Bakersfield, California based Royal Ruckus have toured across the U.S. playing 40+ gigs from coast to coast in 2017 alone. The group has released several albums and are currently supported by Invisible Library Records based in Nashville (shouts to Spoken Nerd!). If that isn’t impressive enough, they were also listed as one of 25 Best Bands You’ve Never Heard by 7Ball Magazine.
The group has delivered their highly enjoyable, contagious, positive, golden era-esque Hip Hop album The Summer of the Cicadas.
From beginning to end we are treated with confident flows, impeccable lyrical deliveries, hard hitting beats and a level of passion and dedication that can only emanate from a group that works as hard as Royal Ruckus.
The Summer of the Cicadas is a two part concept album written by Royal Ruckus members Chunjay and Flatline.
Act I is titled The Life Cycle of Periodic Cicadas and is written primarily by Chunjay and Flatline. Act II is titled Rebirth: The Lone Gunman and features work from Chunjay and friends.
Packed with 30 songs of infectious, uplifting, true school Hip Hop sounds, The Summer of the Cicadas is one of the longest yet most consistent projects I have had the honor of discovering during my seven years as a music blogger. For readers aware of my personal ties and active participation in the Hip Hop community, I don’t make statements such as this about Hip Hop acts very often.
This is an album Hip Hop Heads can really dig into and truly appreciate. Chunjay and Flatline have achieved master craftsman status for their songwriting and instrumentation. Needless to say, I became an immediate fan.
Considering there are 30 songs on this album, I could easily turn this article into a lengthy essay by breaking down each song but that would be a bit ridiculous. 1) I can’t choose a favorite song. 2) Just trust me when I say this is a great Hip Hop record…because, well, it’s that simple; it just is.
Head over to Bandcamp so you can get your Hip Hop fix courtesy of Royal Ruckus.
You can watch the video for These Things Remind below or subscribe on YouTube.
Connect directly with the group on their official website, FB, IG, Twitter or Soundcloud.
