SONG OF THE WEEK: 3-29-2026

 

SONG:  "A Vague Memory"

ARTIST:  A Change Of Pace

ALBUM:  "Change Is The Only Constant" EP

YEAR:  2003

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Peoria, Arizona

YEARS ACTIVE:  2001 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The song "A Vague Memory" by the Arizona-based band A Change of Pace serves as a poignant exploration of emotional detachment, the dissolution of interpersonal intimacy, and the psychological weight of unresolved conflict. The track utilizes lyrical motifs of stuttering communication, redundant sympathy, and the inevitable drift between two individuals to articulate the transition from a meaningful connection to a state of estrangement.

A CHANGE OF PACE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2005 - An Offer You Can't Refuse (Immortal Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2006 - Prepare The Masses (Immortal Records)

* Peaked at #156 on the Billboard 200

2008 - Just No Better Way (Twilight Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - It Could Be Worse (self-released)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON A CHANGE OF PACE:

A Change Of Pace got their start back in 2001, hailing from Peoria, Arizona. The band formed when the members were in high school. The band's first release was an EP in 2003 called "Change Is The Only Constant". This caught the ear of Immortal Records who would put out A Change Of Pace's first two full length albums. Their debut full length dropped in 2005, titled "An Offer You Can't Refuse". In 2006, the band released "Prepare The Masses" which is their only release to enter the Billboard 200, peaking at #156. This album features probably the band's most famous song, "Weekend Warriors". 2008 saw the band release "Just No Better Way". This album marked the departure of original lead singer Torry Jasper. Micah Bentley delivered vocals for this album as well as the band most recent full length release to date, 2011's "It Could Be Worse". After this album, the band would break up. In 2012, however, the band reunited with original singer Torry Jasper and performed at the "South By So What" festival in Dallas. It would be four years till A Change Of Pace was heard from again, this time performing 2 shows in 2016 to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their "Prepare The Masses" album. In 2019, the band played one show and in 2025, the band played two shows to celebrate the 20th year anniversary of their debut album "An Offer You Can't Refuse". A Change Of Pace could be considered some combination of pop punk, melodic rock and emo. When Torry Jasper was the vocalist, he did offer some screaming vocals along with clean while Micah Bentley was pretty much clean vocals. The band says it was heavily influenced by pop alternative band Third Eye Blind and you can hear that in their sound. As I've said in previous blogs, this early 2000's era was what I call my "Taking Back Sunday" phase. I was listening to a lot of pop punk type bands then. I wouldn't say that A Change Of Pace is as good a caliber of band that Taking Back Sunday is, but they are a very solid band. The first song I every heard by the band was "Loose Lips Sink Ships" but "Weekend Warriors" is my favorite track by A Change Of Pace.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Hidden In Plain View

Halifax

Secret And Whisper

Bleed The Dream

Matchbook Romance

TEN A CHANGE OF PACE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Weekend Warriors

2. Loose Lips Sink Ships

3. Asleep At The Wheel

4. Prepare The Masses

5. Bullets Over Broadway

6. Shoot From The Hip

7. What The Hell Happened

8. Every Second

9. She Believed (Never In Herself) (acoustic version)

10. I Wanna Know

SONG OF THE WEEK: 3-22-2026

 

SONG:  "Wildest Ride"

ARTIST:  7 Seconds

ALBUM:  "Bossa Nova Records Presents...Ten Years Later" (Compilation)

YEAR:  1997

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Reno, Nevada

YEARS ACTIVE:  1980 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Wildest Ride" by the American hardcore punk band 7 Seconds, is an anthemic celebration of the resilience, longevity, and chaotic journey of the band and the punk rock subculture.

