One of the oldest and most successful tools for gaining exposure in the world of hip hop is lyrically taking shots at those people perceive to be the best in the game. In 2013 however, you have to bring a lot of heat yourself before anyone is even willing to hear what you create, let alone take seriously anything negative you may have to say about current genre leaders. Hopsin has done just that by building a hard-to-tarnish brand on mixtapes and freestyles, and now he’s gunning for the number one spot with his new single “Hop Is Back.”

In addition to being a lyrical mastermind, Hopsin has a storied reputation for creating eye-catching visuals on a minimal to non-existent budgets. “Hop Is Back” opens with emcee watering his lawn in what can best be described as ‘casual suburban nobody’ attire. A few fans of his music spot him and begin pestering him with questions about his music. When Hop tries to shy away, the fans get offended, and soon their praise turns to hate. This causes Hop to lose control of his emotions, and before he knows it the rap fiend that dwells within his soul is released to seek vengeance on the teens. The song kicks in, and over the course of roughly four minutes you see Hopsin beat up said teens, win a rap battle, steal some bicycles, and have a lot of fun throughout. You can view the video below.

While I am confident the following visuals will win you over, the best part of “Hop Is Back” lies within the music itself. After two verses of introductory information and talk on his career as an underground great, Hopsin uses his third verse to spit verbal attacks at both Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar. You can read an excerpt from the track below:

I was ecstatic to buy Yeezus, but I burned it first…heard it and snapped it in 5 pieces. Man Kanye on that bullshit, that’s why the paparazzi made that n*gga hit his head, that’s what that fool gets. You think you God now you half-assing rap little faggot bitch, perhaps you suffered brain damage back when you had that accident.

But most importantly, hip-hop isn’t dead no more you see…cause Kendrick took the bar, then raised it higher for emcees. Unfortunately the lil n*gga’s like four foot three, the guy’s a fucking midget, his high is still short to me.

Neither Lamar or West have fired back yet, and given the number of disses they each receive it’s unlikely they ever will, but there is still no denying the ferocity in the bars above. Hopsin is an extremely talented artist with a bright future if he continues to play his cards right. Let’s just hope his new album, Knock Madness (due out in November), is as good as this single leads us to believe.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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