There are plenty of record labels that can boast about their catalog, but not a lot of record labels that can brag about actually having a good one; but Duck Down Records happens to be one of the few that can.
Celebrating 15 years in existence and independence, the label that helped mold New York Hip-Hop back in the 90’s has gotten a second wind with the aid of new artists such as Kidz In The Hall [click for interview], Torae, Skyzoo, and Ruste Juxx [click for interview]; and Ruste’s out to further build on the foundation that was laid before him with the help of Marco Polo, as they join forces for The eXXecution.
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Handling all the production duties just as he did with last year’s Double Barrel project with Torae, Marco Polo once again gives listeners that old feeling when the term “keeping it real” meant something. Not too many MC’s join Ruste, except for people you would expect, like Black Moon, Sean Price, and Rock.
After The eXXecution intro featuring DJ Revolution on the scratches, the disc officially kicks off with ‘Death Penalty’ (also featuring DJ Revolution on the cuts). Rock of Heltah Skeltah along with Freddie Foxxx assist on the drum and piano-oriented ‘Take Money’ where the subject matter is evident.
Marco then slows the pace up a little on ‘I’m On It,’ where Ruste spits lines like:
“These shells don’t taste like Velveeta/these shells hotter than a mothaf*ckin heater/like the bass banging out your mothaf*ckin speaker/your brains will be hanging out your mothaf*ckin beeker.”
One of the strongest records comes on ‘Lets Take A Sec,’ which features all three members of Black Moon, with DJ Evil Dee providing the cuts this time around. Sean Price is featured twice on the album, but on ‘Wings On Your Back,’ he opts to only talk, while saving his verse for Marco Polo’s guitar-riddled production of ‘F*ckin Wit A Gangsta.’
The Marco Polo/Ruste Juxx connection then round out the album with solid contributions like ‘Can’t Stop Me,’ ‘Nobody,’ and the stadium-esque ‘Bread On Ya Head.’
The mark of a true artist is the sign of growth, and both parties exhibit that clearly on The eXXecution. From a production standpoint, Marco Polo continues to show why his name is constantly in discussion when it comes to making your head nod, and Ruste Juxx proves that his debut album, 2008’s Indestructible was no flash in the pan.
Staying with the formula that’s gotten them this far, it’s safe to say that Duck Down Records doesn’t look like they’re going to be changing their format anytime soon; and when you have people such as Marco Polo and Ruste Juxx on your roster, why would you need to?
