You can’t have a conversation about Chicago hip hop (at least in terms of the big underground names) without mentioning AM Early Morning and Nightwalker. As individuals they shine on their records, features, appearances…but the two in tandem have something special, together they deliver an infectious vibe with their gritty sound, polished lyrics, and flows that ride the pockets of their boom bastic production.
The duo’s latest record “Pulque” with a visual directed by Kwervo Films, dropped on Jun 30th. The video opens with a passed out AM Early Morning slowly rising on a street corner in what is assumingly Pilsen or Little Village. He then quickly links up with Nightwalker at a Mexican seafood spot. By the end of the first verse AM is inquiring about where they were at when drinking “Pulque” this segways into Nightwalker’s verse which ends the record in solid fashion, one of my favorite structures for a collab is just two 16 bar verses; And these veteran emcees do that flawlessly. Outside of and in between the verses there’s dialogue skit audio that also details when the pair were in Mexico.
“I’m a get the stout, pussy you a Miller Lite, come to ‘Walker’s with weed I never got a light!” Here AM compares who he is to a heavy stout ie more ABV whereas these other people are Miller Lites with low ABV and therefore not as legit or real. He then mentions always forgetting a lighter when bringing the ganja to Nightwalker’s so there’s a quick clip of Nightwalker pouring lighters on AM Early Morning. The B-roll in this video is hilarious and intentional. The lyrics are dense with references and will have you making connections in your mind about the different cultural points being brought up.
Nightwalker starts his verse in brutally honest but cynical comedic form, “asking me for beats is like disrespecting my family! That’s like me standing on the corner selling grams for free!” Nightwalker is a prolific rapper and producer in Chicago, and if you’re not privy to game; he’s not gonna sell you a beat for the cheap, his work is higher quality utilizing vinyl to flip samples, his instrumentals have that crispy analog feel, go peruse his Instagram or Facebook, there’ll you’ll hear his production while also getting a sense of his organic process. He’s not keying QWERTY (although no shade to those who are) into a laptop, it’s more akin to RZA’s Wu Tang beginnings.
This Chicago duo is more than deserving of your precious hip hop ears and eyes so go watch the video and stream the single, “Pulque” by AM Early Morning and Nightwalker, today! Their links are below to Spotify, YouTube, and Instagram.
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