Cage
Hell's Winter

THE REVIEW

If there is a record label that has truly given so much to hip hop in recent years, it is Definitive Jux, or better known as Def Jux. The founder, El-P, has managed in just a few years to establish a real certainty not only for every proud b-boy but also for many lovers of good music in general.

Among all the artists associated with Def Jux, there is also a guy, a former addict named Chris Palko, known by the stage name Cage. He had a difficult childhood; with a drug-addicted and violent father, and his frequent failures often pushed him into depression and attempted suicide. At the same time, however, Chris began to take an interest in music and hip hop culture, thus starting to rap. "Hell's Winter" represents his artistic maturation, with truly incisive lyrics and a style of his own. Not that the single "Agent Orange" was a poor achievement, to be clear, but here Cage seems decidedly superior to me.

The lyrics of "Hell's Winter" focus both on his difficult past as well as on politics and society. The productions, mostly curated by El-P and the Def Jux colleagues, have that extra something that manages to make Cage soar. Among the best tracks are certainly "The Death of Chris Palko", "Stripes", "Scenester", "Perfect World", "Lord Have a Mercy", and the FANTASTIC "Shoot Frank" with a stellar beat by Rjd2 and featuring Darryl Palumbo. It is impossible to describe the emotions felt listening to this song.

Listen to it, you will not be disappointed.