7 SECONDS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1984 - The Crew (BYO Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1986 - Walk Together, Rock Together (BYO/Positive Force Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1986 - New Wind (BYO/Positive Force Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1987 - Live! One Plus One (Giant/Positive Force Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1988 - Ourselves (Restless Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1989 - Soulforce Revolution (Restless Records)

* Peaked at #153 on the Billboard 200

1991 - Old School (Headhunter Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1993 - Out The Shizzy (Headhunter Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1995 - The Music, The Message (Epic/Immortal Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1995 - Alt.Music.Hardcore (Headhunter Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1999 - Good To Go (Destiny Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2000 - Scream Real Loud...Live! (SideOneDummy Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over (SideOneDummy Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2014 - Leave A Light On (Rise Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2022 - Live At Cindy's 1980 (Eyebar Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON 7 SECONDS:

7 Seconds formed as a band back in 1980, hailing from Reno, Nevada. After putting out several EP's, the band dropped their debut full length album in 1984, titled "The Crew". They would follow that up with 1986's "Walk Together, Rock Together", stapling themselves as one of the leaders of the hardcore and straight edge movements of the early 80's. However, with their next release, 1986's "New Wind", their sound shifted to a more melodic sound. Their next few albums, 1988's "Ourselves", 1989's "Soulforce Revolution" and 1993's "Out The Shizzy" were almost U2 inspired, a stark departure from the band's hardcore roots. Sprinkled in there was 1991's "Old School" which was really a compilation of older, unreleased material. In 1995, the punk rock revival was riding high on the backs of Green Day, Rancid, The Offspring and Bad Religion and 7 Seconds put out a more punk rock inspired album with "The Music, The Message". That would be the band's only major label release through Epic Records. 1999's "Good To Go" and 2005's "Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over" were a much needed return to the band's hardcore roots and sound. I'm a huge Deviates fan and "Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over" makes me see how inspired the Deviates were by 7 Seconds. I love that album, my favorite by the band! In 2014, 7 Seconds signed with Rise Records and released what would be their last studio album to date called "Leave A Light On". In 2018, amid health issues within the band and other things, 7 Seconds disbanded. It was short lived as in 2021, the band announced they would be playing a reunion tour in 2022. 2022 was also the year of the band's most recent release, a live album called "Live At Cindy's 1980". 7 Seconds has been playing live shows and festivals fairly regularly up to the present day. 7 Seconds is one of the forefathers of hardcore punk music. Legendary and highly influential, I always found 7 Seconds as kind of a foundational block for lots of the punk sounds of the 90's, along with Bad Religion. While the band hasn't released any new material in over 10 years, lead singer Kevin Seconds is constantly releasing solo material through his Bandcamp page which is very cool. I got into 7 Seconds very late considering they've been around since 1980. In fact, I think the first album I had by them was 2005's "Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over". As I said earlier, my love of the Deviates made me fall in love with that album. The styles are very similar and the vocals are as well. Since then, I've gone back and bought the whole 7 Seconds catalogue. Such a classic band. Legendary!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

H2O

Good Riddance

Adolescents

88 Fingers Louie

Circle Jerks

TEN 7 SECONDS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Rules To Follow

2. Still On It

3. Walk Together, Rock Together

4. Best Friend

5. Young 'Til I Die

6. The Music, The Message

7. Leave A Light On

8. 99 Red Balloons (Nena cover)

9. Satyagraha

10. New Wind

SONG OF THE WEEK: 3-15-2026

 

SONG:  "Wake Up The Town"

ARTIST:  Anti-Flag

ALBUM:  "The Bright Lights Of America" (Bonus Track)

YEAR:  2008

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

YEARS ACTIVE:  1988 - 2023

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The song "Wake Up the Town" by the American punk rock band Anti-Flag serves as a high-energy anthem that encapsulates the band's long-standing commitment to political activism, community mobilization, and the subversion of apathy. Released as a bonus track on the 2008 album "The Bright Lights of America", the track features guest vocals from Benjamin Kowalewicz of the Canadian band Billy Talent. Lyrically and thematically, the song functions as a "call to arms" for the youth and the disenfranchised to reclaim their local environments from political and social stagnation. It emphasizes the necessity of collective action and the "waking up" of a populace that has been lulled into a state of consumerist or political indifference.

