Little Vic

(Audible Treats) Little Vic is set to release his album, Each Dawn I Die on Tuesday, April 8th. Hailing from Long Island, Little Vic is ready to redirect rap's focus back on New York.

His EP, Each Dawn I Die, features 2 singles that saw great success on the college radio charts: "The Exorcist" featuring DJ Premier and "Caked Up" featruing Kool G Rap.

Armed with the release of his long-anticipated follow-up to those singles, Little Vic is proud to release Each Dawn I Die on his own Orena Records. - N/A

A good way to get your feet wet is by working the mixtape circuit, which is what Long Island native Little Vic has done before releasing his EP Each Dawn I Die (Orena Records). Considering this is a first release for the artist, the album features an all-star line up from Kool G. Rap to producers Velotz, Double Shot and the legendary DJ Premier amongst others. With a heavy cast backing him, naturally there is a lot to be expected and he delivers just that.

The album opens with the pulsating title track where Vic states he’s reborn when he wakes because each dawn he dies; it also serves as a creative run down of each of the eleven tracks on the disc. Vic also declares that he’s not going anywhere and puts other MC’s on blast for creating their own fictional life events on the horn blaring “It’s My Turn.”

The next two selections “The Evil That Men Do” and “Dying Slowly” are tolerable but easily forgotten compared to the singles that follow. “This Is What It Sounds Like” holds its own and flows well with the premise of the album.

The first single “The Exorcist” features DJ Premier at his best, with his trademark scratch in hook. Vic represents his hometown and pays homage to one of GangStarr’s 90’s classics in one fell swoop (“Straight from Long Island gunning for the mass appeal”).

Another notable mention on the album is “Caked Up” featuring Kool G. Rap. Vic takes you back on the bass heavy track to the old school Nintendo era (“Pop Prozac for the sh*t I might write / Don’t hold back when I make my own tracks like Excitebike”); while G. Rap sticks to his gritty street narratives.

“Sister Morphine” produced by Sly Vest is the highlight of the entire album and brings things to a close perfectly as one of the last two tracks. The melodic soundscape matched with his no nonsense delivery makes this an easy top pick.

Like many albums this one starts heavy, slows down a bit in the middle and closes strong. Little Vic’s contribution to Hip-Hop turns out to be a pretty good addition. - AllHipHop.com

In a world where the next generation of MCs are struggling to make a name for themselves, a lot of them are worth mentioning, and a lot more aren’t. Luckily New York’s own Little Vic is one of those MCs that should come up in positive discussions.

Introducing himself with his album, Each Dawn I Die (courtesy of Orena Records and distributed through Fat Beats), he makes a first good impression.

The album starts off with its title track, “Each Dawn I Die.” Over production that can be compared to that of classic 90’s Hip-Hop, Vic comes out with lines like, “God let my heart go an extra mile/put a hole where the pressure and the stress compiles.” “It’s My Turn” picks up where the first song leaves off, more solid production and lines like, “I’m through with the saints, I’m runnin’ with those that God lost/fallen angel/swing mics like a ball and chain do” will keep your interest.

Vic shows off some of his narrative skills on the Buckwild-produced “The Evil That Men Do.” The D.I.T.C. alum provides the eerie sounds as Vic rides over it with his tales from the ‘hood-type story.

“This Is What It Sounds Like” sounds like a song that should stay on your play list—equipped with lines like, “My mind is equivalent to a bomb/so in turn, I hang by myself just like Saddam.” “Love Hurt s” is a break in the album where Vic goes away from the hardcore lyricism, and story-tells a ‘boy loves girl’ fairytale.

The heavy guns come out as DJ Premier joins in and lends his expertise on “The Exorcist” for Vic to flow on. Over Preemo’s trademark scratch-in hooks, Vic compliments it with lines like, “Waiting to be blessed again/the exorcist lays tracks down, the necks will spin.” The legends keep coming as Kool G Rap is featured on “Caked Up.” They both abuse the track easily with Vic leading off: “There he goes with his Ginny charm, and Olive Oil voice/wrecking machine and I’m hungry to pot a boil twice/not a royal life, so I rip on Feds/since the days of jumps suits with the slip-on Keds.” G Rap: “When I pull up beside of ya whip, it ain’t for Grey Poupon/and that EMS n*ggas better have the saved coupons.”

