Illogic & Walter Rocktight "Year 8076"

Expanding the Backpack, 9/8/11

As promised a couple of blog entries back, here's a link to the long-lost Illogic & Walter Rocktight collabo album "Year 8076." This was intended to be a Rhymesayers release about 8 years ago, but the artists decided not to release it and it was shelved until now. Just finished my first listen through the album and I'm scratching my head over why they hesitated with it back in the day... Solid beats, solid rhymes, and the most dance-able album of Illogic's career. I was afraid it might sound sloppy or unfinished since they decided to give it away for free, but this baby's fully polished and sounding awesome. Illogic's early work with Blueprint had a major influence on my introduction to indie rap music. I used to idolize him for excelling in every aspect of MCing and being one of the most well-rounded MCs out there. I still think he sounds really on-point and he's waaayy too slept-on as rapper, so stoked to hear some new-old material from him and happy that he has a new album with Blockhead in the works. Hopefully this project will help give him some more exposure. Free download available at Illogic's Bandcamp Page or you can stream the album in its entirety below. If you're feeling it, you can make a donation on the Bandcamp page or (better yet) buy a physical copy of "Year 8076" when Illogic & Walter Rocktight make it available.

1. Intro
2. How You Want It
3. Morals
4. Life Is Passin' By
5. I Know You Wanna Dance
6. The Whites of Their Eyes
7. Clap Ya Hands
8. Hit the Road
9. Time is Comming
10. Meant to Be
11. 3 to 5
12. How You Want It (Remix)

August 2K11 in Hip Hop Terms

The Lowdown, 8/31/11

Couple of very notable releases in the rap world this month... I haven't had a chance to peep Flash Bang Grenada's full length or Knives & Gasoline's album yet, but they'll likely be in next month's write-up if they live up to my lofty expectations.

1) Candy's .22 "A Girl And Her Gun" (Grimm Image)

At long last, the new full length collabo between Existereo and Barfly sees the light of day. Granted, a lot of the songs on here are fairly old, dating back to the duo's tour CD "On the Roadkill Again," but it's great to hear these tracks professionally mixed and packaged, plus their new songs deliver as well. For those of you not familiar with Stereo13 and Barfloco's twisted brand of hip hop, these two stylistic madmen make what might be described as "Drunken Americana Rap." Their niche market is clearly the drugstore cowboy and chip-toothed gypsy woman crowd, but there's plenty that you picky underground hip hop heads will appreciate on this album as well. Existereo is one of the more underrated MCs out of LA's massive scene in my book, with more than a few stolen posse cuts under his belt and the Shapeshifters at his side. He's one of those rappers who you expect to only be good in a group setting, but who impresses in a major way every time he drops a full length project, both stylistically and lyrically. Barfly is a member of the ever-prolific Oldominion collective out of Seattle, and stands out as perhaps the least conventional rapper in that legendary clique of strange rap talents. He kicks his verses as if he's perpetually drunk, and makes it sound impressive while dropping some seriously clever lyrics veiled under a mask of inebriation. Listen and you're likely to find more interesting quotables from this guy in a song than some MCs will give you in an entire album. One great part about Candy's .22 is that it doesn't sound like your average Existereo or Barfly album. Instead, these guys have taken an interesting direction with their collaborative music, embracing the strange country-ish aspects of their lyrics and styles and developing a very original sound in the process. With producers like Deeskee, Smoke, Coley Cole and Foundation backing them up, you know the music side of things is going to be solid. Hats off to the homies Self Advocate and Rob Rush for their impressive beat contributions here as well. But enough of my banter, listen to the song "Berkowitz" below and decide for yourself:




2) Prof "King Gampo" (Stophouse)

This one sort of came out of left-field and impressed the shit out of me. I've noticed Prof through his touring ethic and affiliations, as he's been listed on flyers next to the likes of Atmosphere, Mac Lethal, or more recently Grieves. His last free album, "Recession Music" with St. Paul Slim, was fairly good but not really enough to make me actively want to check for new music from the guy. Well, after listening to "King Gampo," I think it's safe to label me a fan. Everything from the rapping, to the hooks, to the production, to the cover's homage to "Gummo" is quality. Prof's music is very fun to listen to, as he's clearly having a great time making it without sacrificing a bit of style. His bouncy party hooks and comedic lyrics may seem a bit immature on the surface, but there's definitely a strong stylistic edge to his music, as he's constantly manipulating his voice and switching cadences in the most impressive of ways. He can also get serious with the lyrics and concepts when he feels like it, as tracks like "Myself" and "Karma" demonstrate. I will without question be checking out this dude's live show the next time he passes through my neck of the woods, as judging by the songs on here I'm sure that his set is off da meatrack. I paid 10 bones for a physical copy of the album on CD and was very satisfied with my purchase, but for those who are trying to go the cheaper route, Prof is offering the whole shebang for free on the Stophouse Bandcamp Page Download it there, or stream it in it's entirety below and see what you think:

Sims "Wildlife EP"

Expanding the Backpack, 8/31/11

New legally free EP from Sims & Lazerbeak, spread by the grace of the almighty Doomtree newsletter. Their "Bad Time Zoo" album still ranks amongst the best releases of 2011 so far, and while this EP isn't quite living up to that standard of quality, it is more excellent tunes from these talented gents. A few of these songs have been released previously, whether as giveaway MP3s for the "Bad Time Zoo" preorder or as songs promoting the album, but that's not to knock the level of quality here. For the level remains high, as it often does with Doomtree-related releases. The whole EP is damn good, but a special spot in my heart belongs to the song "Jordan 5's," which is just Lazerbeak at his most banging. I still remember when I heard that song playing in the background of some Doomtree interview video, and had to rewind the segment several times just to process how ill it sounded. Glad it's been made available to the public! Tracklisting and stream below. You can download Sims' "Wildlife EP" for free at the Sims Bandcamp Page.

