Erick Sermon is not only a legendary producer and MC, but he’s also one of Hip-Hop’s most gifted talent scouts. E-Double mentored Redman and Keith Murray while having early hands in the careers of Rick Ross, K-Solo, and Das-EFX. Def Squad Records and the Green-Eyed Bandit are once again ready to introduce some fresh faces. Enter Elijah The Young Prophit. This 15-year-old South Bronx bomber (by way of North Carolina) has got the kind of lyrical chops that belie his age. And no, he has not misspelled “prophet” or “profit” he has simply combined the two.

Elijah has been working with Sermon in his Long Island, New York-based Def Squad Studios to sharpen his sword and craft an impactful debut. At the beginning of March, he released a six-song sampler that finds the teenage rapper putting his own spin on classics like Goodie Mob’s “Soul Food,” A Tribe Called Quest’s “Can I Kick It,” and fittingly, EPMD’s “It’s My Thing.” The way he hungrily rips through these hits, it’s evident Young Prophit is looking to earn the right to rep the Def Squad name and is clearly doing his homework.

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Recently, he dropped the video for his EPMD-flip “It’s No Thang,” which features The General on the second verse. He ties in Erick and Parish’s 1987 breakthrough single, as well as JAY-Z’s “Ain’t No Ni**a” verse. Both producers (EPMD and Jaz-O, respectively) used the same The Whole Darn Family “Seven Minutes Of Funk” sample.

E.T.Y.P. rhymes on this track for a minute and a half before he lets The General get a piece. And the Def Squad rookie drops off a novella of bars which he occasionally delivers in a clear, clean double-time. He has all kinds of quotables here but these lines stand out: “N*ggas thinking we friends because we associate / Nope, avoid the snakes who trying to stop my going rate / Won’t catch me / Pen game is deadly / Ten shots directly / For those who test me / That’s for certain / Uniquely conscious person / Emergin’ with a flow tighter than a nervous virgin.” That should give you an idea of this young man’s verbal dexterity. However, hit play above to get a proper taste.

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About Ready Or Not: “Ready Or Not” is Ambrosia For Heads’s platform for showcasing new videos and having you, the people, decide whether they are ready for primetime. Each week, AFH will showcase music from artists on the verge, looking for their seat at the table among Hip-Hop’s elite.