• Artist: Jon Hope
• Track: Pressure
• Producer: Taktix
• Album: Waterfire: Collection of Emotions

They say that pressure makes diamonds, but it also crushes, pulverizes and demolishes those not strong enough to withstand it. If DJBooth nation’s response to Providence emcee Jon Hope’s last offering, the uber-approved Still Breathing, I’ve got a feeling that ratings for Hope’s new leak, titled, you guessed it, Pressure, will be more on the diamond side of the equation. A deeply and coolly winding track produced by Taktix, who laces a piano melody over some hypnotic percussion, Pressure finds Hope reflecting on the pressures we all face through storytelling flows that will (hopefully) provide relief to listeners who find truth in his words: “Thinkin of a scheme, legal or a crime / I feel stagnant, my thoughts rewind / feelin like a has been / the past was my grind.” It’s good to know someone still makes music that means something. If you’re enjoying the pressure Jon Hope is putting on wack emcees, be sure to check out his captivatingly titled upcoming project, Waterfire: Collection of Emotions, set to hit DJBooth’s homepage on October 10.