Agallah
Crookie Monster [prod. Agallah & Alchemist]

I Know All Y'all  [prod. Agallah]

5 Star Millas [prod. Agallah]

b/w

Instrumentals

October 27, 2025 

Not many MCs have held it down for the New York underground like Agallah the Don Bishop, aka 8-Off the Assassin. The God's history goes back to the mid-1990's, when his energetic b-boy raps carried 'Wrap Your Lips Around This', his debut album on EastWest Recordings. 

Although Agallah's opening project ended up on the shelf, his career continued rising to the top. By the late-1990's, several crucial placements enabled him to help define the sound of underground hip-hop.

The Don Bishop's three-song EP on the legendary Game Recordings in 1999 includes classic cuts that keep his name in the upper-echelons of East Coast rap royalty.

The title track, 'Crookie Monster',  features co-production from frequent collaborator and then-rising star The Alchemist. 

Agallah describes the exploits of his Sesame Street character parody over Alchemist's old-school formula for grimey beats:
"Me and Bert and Ernie was gettin' dirty in romper room
Smokin' hash, poppin' tabs
Doin' a lot of mushrooms
Word to the father
I asked Maria if I could massage her
One day I caught her out there fuckin' Mr. Rogers
While he was singin'
Takin' off his socks and his shoes
I'm the fuckin' Crookie Monster
Still payin' my dues
One day I had to stomp out Oscar
Left'em on the curb
Got me some real bad herb from Big Bird
Smacked him so hard 'til he lost his feathers
I love my Crookie, ooh forever-and-ever-and-ever!"

With the Cookie Monster voice too...this joint is too hilarious.

Agallah's own production influenced the whole sound of New York City in the mid-to-early 2000's.

On the classic '5 Star Millas', Agallah flips the Four Tops' 'Seven Rooms of Gloom' to provide a soulful backdrop for his vision:
"To the five-star millas, the  Big Willas
The world where girls fall in love with drug-dealers
Three-piece suiters, Buicks, limos and music
Big stars next to the bar, money and cars
To the wild brothers and pregnant baby-mothers
Breakin' them cheap-ass rubbers but still love us
From the jail to the PJ's strugglin' to survive
I'm here to tell all y'all, keep your dreams alive".

The whole track just feels like an upcoming change in the culture. 

It's also one of the songs that came to define underground hip-hop during the internet era, akin to Saigon's 'Yes'. 

After appearing alongside the late Sean Price on Game Radio in the Grand Theft Auto III soundtrack, the Don Bishop continued to put on for NYC through the 2000's. His Purple City imprint with Un Kasa began a short-lived affiliation with Dipset. His output since COVID rivals the Griselda family in consistency and creativity. 

On the low, Agallah has been quietly amassing a high-volume, top-tier catalog of pure New York hip-hop.  

This three-song EP, released a boutique label founded by a co-creator of The Source magazine,  serves as the perfect plate to introduce the uninitiated to one of the culture's most overlooked artists. 

Plus the B-Side contains proper instrumentals for all songs on the A-Side.

The Propain Campaign remains strong.
++++