Tha Pantheon by Body Bag Ben, JR Swiftz

Oxnard’s own Body Bag Ben continues his trajectory with his latest collaborative body of work, Tha Pantheon. This time around the producer/emcee extraordinaire connects with the Brooklyn beatsmith, JR Swiftz, whose previous credits include Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, Elzhi, Armai Caesar, Skyzoo, Papoose, Che Noir, and more. The ten-track body of work epitomizes the new school wave of underground boom-bap that both artists have been pushing forward since they jumped on the scene. Consider this the audio equivalent of Godzilla versus King Kong.

“This just a victory lap at this point,” says Ben as he continues to dominate the underground ranks. The duo lay the groundwork with the album opener, “Not Like Me” with an east meets west type vibe that sets the tone for what’s to come. Ben splashes over JR’s melodic chords and hard-hitting drums, with clever wordplay.

In addition to vocals duties, and handling all the cuts, Ben arranged the album to give it a cinematic feel from start to finish. The record abounds with intros/outros and various dialogue sequences that give the album a cinematically tailored feel.

Other standouts include the lyrically charged head nodder, “Ski Mask,” chockful of bars that are highlighted with cruel intentions: “Literally spit drugs, check the toxicity, [huh] the pen-tip drippin’ acidity / Efficiently buy it back, got it double the price, do it religiously, the holy trinity [mother f*cker].”

As if the two titans joining forces wasn’t enough, the pairing call upon the lyrical wizardry of NapsNdreds and Supreme Cerebral on “Open Casket,” and D.I.T.C spitter Milano Constantine on the closer, “Lay Em in a Body Bag,” both of which up the ante on an already super charged collaboration.

The Pantheon is available through all major digital retailers and streaming platforms via Body Bag Productions in partnership with Fat Beats.