The rest of the album includes songs like “Sister Morphine,” “Carry The Weight,” “After All I’ve Done For You,” and “Dying Slowly.” All songs possess solid production with lyricism to match. Besides the aforementioned songs produced by Buckwwild and DJ Premire, the rest of the album was handled by relatively unknowns like Sly Vest, Velotz, Double Shot, and Big K.O.

The beats provided on Little Vic’s Each Dawn I Die album is just a testament to how there are plenty more capable sound technicians out in Hip-Hop than people want to give credit to. But the album isn’t about the beats alone, because Vic does every track justice rapping over them like the world is coming to an end with content that doesn’t include cars, drugs, money, guns, jewelry, and girls. And that type of effort is very admirable, and enough for anybody to take a little time out and give a listen to.

- SixShot.com

In the world of organized crime, the word "connected" carries an extremely dangerous undertone. On one hand you're introduced to a level of society and privilege most are incapable of even dreaming of. On the other hand, you're vunerable to every consequence that comes with the responsibilities thrusted upon you, no matter how bloody they may be. "Connected" shares that same dichotomy of danger in Hip-Hop. No one has straddled this tightrope quite like Little Vic: He's an Italian MC from Long Island, NY who comes into the game vouched by some of the most prominent figures in Hip-Hop one could ever mention. With that being said, Little Vic's debut album Each Dawn I Die is proof that while the dichotomy of being "connected" does apply to him, it most certainly does not define him.
It's apparent that Vic has no plans of being crippled by the stereotypes that come with his heritage which is why on Each Dawn I Die he's made the wise decision not to travel down the road of Mafioso rap. Athough there are a few vocal clips of classic gangster flicks like Casino and The Godfather sprinkled here and there, Vic's prime objective is lyrics and he unleashes impressive displays of verbal wizardry on tracks like "This is What it Sounds Like" ("On demand get the dough/cats are staying Nickelodeon/so pick a podium and I'll continue with the show") and "After All I've Done" ("I'll single-handedly bring a family to a higher level/and I fuck with the puppets, who am I Gepetto?"). While Each Dawn I Die does it's best to stay away from cliché Cosa Nostra-esque tunes i.e. Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, the traditional pianos and hard basslines on the Buckwild produced "The Evil That Men Do" does make it seem almost impossible for Vic to spit anything other than a street tale. Not to mention the sole guest spot on the album comes from the de facto originator of the Mafioso genre, Kool G Rap and he definitely gets his "Giancana" persona going on "Caked Up"..."when I pull up aside of ya whip it ain't for Grey Poupon".

On "The Exorcist", the legendary DJ Premier shows up to do what he does best as he provides another memorable aural delight with his trademark scratch chorus and Little Vic confidently tears into the track as if he and Premo have been down with each other for decades. Perhaps a producer with a track record like Premo just knows what buttons to push (no pun intended) on an MC. "Preem brought it out of me, now I bring it out of you". The shining moment of Each Dawn I Die is "Sister Morphine" where Vic is supplied with an eerily angelic soundbed by Sly Vest to weave several clever metaphoric parables of dealing with pain. Little Vic's debut is a testament to the days where skill was a prerequisite in Hip-Hop in lieu of today's microwave fast food rap industry. He puts his "connected" status to very good use and those who cross his path need to give him proper respect as an MC...otherwise he may just "roll up to ya show with ten goons all looking like Sylvio".

4 out of 5 - ArtOfRhyme.com

From Long Island comes Little Vic! Notice it's "little" and not "lil", it is a nickname he took after his grandfather and out of respect for his long bloodline in music. Slowly rising in the competitive New York scene, Vic has made the right connections to be sure, but this is also due to his talent as an emcee, making the rounds in the mixtape circuit with notable players including DJ Eclipse, DJ Whoo Kidd and his own brother JohnJohn. This impressive debut (a bit long for an EP) pits the aspiring rapper against the challenge of bringing real hip hop back to the surface in the city of its birthplace, where it is now shrouded by a sea of fakes. The battle is slow, but gaining ground with releases like Each Dawn I Die. Featuring a guest appearance with Kool G. Rap, and produced tracks by DJ Premier and Buckwild! - accesshiphop.com