We Speak Hip-Hop

Rashad & Confidence return with “Feel It”

Published

6 months ago

March 26, 2026

Below System Records has released “Feel It” an unearthed gem from Rashad And Confidence. Available on all streaming platforms, the track was originally recorded in 2011 as part of The Element Of Surprise LP sessions. Why it wasn’t part of the original album isn’t clear as “Feel It” is easily as strong as any of the fan favorites from that body of work.

What’s also ironic is that this track recorded in 2011 could have easily been mistaken for a forgotten jam from the golden age of east coast hip hop. Vinyl grit, analog warmth, booming low end and an ethereal jazz element. Topped with Rashad’s endless couplets and smooth delivery the track is especially poignant, and he drops truth bombs on how the current music today doesn’t inspire him and how trends and politics get you further than actual skills.

Listen to “Feel It”: https://bsr.ffm.to/feelit

“Feel It” as well as another unreleased track “Non Stop” and 2019 single “Desires” will be part of the Below System 2xLP vinyl edition of The Element Of Surprise. Pre-orders for the vinyl is available now via the link below and will start shipping in early May.

Pre-order The Element Of Surprise: https://www.belowsystem.com/products/rashad-confidence-the-element-of-surprise-2xlp

Rashad, a Brooklyn NY emcee who sports a nimble and rapid flow excels at making anthemic choruses interspersed with highly detailed bars. Examples of album topics include a vivid picture of the hood while making a cautionary tale of its pitfalls (“The City”), his personal emcee origin story (“Days Of My Youth”), and the results of low motivation (“Pass Me By”) among others.

Boston based producer Confidence has made a career of sample chopping and analog warm heaters. He also tends to favor the one emcee/one producer line-up of the golden years. This extends to his recent collaborative LP’s on Below System Records including Library Of Sound with M-Dot and Kool Moe Dese with Big Dese.

https://www.instagram.com/thatdudeconfidence

We Speak Hip-Hop

Hieroglyphics drop new LP & video

Published

3 days ago

September 8, 2026

Rob Ducketts

All Said And Done, the latest chapter of Hieroglyphics is here! The third official full-length album from the Oakland, California super-crew is now available via streaming, vinyl and CD editions (links below) with hand-drawn album cover courtesy of Shomari Smith. A legendary amalgamation of hip-hop entities, Hieroglyphics is composed of Casual, Souls Of Mischief (a quartet composed of A-Plus, Opio, Phesto and Tajai), Del The Funky Homosapien, Domino, DJ Toure and Pep Love.

Recorded over a nine-month period in 2025, All Said And Done (the first official Hieroglyphics release since 2013 mixtape The Kitchen) is a fully self-produced affair (with tracks handled by A-Plus, Domino, DJ Toure with the only additional assistance from multi-instrumentalist Jim Greer and cuts on one track by DJ D-Styles of The Beat Junkies). Speaking on the album title, Casual stated that “it refers to this album being the skill level that we would like to be remembered for.” He also says that the album track “Uplifted” is a personal highlight that will “last to tell the story of HIero if no other song does.”

An official video for the track “The Way That It Be” featuring performances from Casual, Pep Love and Tajai was just released (link below).

Watch the official video for “The Way That It Be”: https://youtu.be/FlDWQ89MCcg?si=qB8Ct-Lp4GWrdzwq

The crew also just completed a North American run promoting the release of the album, which hyped the track “Drum Talk” (featuring Casual, Phesto Dee, Tajai and Del The Funky Homosapien).

Listen to “Drum Talk”: https://promo.theorchard.com/OTf4THL8AWSMaUDoZPgu

The tour culminated in the 2026 edition of the annual Hiero Day celebration in San Francisco. However this Saturday (September 12) will be the launch of the first Hiero Day Canada (to take place at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver)

Stream/Purchase LP/CD All Said And Done: https://hieroglyphics.com/