ANTI-FLAG DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1996 - Die For The Government (New Red Archives)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1998 - Their System Doesn't Work For You (A-F Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1999 - A New Kind Of Army (Go-Kart Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Underground Network (Fat Wreck Chords)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2002 - Mobilize (A-F Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - The Terror State (Fat Wreck Chords)

* Peaked at #91 on the Billboard 200

2006 - For Blood And Empire (RCA Records)

* Peaked at #100 on the Billboard 200

2008 - The Bright Lights Of America (RCA Records)

* Peaked at #118 on the Billboard 200

2009 - The People Or The Gun (SideOneDummy Records)

* Peaked at #122 on the Billboard 200

2012 - The General Strike (SideOneDummy Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2015 - American Spring (Spinefarm Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2015 - Cease Fires (A-F Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2016 - Live Acoustic At 11th Street Records) (Spinefarm Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2017 - Live Vol. 1 (A-F Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2017 - American Fall (Spinefarm Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - American Reckoning (Spinefarm Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Live Vol. 2 (A-F Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2020 - 20/20 Vision (Spinefarm Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2023 - Lies They Tell Our Children (Spinefarm Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON ANTI-FLAG:

Anti-Flag formed as a band back in 1988, hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Formed by guitarist/vocalist Justin Sane and drummer Pat Thetic, the band toiled around for a year but wound up disbanding cuz they couldn't get a solid line-up together. The duo reformed Anti-Flag in 1992 and started their proper journey as a band. The band's debut full length album would be 1996's "Die For The Government". Right off the bat, the title track of that album showed that Anti-Flag was gonna wear their politics on their sleeve as a band. The band dropped a compilation album in 1998 called "Their System Doesn't Work For You". By 1999, the band was fully assembled with Justin Sane on guitars/vocals, Pat Thetic on drums, Chris Head on guitar and Chris No. 2 on bass/vocals. The first release under this line-up would be 1999's "A New Kind Of Army". 2001 saw the band sign a 2 album deal with legendary punk label Fat Wreck Chords. The first album under Fat would be "Underground Network". Their 2003 album "The Terror State" is really where Anti-Flag cemented themselves in the punk rock world. This album was definitely the beginning of better things to come for the band. In 2006, Anti-Flag inked a deal with major label RCA and released "For Blood And Empire" that year, and "The Bright Lights Of America" in 2008. Next would be a 2 album deal with SideOneDummy Records which featured the 2009 album "The People Or The Gun" and the 2012 album "The General Strike". The rest of Anti-Flag's career was basically spent on Spinefarm Records. Beginning with 2015's "American Spring". In 2017, the band released "American Fall". 2020 saw the release of "20/20 Vision". The band's most recent full length album was 2023's "Lies They Tell Our Children". On July 19, 2023, Anti-Flag abruptly disbanded due to the sexual assault allegations against Justin Sane. More women filed lawsuits against Sane causing the other members of the band to condemn Sane. The other members, however, were also accused of, at the very least, knowing of Sane's actions and doing nothing about it to stop it. Because of these allegations, none of the band members have really surfaced doing any other projects. Anti-Flag was an awesome band so I really hated to see them break up but the circumstances seemed to make it impossible to continue as a band. They were a very political band. Always shining a light on inequalities and corruption within the country, mostly of the government. I had always known of Anti-Flag probably going back to the mid-90's but the song that really hooked me on the band was "Turncoat" from their 2003 album "The Terror State". That was pretty much the album that turned me into a big Anti-Flag band. I would argue that every album they released after that album were also bangers in their own right. The song "Brandenburg Gate" from their 2015 album "American Spring" is one of my all time favorite songs. I just love that tune! Maybe as time heals old wounds, there's a possibility that Anti-Flag can exist again but it's probably a very slim hope at this point.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Pennywise

No Use For A Name

The Bouncing Souls

Millencolin

Rise Against

TEN ANTI-FLAG SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Brandenburg Gate

2. Turncoat

3. The Press Corpse

4. The Bright Lights Of America

5. American Attraction

6. Broken Bones

7. Hate Conquers All

8. Die For The Government

9. Laugh. CRY. Smile. DIE

10. Sodom, Gomorrah, Washington D.C.

SONG OF THE WEEK: 3-8-2026

 

SONG:  "Cinematic Attractions"

ARTIST:  A Static Lullaby

ALBUM:  "Cinematic Attractions" Single

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Chino Hills, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  2001 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Cinematic Attractions" is a non-album single released by A Static Lullaby in 2011, shortly before the band's initial breakup. While the band has not provided a definitive public explanation of the lyrics, the song's meaning is generally interpreted through its production context and lyrical themes of emotional artifice and nostalgia.

