Bag of Tricks Cat AKA BOTC (@bagoftrickscat): "There aren't too many cats in Hip-Hop that have as many tricks in the bag as Felix. His grandma, Ann Bennett, sang the 1959 "Felix The Cat" theme song, so it was only appropriate to name himself after the iconic cartoon character. His music is relatable and honest and has gripped fans all over the world [...] Bag of Tricks Cat is currently working on his next project, The 9 Lives of Cat Daddy Kane."

I. Eminem - The Eminem Show (2002)

"This album came out when I was in 4th grade. I was an angry kid that got bullied at school, so songs like "Sing for The Moment" and "'Till I Collapse" got me through it. Definitely influenced me a lot."


II. The Roots - How I Got Over (2010)

"Not only was the band incredible, Black Thought's lyrics spoke to me on the project. When I was going to the gym a lot, "The Fire" [featuring John Legend] would play on my iPod and it felt like I had super-strength! I feel like it's [one of] the more slept-on albums in The Roots' discography."


III. JAY-Z - The Black Album (2003)

"I love this album because of how personal JAY got on it. It's also, one of those bodies of work that you can go back to years later and hear something new that you missed. "Moment of Clarity" still gives me chills."


IV. 2pac - Until The End of Time (2001)

"Even though it's not regarded as one of his best albums, it's the one that got me into his music in the first place. The emotion in Pac's delivery on "Ballad of a Dead Soulja" and "Lil' Homies" was so authentic. He made me want to be honest in the raps I was writing."

Mega Ran (@megaran): "Mega Ran's proven he can excel in story-telling, punchlines, poignancy, freestyling, and well, pretty much, any other way you can measure an MC," LA Weekly boasts. An incredible impromptu "freestyle" rapper, as well as prolific song-writer, the former teacher Ran's unique combination of fantasy and introspective Hip-Hop has found its way all over the world, into leading press outlets and most recently, into the Guinness Book of World Records. Now, that's Random."

I. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)

"In my opinion, simply the greatest Rap album ever. The beats, the rhymes, Chuck's delivery, Flavor Flav's humor. The message. It's the complete package. So hard, so [unapologetically] raw. I still listen to it once a year, at least, when I get into album mode."


II. Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor (2006)

"I still feel like the bootleg version of this was better, but Lupe wowed me with his simultaneously nerdy and cool swag over dope beats. I'd never heard anything like it, at the time. I remember him saying on his MySpace page back before this came out, for producers not to send him beats unless they were remotely close to the quality of Just Blaze's "Hovi Baby" track he did for JAY-Z... and that made me instantly close down an email of beats that I was about to send to him haha."


III. Nas - God's Son (2002)

"A lot of people choose Illmatic (1994) or even It Was Written (1996) from Nas and those are classics, no doubt, but there are a few songs on this record that get me going, when I'm in a tough spot... the James Brown sample and razor sharp story-telling on "Get Down," "Made You Look," and Nas trying new flows on the 6/8 timed "Heaven." God's Son is an essential Nas album."

Honorable Mentions:

MF DOOM & Madlib - MADVILLAINY (2004)
Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)
Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep (1994)
Blu & Exile - Below The Heavens (2007)
D'Angelo - Brown Sugar (1995)


Zilla Rocca feverishly rhymes: "Ayo, the bottom line is I'm a crook with a deal... nobody buys records, so we rob and steal. I caught B. Dolan, his pockets were swollen. I stuck Mega Ran for Nintendo controllers. I had Karma Kids takin' off their sh*t" on Career Crooks' 50 Cent-flipping "Crook with a Deal" from Thieving As Long As I'm Breathing. If nothing else, most people know Mega Ran FKA Random for one of two things: either his affinity for old school video games or his life-long affinity for wrestling. I personally, first "met" Mega Ran & K-Murdock AKA Bits & Rhymes during the roll-out for their 2010 collaborative album, FOREVER famicom and we've been working together on comprehensive write-ups and unique hands-on coverage, such as this, ever since. Bag of Tricks Cat AKA Felix Don Gato has been self-releasing music on his own imprint, Respect The Underground, since 2012.

Felix first encountered Mega Ran during the summer of 2015 and before long, they were touring together across The Northwest, Europe, Ireland, and Canada. Bag of Tricks Cat's 2016 debut full-length, Cat's Out of The Bag featured appearances and guest verses from the likes of Mega Ran, D12 & Bookie, The D.O.C. affiliate Justus, Bizarre, and executive producer Brian Gigerich. Now, exactly three years removed from their first meeting, Bag of Tricks Cat & Mega Ran have once again teamed up for the follow-up to 2015's Emerald Knights: The Album (EP) fittingly dubbed, Emerald Knights 2. Since it's June 22nd wide release, Mega Ran & BOTC's Emerald Knights 2 has already sky-rocketed it's way atop a number of Billboard's charts: #12 on Heatseekers, #01 on Heatseekers Mountain, #36 on Independent Albums, #32 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and #22 on Rap Albums as of July 5, 2018. Emerald Knight 2 is currently available to purchase in either CD or digital album formats directly from Respect The Underground/RandomBeats Music.