Well Howdy Partners. Welcome to the Wild Wild South East, also known as THE BOTTOM. Things have been scorching hot on this side of the map for a minute now, and 1 group who has been heavily active in providing that heat has been the duo of B DOPE & MIC SESSIONS, aka DOPE SESSIONZ. Their 13th joint project, HIGH NOON, is a challenge to any Emcee in the SoFlow community to try and outdraw two of the quickest Hip Hop Creatives in the City. Reach for that play button.

Listen to HIGH NOON by DOPE SESSIONZ

The 13th Release from the time traveling tandem known as DOPE SESSIONZ starts off with a Classic Western cinema sample which make it clear, BOBBY THE KID & MIC HOLIDAY came to catch bodies in the Underground. On the album opener NO OFFENSE, MIC SESSIONZ speeds up a De La Soul Hip Hop Quotable to deliver the message, DOPE SESSIONZ does things their way and “If you take offense, fuck it gotta be that way”. B-DOPE delivers one of the tightest verses of the album over one of SESSIONZ best break flips to kick off the lp, then they follow it up with a strong representation of the generation and locations that raised them on BUSS DOWN. That the James Brown sample has been over used goes without saying, but MIC & BOBBY know how to rock it respectfully and make it their own. COLD STARES  marches in with an ONLY BUILT FOR CUBAN LINKS vibe, and DOPE SESSIONZ run their version of Rae & Ghost Street Poetry effectively.
MIC SESSIONZ works magic combining a warped 80s pop sample with Rockness Monstahs bragging “We Be The Best Yall” on project stand out track NO STRESS where BOB & MIC drop verses that would get props from Heltah Skeltah, R.I.P. SEAN P.
This is when the time warping begins. Throughout their whole catalogue DOPE SESSIONZ have taken the liberty to sample from classic 80s Rap, Rock, & Pop hits with a complete disregard of sample clearance or copywrite strikes. When  DOWN UNDAH comes on with it’s slightly slowed MEN AT WORK sample over a drum break that drops on the off beat giving it a dirty carribean vibe, SESSIONZ & B-DOPE report what they witnessed from the Curbs and Green FPL Boxes of the 305. Bobby reworks the legendary Man From The Land Down Under hook to make this song an Official Miami Anthem.  Then the all too familiar baseline of the BandCamp Exclusive WATCH OUT slides in giving BOB & MIC a stage to reminisce on the “Man Eating” mistresses of their past. (Dammit Fellas, did you have to sample the whole hook. No Fux Given).  STEPPIN snatches it’s melody from another 80s anthem, but I’m not mad at it. What difference is their between this and Prince Paul and De La sampling Johnny Cash for 3 Feet High? Their both just as creative and funky. However, the mash-ups don’t always work.
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Album closers THATS HOW IT WAS and WHUT WILL BE don’t hit as well as the Producer/Emcee Duo may have thought they would when they sampled “Don’t You Want Me Baby” and the theme song from “Flash Dance”. The album ends abruptly and awkwardly, contrary to how it begins. The way the beat and hook sample cut off suddenly is evidence that this project may have been a bit rushed. There are sections like the hook transition of DOWN UNDAH that could have been sanded down some more in post production. There was plenty of room for 3rd verses and some back and forth action from the long time duo, but it seems those we sacrificed in the name of putting out 1 More Album. Their are some great singles on HIGH NOON making it a solid 13th offering, but there were also some missed opportunities that show the duo still have work to do and room to grow.

But that’s just my opinion. Don’t shoot the messenger partner. Just go to MIC SESSIONZ Bandcamp and have a listen for yourself. The album and discography is well worth your time.

Instagram: @mic_sessionz @bdope.bobhere

BANDCAMP:  https://micsessionz1.bandcamp.com/album/high-noon

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Written by 8ch2Owens

Founder of Vice City Cypher, WVCC Radio, PROFRESH Publicty. With over 20 Years in South Florida’s Hip Hop Scene 8ch2Owens has carved his name into the Miami Hip Hop history books, and now uses his talents to promote the best in South Florida Indie Hip Hop and Underground Hip Hop from around the globe.