A STATIC LULLABY DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2003 - And Don't Forget To Breathe (Ferret Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - Faso Latido (Columbia Records)

* Peaked at #129 on the Billboard 200

2006 - A Static Lullaby (Fearless Records)

* Peaked at #173 on the Billboard 200

2008 - Rattlesnake! (Fearless Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON A STATIC LULLABY:

A Static Lullaby formed as a band back in 2001, hailing from Chino Hills, California. All the members were still in high school when the band formed. After self-releasing two demos early on, the band dropped their debut full length album in 2003, titled "And Don't Forget To Breathe". This album generated some buzz for the band and they ultimately signed a deal with major label Columbia Records for the release of their sophomore effort, 2005's "Faso Latido". Though being their highest charting album, peaking at #129 on the Billboard 200 chart, sales were disappointing enough for Columbia to drop the band after one album. A Static Lullaby would go on to sign a deal with Fearless records and release "A Static Lullaby" in 2006. Some refer to this album as the band's best effort. 2008 saw the band release it's last full length studio album, called "Rattlesnake!". The band's most recent release would be the stand alone single "Cinematic Attractions" which was released in 2011. In 2012, the group disbanded with all of the current and former members all working on other projects. In 2015, the band announced they would be playing some live shows in 2016, most notably playing their debut album "And Don't Forget To Breathe" on most of those dates. Things got dormant for the band once again right up until 2024 when they agreed to reunite to play the California Is For Lovers Festival. The band also headlined a show in Orange County in early 2025. A Static Lullaby is a post-hardcore/alternative rock type of band. Think Silverstein or Sense Fail. They incorporate clean and screaming vocals on most of their material. I first heard of this band going back to 2005. I'm positive the first song I heard by them was "Stand Up" and I quickly became a fan. They seemed to be a band that just couldn't get over the hump so staying together became a difficult thing to do. I'm not sure if they will ever release any new music or not. Other than getting together for a few live shows in the last 13 to 14 years, they've been pretty dormant. 

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

From First To Last

Silverstein

Scary Kids Scaring Kids

Dead Poetic

Senses Fail

TEN A STATIC LULLABY SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Stand Up

2. The Art Of Sharing Lovers

3. Lipgloss And Letdown

4. Toxic (Britney Spears cover)

5. Hang 'Em High

6. Radio Flyer's Last Journey

7. Cinematic Attractions

8. The Shooting Star That Destroyed Us

9. Under Water Knife Fight

10. Let Go

SONG OF THE WEEK: 3-1-2026

SONG:  "100 Miles And Runnin'"

ARTIST:  N.W.A.

ALBUM:  "100 Miles And Runnin'" EP

YEAR:  1990

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Compton, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1987 - 1991

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The song "100 Miles and Runnin'" serves as the title track of N.W.A's 1990 extended play, representing a pivotal transition for the group following the departure of their primary lyricist, Ice Cube. Musically and lyrically, the song functions as a high-octane narrative of survival, a defiant response to law enforcement pressure, and a public declaration of the group's continued viability as a four-piece ensemble.

