl other album merch.

The album opens with “It Ain’t Easy, It Ain’t Easy” and we are instantly smacked in the face by Zombie Juice’s confrontational voice and unique flow. The song sounds like it belongs on a Flatbush Zombies project as all three Zombies make an appearance on the seven-verse song.

The track is followed by “Left Hand” the first single off Escape From New York and the most easily digestible track on the project due to Meechy Darko’s catchy hook and eight high-energy verses.

The forth track on the album “Problems” contains my favorite instrumental on the album made by Pro Era producer Powers Pleasant. The song opens with one of the funniest quotables on the album from Meechy Darko (“Pussy so good, I pay another nigga's child support”). Pro Era rapper Nyck Caution steals the show though with his second verse about a girl he is currently having sex with.

Following is “Snow In The Stadium” which careers a heavy reggae influence, something we’ve heard in Joey’s music before due to his Caribbean heritage. The song goes from reggae-influenced to full reggae as soon as Meechy Darko hits his fantastic sung second verse.

“Distance” is another standout track and contains what I think to be Joey Bada$$’s best moment on the album with his hot first verse and smooth hook. Issa Gold also steps up and absolutely snaps on the second verse making the song that much better.

The album concludes beautifully with “Last Choir” which is home to one of Erick the Architect’s silkiest instrumental to date. The song could’ve easily fit on All-Amerikkan Badass and showcases some of the best bars on this project.

Initially on release, this project overwhelmed me. Packing nine extremely talented emcees into a 46 minutes project seemed near impossible and the track list with at least five artists on almost every song seemed crowded and deterred me. Upon listening more the project grew on me because of the palpable chemistry shared by all the artists on this project that can only be formed from years of collaboration.

With this being said, many verses on this project were unnecessary and seemed to only make the final mix to show fans how deep Beast Coast truly is. Die hard New York hip-hop fans will grab onto this project and refuse to let go for months while the average listener may write off all but a couple songs after first listen due to the sheer size and unfamiliarity of these tracks. If you aren’t already fans of any of these artists this album might feel like a confusing roller coaster with little to grab on to.

All-in-all, Beast Coast delivers what is promised with Escape From New York, an album packed with exceedingly talented lyricists and a patented sound that the Brooklyn natives have been working on for years.