PRhyme, the project of DJ Premier and Detroit rapper Royce Da 5’9″, unveiled a shrewd new song, “Era,” featuring New York MC Dave East. The track marks first single off the duo’s new album, PRhyme 2, out March 16th via PRhyme Records.
On PRhyme’s first album, DJ Premier pulled samples exclusively from the music of composer Adrian Younge, and for two he solicited original music solely from Philadelphia composer and producer AntMan Wonder. “Era” finds Premo crafting a stripped-down, menacing beat out of warped drum hits and a hypnotic synth drip.
Over Premier’s production, Royce Da 5’9″ and Dave East unravel vicious verses that balance punchlines with poignancy. “In Tokyo, reminiscing on my cousin that overdosed,” Royce spits, “Seen a fiend so high, thought he had caught the Holy Ghost/ Catch a body in Harlem, lay low out in the Poconos/ Watching Scarface wanted to be Alejandro Sosa, though.”
“Era” also arrives with a video from director Jacob Arden McClure. The clip finds DJ Premier, Royce and Dave East performing “Era” in a dark warehouse space surrounded by characters pulled from the past including a preacher, a gang member, a white politician, a soldier and a b-boy. This tableau is interspersed with two striking sequences, both of which are drenched in red light. In one, a riot cop beats a protestor, while in another, a young black man wails on a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
PRhyme released their self-titled debut in 2014. PRhyme 2 is available to pre-order, though a full track list has yet to be announced. The duo is expected to announce tour dates soon as well.
