- Since the mysterious release of an unassuming self-titled EP, twelve months ago, the internet had convinced itself that unknown emcee Your Old Droog was in fact New York legend Nas working incognito, apparently with time machine in hand, teleported from an era in which the fire still burned fiercely within him. After riding the wave of speculation Droog came out as a twenty-five year old Ukrainian-American white dude that had ended up growing up on the opposite side of Brooklyn to Nas and would have been all of five when Illmatic dropped. Whilst the Nas connection didn't make a huge slice of sense in hindsight, the truth is just as bizarre -although maybe a little more palatable- and now that the ball has started rolling, Your Old Droog has quickly built up momentum and hasn't looked back.

After dropping a subsequent EP, the highly delightful, 90's rocked themed, Kinison, Droog has hit the ground running with another chunk of aural wonder that is The Nicest, continuing the young rapper's love affair with the EP- The Nicest his most focused and compelling collection of music to date. That previous release, Kinison, took those outlandish Nas comparisons and flipped the switch. Droog took charge and made music very much his own, injecting an ample dose of personal flair among the world-class word play. This time around Your Old Droog drops the shtick and keeps it simple. The Nicest is six songs delivered in just over twenty minutes and contains not an ounce of fat to be blasted away with verbal gymnastics.

Despite creating some separation from the classics, Droog still touches bases with past New York heavyweights. Every so often you’ll catch a subtle nod to golden era Jay-Z or the late, great Big L. His punchline heavy raps cruise, seemingly on a cloud, through a sea of boom-bap and old-school funk. Droog allows his beats to breathe and from time to time you’ll catch the emcee riding bass and piano lines with a calculated restraint and a calm that’s as encouraging as it is hypnotizing. His beats never interfere with his vocal delivery or lyrical content, instead they work their magic in the background, like the soundtrack to his new found success. The production here is practically minimal, especially given hip hop's current love affair with the electronic. That's something I was all for until the all encompassing annoyance that trap music morphed into. Your Old Droog is -not to overstate the case- the counter-balance for everything currently wrong with the state of hip-hop in 2015 I kid you not.

Your Old Droog's The Nicest is simply that. Pound for pound the EP is up there with anything that has come before it this year. It’ll be interesting to see if Droog’s momentum carries over for his eventual studio album, hopefully arriving before this year fades into the next. Droog is spitting straight fire with easily one of the most appetizing flows of recent memory. It’s an ode and testament to his ability and personality that Droog doesn’t need to employ any vocal assistance or hype men. Your Old Droog alone carries the weight of each release with an elegant ease and confidence that never fails to impress. Droog is the real deal. All the wishing in the world would never bring Nas back to this level.

- Jay Edwards.