There are few hip-hop artists left that demand my attention anymore.

Off the top of my head it’s only Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Atmosphere, P.O.S., Kanye West, Eminem, Jay-Z and Talib Kweli.

The members of Slaughterhouse also belong in the category

Despite what one of my Co-workers wants to hear, Slaughterhouse may just be one of the more refreshing acts in music right now.

The hip-hop supergroup consists of four talented underground lyricists such as Royce Da 5’9”, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz and Joe Budden.

They will be releasing their self-titled debut album on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

I have a feeling this album will push these four artists into the mainstream.

All four of these rappers have had years and years or trials and tribulations that barricaded them from that one push they needed to break-out into successful solo acts.

All of them were written off and considered rejects by many, they never did pan out to the high expectations that were set for them.

Until now.

Consider this the resurrection of four rappers that were left for dead.

Crooked I was signed to Suge Knight’s Death Row label (formally home to Dr. Dre, 2-pac and Snoop Dogg) but he left after his albums were never released.

Joell Ortiz was signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label, but left after he was informed his album wasn’t going to be released until Eminem and Dr. Dre released their albums first (which we all know, Dr. Dre’s Detox has been in production for nearly a decade)

Joe Budden went from a successful debut in 2003 to nearly falling of the face of the earth. Once a promising artist on one of hip hop’s biggest record labels — Def Jam — Joe Budden fell out of favor with at the time, head of label, Jay-Z. Budden’s second album, “The Growth” was never released. Finally Budden left the label with virtually nothing to show for himself.

Detroit rapper, Royce Da 5’9” rose to fame with Eminem in the late 90s and early 2000s and wrote for Dr. Dre on his “2001” album. Due to an increasingly rocky relationship with Eminem (the two since have re-kindled) Royce fell out of the public eye.

The latter two artists have been criminally underrated for the past four to five years.

On Aug. 11, the four rappers that no one wanted on their label, and no one wanted to hear, will get the last laugh.

The hip-hop super group is currently on the Rock the Bells tour opening up for such legends as Nas, the Wu-Tang Clan, Ice Cube, The Roots and many other hip-hop heavyweights of the past 15 to 20 years.

If you enjoy quality hip hop music, and skillful, thoughtful lyricism, check out Slaughterhouse.

If nothing else, they are the first rap group to name drop Cleveland Cavalier Anderson Varejao in a song.

That’s got to count for something.

-Nick Carrabine
NCarrabine@News-Herald.com