N.W.A. DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1989 - Straight Outta Compton (Ruthless/Priority Records)

* Peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 

* Certified 3X Platinum

1991 - NIGGAZ4LIFE (Ruthless/Priority Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

MY THOUGHTS ON N.W.A.:

N.W.A. formed as a group back in 1987, hailing from Compton, California. Funded by Compton drug dealer Eazy-E and record producer Jerry Heller, the group consisted of Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Arabian Prince. In 1987 the group put out a compilation album called "N.W.A. And The Posse". This was a compilation of not only N.W.A. members but also some other associated groups as well. In 1988 MC Ren joined the group. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Dre protege The D.O.C. also joined as a writer. The first collaboration of the group would be Eazy-E's debut release "Eazy-Duz-It". MC Ren, Ice Cube and The D.O.C. all contributed the lyrics for that album. A few months later, N.W.A. released it's debut album, the legendary "Straight Outta Compton". This album was fueled by the 1, 2, 3 punch of the songs "Straight Outta Compton", "Fuck Tha Police" and "Gangsta Gangsta". The controversial "Fuck Tha Police" helped N.W.A. explode, becoming a group that parents hated but kids loved! Arabian Prince would leave the group in 1989, as he wasn't much of a contributor anyway. A tough blow for the group would also come in 1989 when Ice Cube left the group over a royalties dispute. The final track on The D.O.C.'s 1989 "No One Can Do It Better" album, called "The Grand Finale", would be the last song that Ice Cube, MC Ren, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E would appear on together. N.W.A. continued on as a foursome (along with The D.O.C. still contributing lyrics) for their sophomore effort, 1991's "NIGGAZ4LIFE". This album, to many, is the origins of the "G-Funk" era of hip hop. Though the album was lauded for it's production by Dr. Dre and it topped the Billboard 200 charts as well, there was dissention amongst the band members. Dr. Dre would soon depart to help create Death Row Records with Suge Knight and take The D.O.C. with him. MC Ren stuck around with Ruthless as well as DJ Yella but they would both depart eventually as well leaving just Eazy-E as the only original N.W.A. member still with Ruthless, of course, he was part owner of the label. There was plenty of feuding between the members as well. Before N.W.A. broke up in 1991, they fired the first shots at Ice Cube with their song "100 Miles And Runnin'". There were little back and forths between N.W.A. and Ice Cube until Ice Cube released the diss track "No Vaseline" which basically ended that war. Dr. Dre then went after Eazy-E on his "The Chronic" album with the diss track "Fuck Wit Dre Day". Eazy responded with "Real Muthafuckin' G's". After the smoke cleared for a few years, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre reconciled. There was also rumors that Cube and Eazy-E had also cleared the air and were even talking about doing a N.W.A. reunion but on March 26, 1995, Eazy-E died of AIDS, ending any shot of a full blown reunion. In 1999, Ice Cube, MC Ren and Dr. Dre released a track as N.W.A. called "Chin Check" for the soundtrack to the film "Next Friday". The last I guess official N.W.A. song was "Hello", which could be found on Ice Cube's "War & Peace Vol. 2" album. In 2015, a movie was made called "Straight Outta Compton" which was a bio/movie about the rise and fall of N.W.A. As all the members of N.W.A. were involved with the project, there were some rumors of a reunion for the group and even a new album. Due to the busy schedules of especially Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, the whole reunion thing kinda fell through. There was also some dispute over the records labels as at that time all the members were all on different labels. In 2016, N.W.A. was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and they even reunited for a one-off show at Coachella Festival in that same year. The members do make appearances on each other's tracks every now and then and Ren often tours with Ice Cube. N.W.A. is definitely one of the most influential rap groups out there. If Ice-T was the one who kicked down the door for west coast gangsta rap, N.W.A. blew up the whole building! Together, N.W.A. was just a force to be reckoned with. Seperately, all the members went on to have success, especially Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. It's amazing that their lifespan as a group is so short but they are so iconic. No one was as in your face as N.W.A. back in 1989. They really changed the direction of hip hop much like Nirvana did with rock. I still put "Straight Outta Compton" up there with one of the best albums in rap ever. My list includes "Straight Outta Compton", Public Enemy's "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" and Wu-Tang Clan's "Enter The 36 Chambers". Iconic shit!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Eazy-E

Ice Cube

Dr. Dre

MC Ren

The D.O.C.

