MRKBH and Rico James crack open the next chapter of their saga with “Shattered Vessels,” a bruising new underground Hip-Hop single from Righteous Gemstones Part 3.
“Shattered Vessels” is the latest MRKBH single and the first glimpse of the upcoming Righteous Gemstones Part 3 project, once again pairing Indiana lyricist MRKBH with Burlington, Vermont producer Rico James.
Released via Bandcamp and SoundCloud, the track is written and performed by MRKBH and produced, mixed, and mastered by Rico James, continuing the duo’s lane of spiritually-charged, reality-grounded boom-bap. For fans digging through new underground Hip-Hop singles 2025, this one checks all the boxes: dusty drums, contemplative textures, and bars that feel handwritten on stone tablets, not typed in a Notes app.
On “Shattered Vessels,” MRKBH raps like a street preacher with a scholar’s vocabulary, zooming in on broken systems, fractured faith, and the pressure that cracks good people in real time. Folded Waffle called the record a “scorching” first single, where he delivers “priestly poetry influenced by the wisdom of the ancients,” a fitting description for the way he turns scripture into street language.
If you’ve been tapped into SpitFireHipHop, you already know this pairing is bigger than one drop. We’ve covered their previous collaborations like “The Abyss (Ego Death)” and “Chief Cornerstone” feat. Sadat X, where Rico’s cinematic production framed MRKBH’s theologically heavy rhymes in icy, head-nodding soundscapes.
MRKBH (pronounced mer-KAH-bah) is billed as “Indiana’s prolific underground laureate,” leaning heavily into spiritual and biblical imagery across projects like The Messiah Complex and the Righteous Gemstones series. He’s the type of MC who can reference prophets and politics in the same bar, making his catalog a goldmine for fans who like their underground Hip-Hop dense and replay-ready.
On the boards, Beats by Rico James bring that New England grit. A veteran producer from Burlington with deep roots in the regional Hip-Hop scene, he’s been praised for his ability to unite MCs and build cohesive, soulful projects that still knock. From solo instrumental work to full-length collabs, his sound has become a beacon for listeners searching phrases like underground boom-bap producer 2025 and independent Hip-Hop producer from Vermont.
“Shattered Vessels” doesn’t arrive in a vacuum. It follows a heavy run of releases we’ve already seen on SpitFireHipHop, including “Ishmael (Pt. 1)” and the upcoming material tied to Righteous Gemstones Part 2 and beyond. Each chapter has pushed MRKBH further into that rare lane where devotional themes and hardcore underground Hip-Hop collide.
The new single feels like a tightening of that formula. Where earlier records like “Decapitated” delivered raw, explosive energy, “Shattered Vessels” sounds more reflective, like he’s standing in the ruins, sifting through what’s left and deciding what’s worth rebuilding. It lands perfectly for listeners searching MRKBH x Rico James on Spotify or digging for Dark Ages Music Group releases on Bandcamp.
If you live in those algorithm-proof corners of the culture where Bandcamp pages and boutique labels still matter more than playlists, “Shattered Vessels” is exactly the kind of record you want on your radar. It hits that sweet spot for:
- Fans looking for lyrical underground Hip-Hop with spiritual themes
- Heads who follow producer-driven projects and search for Beats by Rico James
- Listeners building playlists of new underground Hip-Hop singles 2025 before the rest of the internet catches up
With Righteous Gemstones Part 3 on the way, this single feels like the opening crack in the armor, a warning that a full project of this energy is coming. If you’ve been following MRKBH’s journey through tracks like “The Abyss (Ego Death)” and “Chief Cornerstone,” “Shattered Vessels” is your next required listen and an early contender for one of 2025’s standout underground drops.
