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Earlier this year, a Reddit user with a vivid imagination proposed that a buzzworthy Coney Island, NY rapper named Your Old Droog was actually one Nasir Jones, doing a secret underground side-project, and pitching his voice down to remain anonymous. When listening to his self-titled EP with that in mind, you might have even been able to convince yourself that this was the case.


Once the rumor mill began to spin, everyone began to see for themselves what this Your Old Droog kid was all about. Eventually his identity would be revealed as just an aspiring Russian-American New Yorker whose heart was in the right place. And his EP was dope.


As people began to instead spread word of his quality emceeing and keen taste for beats, the conversation became less about him sounding like a deeper voiced Nas, but instead of what a great new artist he is. As the year began to draw to a close, Droog expanded his EP to an LP, adding a handful of new tracks.


If you’re late to the party, Droog’s production is very reminiscent of early 90′s New York rap. Heavily sample-based and loop driven, there’s a bare bones approach taken on songs like “Bad To The Bone” and “Loosey In The Store With Pennies,” just to name a few. His flow is confident and clever, as he subtly delivers punch rhymes without being terribly obvious or overly punny. There’s no asking if you “get it?” or repeating the line slowly so you do, it’s the kind of thing you pick up on seventh listen.


And Droog’s got such a tight LP here that it will yield repeated listens. It does lack the polish and structure of modern hip-hop, but it is an incredibly refreshing change of pace. You’ve got an old friend in Droog.

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5 Responses to "Your Old Droog – “Your Old Droog LP” – @@@@ [Review]"
  • Ozi battle says:

    What a weak review for a great underground album, seems like you just tried to force your self to like it.

  • Battlehound says:

    Yeah Pizzo you’re one lazy sum bitch. The Internet demands more from you put down the PS4 and pay more attention to us

  • the man the myth says:

    Very solid album. First time I really gave this dude a chance and was not disappointed. Like Action Bronson comparisons to Ghostface, Droog definitely has a Nas vibe going on, and that is not a bad thing at all. Lot of good stuff on this album. Understated production and dope rhymes. 4@ is a perfect score for this. Not perfection, but this cat is someone who I will be on the lookout for.

  • Rich says:

    I like that he’s different, with a refreshing voice, since apparently it’s not “cool” to sound like that anymore, but I wish the production matched his voice/flow. The juxtaposition of his hard core flow with those soft ass beats doesn’t do it for me, and I’d like to hear him on rougher instrumentals in the future, like the “freestyle” Where The Rhymes At? he did on a DJ Skizz beat.

  • the man the myth says:

    I don’t think the beats were soft ass. It certainly wasn’t like he was rhyming over mainstream bullshit production.

  • Comments (5)

    Ozi battle

    December 18th, 2014 at 2:52 am