Hassaan Mackey is not yet a widely-known name, though he deserves it. Several years ago, in his Daily Bread tandem (with Apollo Brown), Mackey made one of the brightest jewels in the Mello Music Group catalog. Now linking with onetime DJ Jazzy Jeff/A Touch Of Jazz protege Kev Brown, Hassaan makes a two-part video in his release with Ill Adrenaline Records.

“Dope” is a smooth table setter with a simple Kev chorus. “Hassaan Be Rapping,” however, sounds like something in those pre-Rawkus Records days of mighty Mos Def. Rarely pausing to breathe, the Washington D.C.-based MC absolutely seizes the moment, stating what he’s about, from before the mic, to mourning it after:

This is from GRIT (November 4), the joint LP from the Low Budget and Daily Bread artists, on Ill Adrenaline.

Related: Here’s a new video from Kev Brown and Kaimbr. Check out Go Green (Video)