If you Google the words "New York", "hip-hop" and "trio", you'll probably get hundreds of pages dedicated to the Beastie Boys.
In the absence of new material from that legendary NYC crew, Ratking could easily fill the gap.
The Harlem-based trio embody the same chaotic spirit of early B-boys on a debut that's as confrontational as it is addictive and compelling.
That's because MCs Patrick Morales and Hak spit venomous rhymes over lived-in, street-level beats provided by producer Sporting Life.
Often, they feel at odds with each other, like the feisty rhymes and jazzy interludes of Snow Beach, the thudding bass and soothing King Krule hooks on So Sick Stories, or the soul samples and raspy raps of Bug Fights.
Occasionally bleak moments are countered by the skittery throb of Puerto Rican and the crooned vocals of Remove Ya, but So It Goes is mostly a supercharged rap attack.
"We're some mutts" spits Morales on Remove Ya, with beats composed around wailing sirens.
They're sounding an alarm alright: these scuzzy brat-rappers have just delivered one of the best hip-hop albums of 2014.
Verdict:
New York trio's beastly debut a winner
Click here to buy So It Goes by Ratking.
- TimeOut