What happens when you cross three guys with dreadlocks with one that rocks a beanie? You get Divine Council, the Virginia based rap group who have already linked up with the legendary Andre 3000 as well as receiving a co-sign from Erykah Badu. Comprised of $ilk Money, Lord Linco, Cyrax and ICYTWAT the group has been making steady waves over internet streaming platforms for roughly two years.
Divine Council have carved out a niche fan base for themselves, they can not be described as mumble rap despite their fan bases overlapping. They offer melodic raps over electronic beats which combines for an original sound, that floats between the old and new school of hip-hop. Interestingly despite all three rappers basing themselves in Virginia the beat maker who ties them all together ICYTWAT is based in Chicago. ICYTWAT gained entry into the group after sending over several beats which the group later used, he is now one of the most recognisable members of the group despite his quiet demeanour. It is hard to deny that the groups “front man” is $ilk Money, who appears to have a more outgoing personality than the rest of the crews more subdued personas. Make no mistake however they all have integral roles to play.
Divine Council’s first taste of success came through the viral hit P. Sherman(PS42WW$) which reached number one on the Billboard Spotify Viral 50. This track highlights the strengths of the groups bars that will have you reminiscing about your childhood, which is accompanied by ICYTWATs mysterious yet futuristic beats. ICYTWAT takes charge of most of the groups production which allows the group too have a consistent sound, something that is often lacking in modern hip=hop.
PS43WW$ ushered in the groups debut E.P Concil World, which featured tracks from each member. The stand out track was defiantly Decemba a bouncy but short track that garnered attention from hip-hop royalty in the form of Andre 3000. No less than a day after Decemba released did 3Stacks drop a remix of the track as he was already a fan of the group. 3000 explained to the Fader “I was already a fan of Divine Council since I was turned onto the P. Sherman song and two weeks ago, I heard Decemeba on Soundcloud one time and I was immediately inspired, just from the way $ilk Money was rapping. It was just good. I started writing and recorded the verse that day.” His involvement did not stop there however, he now mentors the group as well as producing the Decemba video which you can watch above. The video portrays the verse 3000 delivers on the track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INntExrZqRw
The group are planning to keep their momentum going deep into 2017 by dropping two mixtapes within quick succession. DB$B was released on the 28th of April as a free download. DS$B features contributions from all of the group including production credits for $ilk Money who is widely known for his rapping skills. On the 10th of may no less than 2 weeks later ICYTWAT will be releasing his E.P Milk which fans have been waiting for, for nearly a year now. It’s safe to expect Milk to not disappoint as it’s hard to deny ICYTWAT knows how to make a beat. Milk releases tomorrow (12th of May); despite the hype of the project there is very little information about the tape. We have a few tracks on Soundcloud and this tweet that tells us when the tape will be released.
https://twitter.com/ICYTWAT/status/862674890192715776
$ilk Money the unofficial “frontman” will also be doing his bit to raise the groups awareness by winning a spot on the XXL 2017 freshman list. Whilst the lists quality may be a debated topic it is undeniable that it would shine a spotlight on $ilk which would flow through to the other members. Competition is strong for places on the list however so it will be interesting to see how he fares.
As there are so many members of the group, we decided to provide you with a song we feel best displays of each members sound best.
Words – Martin Viashima @MartinViashima