TEN N.W.A. SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Straight Outta Compton

2. The Grand Finale

3. Parental Discretion Iz Advised

4. Gangsta Gangsta

5. Dopeman

6. Hello

7. Express Yourself

8. 100 Miles And Runnin'

9. Alwayz Into Somethin'

10. Fuck Tha Police

SONG OF THE WEEK: 2-22-2026

 

SONG:  "The Anthem"

ARTIST:  Sway & King Tech (featuring RZA, Tech N9ne, Eminem, Xzibit, Pharoahe Monch, Kool G Rap, Jayo Felony, Chino XL and KRS-One)

ALBUM:  "This Or That"

YEAR:  1999

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  San Francisco, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1986 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

There isn't really a theme to "The Anthem". It's basically just a posse cut where 9 emcee's are spitting bars on their verse. It's a great collaboration featuring some of my favorite rappers, most notably RZA, Kool G Rap and KRS-One. 

SWAY & TECH DISCOGRAPHY:

Sway & King Tech released 4 albums together, a lot of collaborations on them. Because I'm more interested in the emcee's that performed on the song "The Anthem" itself, I'm not going to get into Sway & King Tech's discography.

MY THOUGHTS ON SWAY & KING TECH:

Again, because I'm more interested in the artist's that performed the verses on this track, I'm not going to get much into Sway & King Tech other than that they are from San Francisco, California and they are probably most known as being hosts of the radio show "The Wake Up Show". "The Anthem", which is a cut featured on the duo's "This Or That" album in 1999, is a track that features a verse from 9 different emcee's. The RZA leads things off. This New York native is best known as basically being the creator of the famed Wu-Tang Clan. Definitely one of my favorite groups. 2nd is Tech N9ne, who hails from Kansas City, Missouri. I heard of Tech N9ne, but he came out in 1991 which was right around the time when I wasn't following hip hop as close as I was in the 80's, besides the Wu-Tang Clan and rappers that I grew up loving that I still followed as the 90's got underway. Eminem is 3rd on the track. This Detroit rapper has one of the best flows of all time. Again, I probably would have gotten into Eminem more had I not started drifting away from rap a little bit in the 90's. He's a top lyricist and there are stand out tracks that I have by him, just didn't follow him as much as the RZA and some more emcee's coming up on this song. Xzibit is 4th on the track. I put Xzibit in the Eminem category for me. If he had come out a few years earlier, I could see him being one of my favorite rappers. I have a few select tracks by him in my music library that I really love. 5th up to bat is Pharoahe Monch. I really know nothing of this emcee other than him being in "The Anthem". Going 6th on this track is one of my all time favorite rappers, Kool G Rap. I think this New York legend is one of the most underrated lyricists in hip hop. The creator of mafioso rap in my opinion and a huge influence on all of the Wu-Tang rappers for sure. Number 7 on "The Anthem" is Jayo Felony and 8 is Chino XL. Much like Pharoahe Monch, The only thing I know both of those rappers from is this song "The Anthem". Closing off the track is another legend and one of my all time favorite rappers, KRS-One. This Bronx, NY native was part of the legendary Boogie Down Productions before going solo. One of the best battle emcee's in the business, while also bringing knowledge on the microphone. Pretty much all these rappers are still active other than Chino XL who committed suicide in 2024. I still follow RZA, Kool G Rap and KRS-One and try to check when they release new material. Eminem is huge so you pretty much have your head in the sand if you don't know when he puts something out and every now and then i'll stumble upon an Xzibit track that I decide to download to my library. 

SIMILAR ARTISTS & TEN TRACKS TO CHECK OUT:

Again, because I'm interested in this stand alone, posse cut track, you can pretty much check out all of the 9 artists that are on it. From the artists that I really follow on "The Anthem" track, here are tracks that stand out by them to me:

RZA - Tragedy (Wu-Tang song where RZA raps alone)

Eminem - Lose Yourself

Xzibit - What U See Is What U Get

Kool G Rap - Ill Street Blues

KRS-One - Step Into A World

KRS-One - Step Into A World