Sunday, December 25, 2011

Various Artists (Acid Lab Records) "ALR Elite"

Expanding the Backpack, 12/25/11

Caution: contents of Acid Lab Record gifts are highly flammable and should only be opened with goggles and a pair of radiation proof gloves. This new free compilation from Gajah and BeOND's Acid Lab label is actually one of the strongest legally free albums you're likely to download this year. The free EPs that Gajah put out earlier in 2011 were good, but this project feels a lot stronger and more cohesive, showcasing some impressive verses and grimy beats from Acid Reign and their extended fam. If you were a fan of Acid Reign's "Diversity" album earlier this year, then you definitely need to give this album a listen, as it sounds like a natural extension of the sound they were aiming for on "Diversity" only with more impressive stylistic MCs involved. Excellent tracks from BeOND and Olmeca, some really good stuff from Gajah and Express Fresh... the only dude on here who doesn't have me completely convinced is Damien Rodriguez, but even his songs are decent. This project feels less like a compilation and more like a complete crew album, and I can that it's one of the few free albums that's gonna get some fairly regular rotation from me in these last days of 2011 and beyond. Excellent artwork by the super talented Albane as well. If you're a fan of LA chop-shop styles, don't miss this one! Download it at the Acid Lab Records Bandcamp Page or stream it in full below:

1. Acid Reign - "Wake Up!"
2. Express Fresh - "You'll Never Beat Us (feat. BeOND)"
3. Olmeca - "En Pie De Lucha"
4. BeOND - "My Way"
5. Damien Rodriguez - "OccuPIE"
6. Gajah - "Sucka MC Diet"
7. Express Fresh - "Resilient Son"
8. Olmeca - "Remember Your Foundation"
9. Gajah - "Walk"
10. Damien Rodriguez - "Faceless"
11. BeOND - "Silence is Golden"
12. Express Fresh - "Outside"
13. BeOND - "Quick Rip"
14. Gajah - "Penny Pinchers (feat. Express Fresh)"
15. Gajah - "Black Knight"
16. BeOND & Destruct - "Travelin' (feat. Gajah)"
17. DJ Ethos - "ALR Elite Medley"

3 comments:

  1. Haha gonna have to completely disagree with you on your comment about Damien Rodriguez. I think that dude is smoothest cat on here. He really stands out to me. Respect.

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  2. Thanks for the love!! ~BeOND ALR

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  3. Sweet blog man!!!! Twin State of Mind

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