Mantras Across The Medina is an album uniting the soulful introspective verses of Chicago's King Kvmal of C-Medina (Chicago) and the revolutionary poetry of Sunez Allah of Medina (Brooklyn). Both Gods of the 5% Nation of Gods and Earths, their brotherhood has merged to make these crafted songs on a myriad of subjects upholding their passion for freedom, justice and equality. It is a work created with love for their families, people, crews and their culture. Kvmal is one of the most underrated and unsung MCs to create music with a long rich history making him an unparalleled song crafter, producer and arranger of the Hip Hop song. Sunez, aka SkillastratorLO, of the LO Lifes and The Leftovers NYC collective, has been a premier Hip Hop writer/journalist/author for over 25 years. Having made his Hip Hop writing a creative and documentary element of Hip Hop, MCs from Prince Powerule (aka Marcano of The Leftovers NYC), Agallah, Willie Waze, Skanks the Rap Martyr and others have brought him into the booth to add on his poetry and prose on wax. Kvmal went further and pushed Sunez further into creating an entire LP of spoken word, verses and straight MCing with him.
The mission with Mantras Across The Medinas was to express the blues, heartache, emotion and layered builds they've accumulated through song. There is the remix of their first work together, “9000 Miles RMX” where they autobio their journey to the knowledge of self. The declarations of their militancy to righteously build and destroy through "The Medinas Mantras” and “Brothers Of The Invisible Renaissance” with an absolutely invigorating verse from the chiseled MC Infinite7Mind. The blues of lost love on “All Because Of A Woman” with the necessary truth from the Earth MC, Backwood Sweetie. The real fight on the ground against police brutality through “Rally Round The Family.” The hell and heaven impact of motherhood on “Thin Line.” The God Sadat X and the Earth Harmoni Equality add on through “The Build” as they build on the day’s math, the state of the world with Sunez inviting everyone to a P.E.A.C.E. Course class session, the course he’s taught at Allah School in Mecca, the first school of the 5%NGE for over 23 years. There are the solos with “Precious Cargo” with a riveting call to justice for all Black people by Kvmal and “The Inscription” where the depth of 5% teachings are explored and even expressed as an LP metaphor by Sunez. There is the very direct vitriol against the phony bloodsuckers of this #InvisibleRenaissance era (the term coined by Sunez in early 2012, describing the massive universe of impeccable Hip Hop music today), on “NeverRespectFAKE.” Then King Kvmal’s vibrant tale of a young brother going savage in the streets on “Cycle Of Trife” matched with a very controversial critique of pop rap worship by Sunez detailing the exploits of rap’s most worshiped pop rap icon. With the false narratives against Puerto Ricans’ valued contributions to the founding and furtherance of Hip Hop’s earliest cultural elements, “Getz Deep” is the definitive answer as Kvmal defines the essence of the culture and Sunez honors the truth of his Boricua heritage. The passion, blues and soul deep within the hearts and minds of King Kvmal and Sunez Allah is all summated in the finale, “SWords (Our Sacred Words).” With the aid of their brother A.P. Da Overlord of the Free Thinker Klan, they build on their “word is bond” mantra, their ethos to create works that can inspire a better world. In this blend of Kvmal’s massively dynamic dexterity, soulful inflection and enunciation of heartfelt anthemic notes and Sunez’ edutaining poetry and layered prose of warrior builds, Mantras Across The Medinas is shared with the world.