It has been a brilliant year as far as DIY indie music goes. It's only right we help celebrate and share some of the best new music dropping from some of the top hip-hop artists in the Southwest. Without further adieux, here are some of our favorite new records to check out. When I say check them out, I mean SUPPORT to the fullest and buy these albums at their respective links provided so you can be sure your hard-earned goes most directly to the artists. You won't be disappointed! In no particular order...
Georgelife and DJ Pookie have been holding it down out of Salt Lake City, UT for quite some time with their violinist, Master Q. They relentlessly toured and gained a notorious following doing such. It was at one such tour stop in Albuquerque where I was able to acquire their album in a trade for our SUBLMNL RNSONS album, and I must say that it is an independent masterpiece. While the violin is incorporated in the early end of the album, the whole album presents a perspective that Georgelife has been always working to project musically, but finally achieves with this project. There are also cameos from well known MCs, such as Adlib, 2Mex, Percee P and Luckyiam. While it is feature heavy, Georgelife is not to be overshadowed, but rather complimentary of such MCs, such as his Adlib-assisted collab, "The Reaper", seen below via youtube. Purchase the full album on iTunes now.
Tuscon, AZ based Jivin Scientists are MC Runt and beatsmith Phen - a staple in the indie scene already previously known for their previous album, The Morning After. As a fan of The Morning After, I was excited for their newest release, which is a follow-up titled Thirsty. As such, it already invokes a thirst for new music that has been long awaited. The album opens with the sounds of what is lead to "Salt Water" waves. Strumming ensues, which leads to the title track along with a title wave of sonic lyrical content that any hip-hop fan will enjoy deciphering. As the album guides you in an ebb and flow of determined juxtapositions of upgraded production quality in all shapes and forms, features from Qwaazar, Aceyalone, Jabee and more help to round out this project which distinguishes Jivin Scientists amongst the crowd. If you have never seen Jivin Scientists perform live, check out the video clip below.
I first encountered another Arizona based MC Mega Ran at show stop he did last year in Santa Fe with Canadian beat-duo Fresh-kils, with whom Mega Ran has frequently collaborated. Like the Jivin Scientists, he completed a successful Kickstarter campaign to launch the production of this album. However, Mega Ran's fanbase was treated to video game memorabilia, which is commonly known throughout his discography. Don't take my word for it - visit Megaranmusic.com to catch up! Back to RNDM: Mega Ran gets deeper, more introspective and analytical this time around. Things get real and features from the likes of Open Mike Eagle, Kool Keith and RoQy Tyraid, amongst others, plus notable production from Fresh-kils, Lazerbeak, K-Murdock and many more help drive this into five-star territory. Listen to the album all the way through, but if you can't wait after reading this brief review then be sure to scope the "Infinite Lives" video below, via youtube featuring D&D Sluggers.
I remember kickin' it at Wake Self's house in ABQ one day and I stumbled upon Def-I and Soul Soup (Awkward Actwrite & Soy the Organic Hispanic) knee deep in a studio sesh for a new collaborative album they were working on. At the time, I was working with Wake on a show, but Def-I and Soul Soup ended up joining us for that show, judging a rap battle between Dizzy Villian and Skney Bonz Jonz. Needless to say, history runs deep with me and this crew - we have been rocking shows for some time. I was really excited this summer when I heard that the project was finally dropping - what has become now known as Three Piece Soup. Lyrical collaborations are kept within their own Skull Control crew, but production extends their reach a little further with masterpieces from GeoMTRK, Ph8 of po.10.cee, Per C Wells and more. Only ten tracks, this album was perhaps constrained content-wise because of Soy's recent incarceration. Hopefully upon his release, the crew can keep making moves and music like this. Props to them for continuing in motion, despite setbacks, to complete a listen worthy album.
Wolfman Jack is one of the SouthWest's hungriest MCs - evidence is the fact that he jumped on stage to rock the mic at both SUBLMNL RNSONS album release parties in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque. On his latest release, you can hear and visualize his hunger on tracks that are expertly mixed and mastered. The sound level is elevated from his previous mixtape releases as this project feels more album-worthy than most of Wolfman's previous catalogues, even as a "name your price" release. While this album segues through a trio of aesthetic elements as the title implies, it helps to build a picture of the mind inside the wolf. Collaborations with members of his Outstanding Citizens crew helps to create an eclectic mix hip-hop sounds. Check out a video I shot for these guys a couple years ago below via youtube...
While this blog post is not merely at an attempt at shameless promotion, but rather a broad overview of some new SouthWest releases. Still, it would be a mistake to not include the newest project our group has been working on. Please check it out and make sure to give it a listen. We are proud of the responses we have been getting but will continue to work hard and bring you more consistent quality content. Also, if you still have a hunger for more music after reading this entire post, check out some of our show footage below via youtube.