1. The Lighthouse
2. Mad Night
3. Here I Stand
4. The Line
5. Jordan 5's

Stacking Really Hot Chips

The Latest Greatest, 8/28/11

Neila loves the kids. The latest project from the ever-amazing Laura Yang, who somehow managed to bust out an ill banner for this blog in-between designing websites and recording hot 16 bar verses, is a brand new illustrated children's book. "Yeti Goes to Elementary... Too Many Hot Chips" is a cautionary tale that deals with the major issue of hot chips, and features breakdancing dinosaurs, yetis in UFOs, and plenty of skateboards. Two of the characters from the story, Wayol Shark and Berd-E, are comparing backpacks in the illustration that crowns this blog. Looking forward to reading this and sharing it with plenty of people who like to smile. If you'd like to check it out for yourself, and maybe even order some blinged out yeti gear to go with it, you can do so at the I Love Yeti website that compliments the book. Just try not to eat too many hot chips when you get there.

The Year Was 8076

The Latest Greatest, 8/28/11

Saw this album cover next to the words "free download" up on Illogic's blog and practically lost my jaw in excitement, but turns out that the free download in question is a single track from the album as opposed to the album itself. Grrrr... Still, it's great to see material surface from Illogic's long-abandoned party album, which was supposed to drop on Rhymesayers back in 2005 but never saw the light of day due to the artists themselves deciding not to put it out. I remember chatting with Columbus OH producer Amos Famous about this project at a Danger Zone show in Berkeley, and he claimed it was Illogic's best work ever but that I'd never get to hear it since he'd decided to scrap it. The one or two sparks that surfaced from Illogic and Walter Rocktight's collaborative effort, like the "Time is Coming" song off Illogic's "Write to Death Vol. 2," kept me hoping that it would one day be released... but the years passed and hopes of hearing it gradually faded. Well, it looks like Illogic's finally decided to put this beast out, and as a free download no less. I'll definitely highlight it in the "Expanding the Backpack" section of this blog once the album becomes available in its entirety, but until then, here's that free track I was talking about:

A Fool and His Money Are Slickly Parted

The Latest Greatest, 8/23/11


New album from City Slick entitled "The Money and His Fool," dropping September 20th independently via Green Llama. City Slick is an underrated group consisting of Decay on vocals and Fluent on production, with both players repping the Green Llama crew out of Chicago. While Uncut Raw's album "First Toke" and Dibia$e's recent work have drawn the most attention to the Llama's, City Slick's first album "Antique Black" was one of the most solid offerings to date from the crew and highly slept-on. Decay is also known for his work with the Molemen, though he sounds more at home over the gritty lo-fi production that Fluent has to offer. Alas, as far as I know, this one seems to be only dropping digitally... hopefully someone will prove me wrong! Tracklisting and sample song below:

1. And So It Went...
2. Back On It
3. Amillione
4. Relief From Warplanes (feat. Selfish)
5. Bouncing Checks (Interlude 1)
6. Miss Me
7. The Hustle
8. Too High (feat. Astonish)
9. Llama Lasers (feat. Maintenance Crew)
10. Into the Stark Reality
11. B.M.M.M. (Interlude 2)
12. The Believer
13. Hostage
14. None Slicker
15. They Won't Get Me (feat. Tone Liv)
16. The Ends Justify The Means (feat. Scheme)
17. A High Note

Seeing Doomdoubles

The Latest Greatest, 8/21/11

I refrained from spreading this news earlier due to the top secret nature of the extra-exclusive Doomtree newsletter, but since it's now been spread publically on their site and elsewhere I feel that it's fair game to share it here belatedly. Dessa's new(ish) full length "Castor, the Twin" is dropping October 4th 2011 on Doomtree Records. This new but not-quite-so-new body of work is largely composed of live band reinterpretations of Dessa's older songs and guest spots, with only one song "The Beekeeper" representing entirely new material. Kind of a bummer since I'd love to hear more new Dessa verses, but apparently this "Beekeeper" song is the single of another more official upcoming full-length of brand new stuff, so only a matter of time. Plus, it seems that I smell a new Doomtree group full length on the near horizon in November 2011? This one and the new Sims EP "Wildlife" (street date?) should tide me over till then. Tracklisting and sample reinterpretation below:

1. 551
2. Kites
3. Mineshaft
4. The Chaconne
5. Into The Spin
6. Dixon's Girl
7. The Crow
8. Alibi
9. Palace
10. Mineshaft 2
11. The Beekeeper