March 22, 2021

Awon & Phoniks "Nothing Less" (Album Stream)


Nothing Less is the latest studio album from hip hop group Awon & Phoniks. It is their first full-length release since starring in the 2020 Netflix documentary "Underdogs" centered around their label Don't Sleep Records and first tour overseas. The album is laced with Phoniks signature jazz-infused, boom bap production style and Awon's raw, honest lyricism. Produced on vintage samplers like the gritty Emu SP-1200 and Akai MPC 2000xl, the music evokes memories of classic east coast "Golden Era" hip hop. The songs were predominantly written under quarantine and center around political and social commentary of these tumultuous last few years. The album features an excellent supporting cast that includes Masta Ace, Blu, Dephlow, Anti-Lilly, Tiff The Gift, Ill Conscious, Kid Abstrakt, DJ Ill Digitz, DJ Eveready, and Av Hamilton. Awon and Phoniks are two of my favorite artists, and Don't Sleep Records is certainly one of the best independent labels creating music today. Listen to Nothing Less below and hit up the archives for a lot more on Don't Sleep Records...