Sabo x La H3r3ncia: The Clandestine Tapes Vol 3 #WVCCReview

From the Urban War Zones of the Dirty South, Miami and South America to the war torn deserts of the Middle East, SABO & LA H3R3NCIA have both seen there share of battlefield action which left them changed in one way or the other.  After blessing the South Florida Underground Scene and Indie Hip Hop Market with their 2 previous colaboration releases, THE CLANDESTINE TAPES Vol 1 & 2, the 2 “sound of the streets” soldiers are back with the final installement to the CLANDESTINE TAPE series. With both Old Faces and New Recruites joining their ranks on Vol 3, LA H3R3NCIA & SABO roll into your ears with full armor and heavy weaponry. Press Play and prepare for a bom bap battalion attack.

U.S. Army Veteran SABO, who served our country in 2 tours in Iraq as a Combat Tanker rolls onto the latest CLANDESTINE TAPE at a pace that could run over and crush the opposition. Over the hype operatic violin stabs chopped & sutured by Producer/Emcee LA H3R3NCIA, both Colombian spitters attack the intro “THE LAST SHOWDOWN” with the tenacity of an Armored Tank. If this is going to be their last stand, they going out with Big Guns blazing. In the album opener the 2 street soldiers may be alluding to the fact that this is their last installment of the CLANDESTINE TAPE series, but they make it clear on the 2nd song on the project, “CHRONOGRAPH”, this is just the beginning of a bigger storm.  Featuring fellow NSA Entertainment Artist PANCHO, “CHRONOGRAPH” gets your heart racing as SABO, LA H3R3NCIA & PANCHO race against the stop watch that is counting down the minutes on each of our lives. You can hear the determination to make the most of their time on Earth, on record and in your ear as SABO spits jewels like…

“You could look up my past Writings/ I’m about peace, but still down for Violence/ The one who takes a licking but keeps on Ticking/ Time not invested is Time Wasted”

A “CHRONOGRAPH” is a type of watch that contains an additonal stop watch within it.  This song is a clever call to use our time wisely, and the 3 emcees give you plenty of examples on how they make sure they are not waisting theirs. From the watch on your wrist to the calendar on the walls of History, CLANDESTINE APOCALYPSE aka 5 DECADES rolls in like a BBoy bugle call. Instantly giving you the feeling of 90s Hip Hop nostalgia as soon as you hear the opening sample cut, CLANDESTINE APOCALYPSE hits you with a classic East Coast Boom Bap vibe, ala PETE ROCK.  LA H3R3NCIA really outdid himself on this beat, and the parcero primos call on Kendall super crew JOHN APOCALYPSE to assist in taking their listeners on trip down Hip Hop Memory Lane.  On the hook, PRINCE DIVINE pays tribute to the foundational elements of True Hip Hop Culture, BreakDancers, Graff Writers, Emcees and DJs, while 8CH2OWENS, 305BEAT BOX, c.gREG, SABO & LA H3R3NCIA all share their favorite Hip Hop moments with the listener. LA H3R3NCIA finishes the song bring you full circle from the then to the now as he pays homage to our fallen local brother, by 4K Pro Business Partner and Close Friend, GEOREG “NORTH STAR” MARTINEZ who went to be with the Lord in Nov of 2024.  This is easily one of the best songs on the album, and I am not just saying that because I had the honor of being featured on the track.  Another banger off VOL 3 is “LATE 90’s”.  The beat on this banger is something seriously addictive. LA H3R3NCIA, SABO & special guest ADAM JAMES tell personal stories about surviving the streets during the 90’s, which add palpable layers to the dark vibe of this track. Then “WHATS THE MEANING” comes in and makes it official, this TAPE is now ON FIRE!!!  Remember when you use to hit 3 Consecutive Buckets in NBA JAMS and you would catch fire and level up, this is what I’m feeling at this point as SABO tells real life war stories over the haunted LA H3R3NCIA production, and delivers an addictive hook that makes way for TRAVISTY of THE BENCHWARMERS CLIQUE to deliver a thorough face slapper of a 2nd verse with his instantly recognizable voice and cadance.  LA H3R3NCIA wraps the body up in a carpet and throws it in the trunk before the 3 drive away with “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIIIIIFE (whats the meaning, whats the meaning??)” playing out of the speakers.

