Ayatollah Cocoon

Cocoon is much more than just another release from this Queens hip-hop producer. Since breaking through in the late '90s with the unforgettable beat for Mos Def's "Ms. Fat Booty," Ayatollah moved on to produce for the likes of Talib Kweli, Ghostface Killah, and Sean Price. But with that more traditional boom-bap work under his belt, the producer is ready to display his growth and maturity, hence the name of this album, Cocoon. This 18-track instrumental opus represents a step toward true song production, in the sense that Ayatollah is looking to convey emotions and stories within his tracks and not just make your head nod.

Abstract by Andrew Martin