Duck Down US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Nearly three decades of intertwined history have led Brooklyn rappers Rock and Ruste Juxx to their first full-length collaboration. Crownsville is a raw amd reflective rap with hints of record born of loss and legacy. With roots in the Boot Camp Clik and close ties to the late Sean Price, the pair channel their Brownsville and Crown Heights origins into a gritty, 33-minute showcase. Opener 'Crownsville' begins things on an icy, creeping and stark note, as we cruise the backstreets of the frosty city so named. 'Black Out', meanwhile, leans into soul-tinged pride. Vinny Idol's production on 'Vehicular Manslaughter' and the grimy 'Crash Ya Whip' raises the stakes early, shortly before a spectral boom-bap tribute, 'Sean Lives On', follows a touching skit from Bernadette Price.