I grew up listening to old school funk, R&B, and soul music. I can thank my Dad for that, as he played the likes of Earth Wind and Fire, The Jackson 5, and Stevie Wonder throughout my childhood. I will forever be grateful to him for not playing classic rock, as I think it would affect my interest in hip hop.

I always enjoy hearing some funky grooves in a song off SoundCloud, and was glad to get a submission from unorthodox New Jersey duo The Peanut Gallery. They incorporate a lot of genres into their music, but still keep it hip hop. I wasn’t a huge fan of their first single, but the second one, Time Flies By (off upcoming album Tales From The Basement) was a good direction for them to go in. The group originally consisted of 5 members, but it has whittled down to just Orlando and Flee Jones. Both are influenced by the greats such as Nas, DMX, Eminem, Tupac, Big L, and many more, and are beginning to incorporate it into their music.

While Time Flies By might not be a song for everyone, it’s important to appreciate their experimentation and use of 808’s synths and distorted vocals. A lot of the credit goes to versatile producer Apollo V who did an excellent job on this instrumental.