216

Rap duo from Cleveland. Rekindling the crowd-pumping, lyrically inspiring vibe of hip-hop’s golden age, 216’s sound is full of edgy, envelop-pushing lyrics, packing heavy baselines and aggressive instrumentals. The duo lived and worked a year with Parrish Smith of EPMD. Their unreleased album, The Game Is Life, is said to be a funky, soulful, substance-laden, vex of instrumentals, layered with weighty vocals and hi-intensity wordplay. The 18-track album plays out like theater, part humor and part protest and struggle. A large portion of the musical orchestration was provided by hit maker Scott Storch, with on-point guest appearances by Fat Joe, Butch Cassidy, Hitman, Sleepy Brown, and NBA All-Star Jalen Rose, helping 216 to illustrate the glory and God-awful truths of urban existence.