LA H3R3NCIA shows off his bilingual skills on “FOOT CLAN” feat THE FILTH and delivers one of my favorite verses off the project.  On the 2nd verse SABO makes it clear “No Need to Debate This/ Im one of the hardest coming out this Radius / and if you aint fucking with the team, you’ze a misalanious” right before THE FILTH of AWAKENED BEINGS MUSIC drops one of his signature MAYAN Warrior verses to end the smooth production by MILETO BEATS aka LA H3R3NCIA.  This is 4 stellar Bangers in a Row.  Definitly the meat of VOL 3 right here. And yet the onslaught doesn’t stop.  8CH2OWENS & SABO take turns beating the shit out of another sizzler produced by LA H3R3NCIA, and putting disrespectul rookies in their place on “SLICK TALK” .  Small disclaimer, this was written & recorded when I was in a much angrier place in my personal life and a noob to the South Florida Hip Hop scene thought it would be cool to try smear my name and reputation online.  The verse I layed down seems to have made it hard for SABO & LA H3R3NCIA to get any other special guests on the track (Not even H3R3NCIA wanted to be involved with the joint after he heard the verse), so SABO & I did our 70’s Batman & Robin thing, complete with POWs & BAAMs.  Then “NEVA PHASED” slides in like a heated hunter knife through butter with its smooth RZA slow banger feel and makes me throw my phone because by this time my mobil device glowing red/blue from the back to back to back heaters. Speaking of smooth RZA vibes, “FAITHFUL LINES” drops towards the end of the project, feeling like the WU Classic “MOTHERLESS CHILD”. This throat cleancher features PANCHO and SABO’S own son BABY JOKER and a wonderfully sung hook by G FARRELL. By this point it is evident to me, I am listening and reviewing a modern Miami Hip Hop Classic.

VOL 3 ends with a BIG CHOOONE with Big Energy named “SPLICING TAPE”.  The LP Outro slaps hard with some grand Horn work, a solid goodbye verse by SABO and heart felt farewell for now speech by LA H3R3NCIA where he shouts out the whole cast of colaborators that made THE CLANDESTINE TAPE vol 3 so memorable.  The make this feel like the moment at the end of a perfectly produced and delivered Broadway Show when the whole cast comes out to take a bow. However before they say goodbye for good, they drop one more skull crusher on their Old and New Fans, bonus track “THIS IS THE ONE”, where NSA’s PANCHO, Latin Hip Hop Beast ETHANO, C4 XPLOSIVE and JAY BIZZLE join LA H3R3NCIA & SABO on a fun bouncing bop that feels like one of those full contact trampoline basketball games. I lied before when I said 5 DECADES was my favorite song off the album, nah….THIS IS THE ONE!!

If you have been sleeping on SABO and NSA ENTERTAINMENT, this tape should wake you way the fuh up. With over 16 releases under his belt, this brother has not only been putting in work in the Booth,  on the ground overseas making sure that other countries as well as our own, enjoy the freedoms we so often take for granted, but also state side as he does work with his Non Profit organization to make sure Veterans suffering from PTSD have a voice and fair representation. SABO is not only a South Florida Rapper by way of WEST PALM BEACH, he is a Family Man, Father, Military Veteran and Upstanding Human Being who deserves our full respect if not our fanship.

LA H3R3NCIA himself has been putting in work not only behind the boards and microphone, but behind the camera as a Photog and Music Video Director and Editor, making our So Flow Scene look presentable to the rest of the world.  Look out for upcoming projects with him and TRAVISTY of THE BENCHWARMERS CLIQUE, c.gREG of JOHN APOCALYPSE and a whole JOHN APOCALYPSE EP soon to come. If you come out to any of the many Hip Hop events taking place in South Florida, make sure you shake the mans hand and network with him.  He is going to be somoene you want to know for years to come.

Is this the last project between SABO & LA H3R3NCIA? That is not clear.  We hope not.  But they sure ended this series the best way possible.  Full of Fireworks and Fanfare. Una fiesta brutal.  What else would you expect from a pair of Colombians who have survived the worst life could throw at them, and answered back with the best that life has to offer.

Follow SABO Instagaram: @nsaent

BANDCAMP: Sabo NSA ENT

Website: https://nsa-entertainment.com/

Follow LA H3R3NCIA – Instagram: @lah3r3ncia

Spotify: La H3r3ncia

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.