Snowgoons are a German production crew that includes Sicknature, Det, DJ Illegal, and J.S. Kuster. They got together in 1999 and started releasing albums in the States in 2007 after signing with New York label Babygrande. Since then, they've dropped an abundance of material, including German Lugars, The Trojan Horse, and Snowgoons Dynasty, plus collaborative projects with Reef the Lost Cauze, PMD, and M.O.P., among others. On all of their records, they sport a distinctive sound full of grimy drums and sweeping, orchestral loops, with plenty of strings, pianos, and minor-key instrumentation, clearly influenced by RZA, 4th Disciple, Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind, and Alchemist. With more than 50 guest rappers over the course of 24 tracks, Black Snow II is a lot to take in—but for fans of sonically dark and defiantly underground hip-hop, it's a dream come true. Features include the usual suspects (Raekwon, Vinnie Paz, Slaine, Apathy) plus where-are-they-now cats Onyx, Nature, and Shabaam Sahdeeq, as well as pioneers like Kool G Rap and Ed OG.