Song of The Year-Sins Of The Father by Ka featuring Roc Marciano produced by Roc Marciano

by Dan-O

An underrated value in hip hop is friendship. Watching El-P and Killer Mike laugh together like they fit perfectly or Freddie Gibbs give Madlib a deep hug that’s worth a thousand thank you’ s. It’s not just the dynamic mixture of personalities but the meeting of great craft along with it. If you combine the personality mixture and the steel-sharpens-steel factor Ka and Roc Marciano have my favorite hip hop friendship.

Ka put out his new album Descendants of Cain through Brownsvilleka.com (it will hit streaming services 05/08/2020). Upon purchase I was very pleased to have retained the thick poetic brilliance of Ka on his seventh album while getting a little more balanced mixture of production. Some beats like P.R.A.Y. are specifically tailored to be jagged and shocking but Old Justice is among the most soulful and listenable beats Ka has ever made himself.

It takes a few listens before you catch enough of what KA really means to go screw faced and fall in love with the project. Upon first listen Sins of The Father will stick out to you as the crown jewel of the project. Roc Marciano is a game changing producer who can pull a loop tighter than just about anyone. Ka ends his verse in the thickest darkness philosophy has

“They used to call us deviants/
But if they was feedin’ us/ might have had obedience
You know my stock was only good as my ingredients/
The system only leaned on us/ never showed us lenience.”

Knowing his friend of years brings nothing but fire verse Roc steps into the song a man possessed.

“Reigned in hell or serve in heaven
Take from the world or earn your blessings
I heard verbatim from an angel’s message
My left shoulder there was Satan finessin’
I burnt the sage in the name of protection”

These two have gone back and forth as my favorite lyricist for years and in 2020 they are still doing it. Every collaboration leaves no area less than 100% from production, song concept, and delivery. Ka made Descendants of Cain the most hardcore take on religion since Kendrick’s Damn. Not only did Roc get what he was doing, when he stepped on the track he hit a homerun off the first pitch.

History is untouched by our foolish notions of destiny. Roc Marciano rebuilt his career by himself. Ka is still a best kept secret and seven albums deep. The roads they traveled could have taken them off the path at any number of junctions. The sour warnings in their lyrics are delivered blissfully knowing they have this time to speak to us. To teach us what we don’t know about the world. I love listening.