It can be really exciting to listen to tracks that are collaborations. At their best, all the artists give a bit of themselves and create something greater than its parts. Pomagranite's "EAST" in one word: delivers. This is what happens with you pair high level production with high level bars. It sounds like these artists really took time to listen to each other. In doing so, the bars mesh well and kept me, as a listener, engaged throughout the track. They hold the key to digging down into a listening ear's psyche so far that the song plays multiple times before they realize it. Truly a magical trick, Pomagranite's "EAST" is the type of track the world would be a little bit colder without. 

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"Triangle Offense EP" is built on great production paired with witty bars. I really like the inclusion of the bass guitar in "This Is For The Mind." Brisk Oner, responsible for beats, doesn't disappoint. His sample use is as witty as the Smash Brothas' bars. That's a recipe for success. "Smash Em" once again delivers the goods, with the sample setting the listener up for a "wow moment" once that actual beat comes in. All this is before the MCs get to work, taking things to another level. Smash Brothas seem to have bars and hooks for days, which is saying something, as I've only listened to two tracks so far.

​From here, I moved on to the final track, "Bounce," and now am officially a fan. This EP is quite a combo; the culmination of the tracks leaves the listener in a place where they cannot refute the energy listening to this act gives. LOL: "turn it into agua, like Titicaca..." So much #YES! These guys nailed it, I just wish they all had set up real artist pages so I could follow them! 

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​Leah Vee's "The Source" is a wonderfully soothing song. Its somber rainy day type beat meshes very well with her delivery: neo-soul and R&B flair mixed with East coast production places the listener smack dab in the middle of her struggle. As an MC, Leah does a great job of maximizing her voice and gives solid, meditative, thought-provoking lyrics focused on suppression, fear, and regret. It's hard not to relate. 

All in all, I feel fortunate to have listened; she reminds me of Rez (whose sound I adore) with more Hip-Hop influences. Good MC's are able to reflect on experiences in a broad sense, allowing listeners to latch onto words while applying their own meaning. It's a difficult trick, one that Leah is well on her way to mastering, if she hasn't already. One of the main ways that we connect with one another as human beings is by being vulnerable. I believe Leah understands this and takes the time to do so with a number of well-placed lyrical passages. A couple that come to mind are: "I will admit that I'm afraid" and "reluctant to begin a new phase." Being forward and upfront about this type of mental or emotional stress lets the listener know the performer is human. It's a foundation of human connection and "The Source" has begun laying the groundwork for such a connection with me, and for that I say thank you.

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