Renegades Worldwide -“On The Run” & “Automatic Flow” from the album“Global Domination”

Putting together an almost perfect and cohesive collaborative hip-hop album with a collective crew of rappers from around the globe is an almost impossible task. On paper, a group of skilled rappers should make a great album together. The back-and-forth lyrical game capturing the pinnacle of each artist’s respective styles and skills, in an exercise of interconnected armed deliveries, across an entire project is next to impossible, and has seldom been achieved in the past. However, there is always some bold and courageous creative entity, that will challenge those theories, upending all preconceived ideas, and exceeding all expectations.

Most surprisingly, is the fact that such a mammoth task would be executed by the ‘startup’ record label out of Oakland Ca., Fresh Cut Wax LLC, together with its owner and ‘rookie’ executive producer, The Five1Hero, who superbly put together a hip-hop collaboration project, collectively called Renegades Worldwide, featuring emcees from Switzerland, Nigeria, Atlanta Ga., Trinidad, Spain, Australia, Houston Tx, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Renegades Worldwide consists of Hal Jordan from Switzerland, Fega Michaels from Nigeria, King Marino from Atlanta Ga., Micwise from Trinidad and Tobago, Livia Gonzalez from Spain, Honey B Sweet from Australia, Slim Spitta from Houston Tx., King Osiris Jr from Canada, and Maya Miko from the U.K., and many others. This seemingly disparate crew stepped up to the mic, infusing blazing fire into what became an epic full-scale album, entitled “Global Domination”.

“This whole thing was never planned, it just sort of exploded as an idea and then I could not stop it” explained The Five1Hero. It started with the “Theme Song” a 9-minute track, which kicks off the album musically. The song’s beat, made by world-renowned beat boxer and producer Max Beat Box, was destined for a TV commercial for another business project. The Five1Hero sought out local rappers for the project and was quoted massive fees, which led him to think: “You weren’t worth that in the 90’s bro.”

This inspired The Five1Hero to seek out the finest rappers we might never have heard of yet, and create an awe-inspiring album. However, size matters not if there is nothing pulling the listener toward the music, and that is where “Global Domination” succeeds. Besides the rapping techniques and skills at hand, there are stunning beats, dazzling wordplay, and brilliant lyricism pouring out of every track, as the album draws together the core elements of what made, and still makes hip-hop the genre it is.

Hardly will you find one single song hip-hop song in the modern era that sums up the genre’s essential values better than “Theme Song”. Here, The Five1Hero and Renegades Worldwide put together a sparkling hip-hop showcase with an elaborate body of work that is next level. Totally exhilarating, it rides on a steamrolling beat, fueled by an abundance of rapping energy created by the entire crew.

From that moment on, you are locked into an immensely sweeping, multi-flavored listening experience that never lets up. “On The Run” ft. Slim Spitta & Jodie B brings bluesy Americana flavors to hip-hop, while “Bed of Roses” ft. Micwise takes us down the reggae road with conscious lyrics. “Yin Yang” ft. Honey-B-Sweet, Fega Michaels & Livia Gonzales sticks to a Caribbean-styled beat and delivers some sultry singsong tones. “Lockdown” ft. King Marino, Slim Spitta, Honey-B-Sweet & Hal Jordan blends the male-female aesthetic with 90’s hardcore deliveries.

Flow, delivery, lyrics, hooks, and beat selections continue to impress moving forward. “Masters of The Game” ft. King Osiris Jr, Slim Spitta, Livia Gonzalez & Kigamis finds its momentum on an exotically-flavored beat, while “Memory of a Memory” ft. Fega Michaels , Maya Miko, Micwise & Mica Franco serves up a soulful and mellifluous platter of goodness. “Black Sky” ft. King Marino looks at reality with a critical and laser-sharp eye. “Switching Lanes/Broken Hearted” ft. Hal Jordan, Honey-B-Sweet highlights machine-gun rhymes and a vibe-driven beat. “Bad Dream” ft. Fega Michaels, King Marino, King Osiris Jr is dark an ominous with a thought provoking look at current events.

“Automatic Flow” ft. Hal Jordan & Wrista continues the listening experience with incredible tongue-twisting flows, before leading into the reggae groove of “Renegades” ft. King OsirisJr., Maya Miko, Insidious Flow & Zenith. “Kissed Her In Da Club” ft. Hal Jordan, Micwise & Mc Lilpin maintains the vibe of the previous track with added melody. The album closes with the title track, “Global Domination” ft. King Marino, Maya Miko, Livia Gonzalez & Mica Franco, which swings between rhyme and melody, within a slow-burning hip-swaying rhythm.

The album, “Global Domination” reveals itself to be more than a test of skill. It’s a movement, and a measurement, of Renegades Worldwide and The Five1Hero’s influence and impact on rap and hip-hop’s playing field. The result is a recording that should end up on many of the year’s ‘Best of’ playlists without any shadow of doubt.