#150: Tobacco Road (2008)

"It has been said that English is the hardest language to learn. Being a native speaker and having to learn grammar in schooling past, I can absolutely see why. It is riddled with contradictions, exceptions, and funny-sounding words. When you take all of this crazy-sounding language and make it rhyme, you have something special." — The Find Mag

TRACKLIST:

Service 01

Trouble Is 02

Gol'Dust 03

Slow Cure 04

Back Home (The Return) 05

40 Furrows 06

House 07

Winter Takes All 08

Weather Vane 09

40 Acres 10

Spits (instrumental) 11

Nina Sing (ft. Funklove) 12

Certitude (ft. Chev) 13

Crucible (ft. Geologic) 14

40 Thieves 15

I've Got A Song 16

Swell 17

Tobacco Road 18

Download/Buy.

#149: The Winter's End EP (2009)

"This is an improvement over the debut EP and album from Washington’s Ryan Abeo (RA Scion) and Blue Scholars beatsmith Sabzi. Complimenting Scion’s spiritually uplifting lyricism, Sabzi’s more organic and unconventional instrumentals result in a fantastically groovy set of indie hip-hop on par with anything Rhymesayers related." — Popmatters.com

TRACKLIST:

Nouveau Depart 01

Escaping Arkham 02

Brasso 03

Slow Down Moses 04

The Picture of My DeLorean Gray 05

Download/Buy.

#148: Can-I-Bus (1998)

"When it comes to lyrics and delivery, this album is underrated. Most underground heads certainly recognize."

TRACKLIST:

Intro 01

Patriots 02

Get Retarded 03

Niggonometry 04

Second Round K.O. 05

What's Going On 06

I Honor U 07

Hype-Nitis 08

How We Roll 09

Channel Zero 10

Let's Ride 11

Buckingham Palace 12

Rip Rock 13

Download/Buy.

#147: C Of Tranquility (2010)

"Complete with support from the legendary DJ Premier and Domingo, C of Tranquility is easily Canibus' most wide-reaching and Hip Hop-rooted works in close to a decade. However, the human encyclopedia still slows himself up and hinders appeal with new levels of self-idolization." — HipHopDX.com

TRACKLIST:

Captn Cold Crush 01

Salute 02

C Scrolls 03

Merchant of Mataphors 04

Lunar Deluge 05

Golden Terra of Rap 06

Title 17 USMC 07

Free Words 08

The Messenger’s Message 09

Cingularity Point 10

Pine Comb Poem 11

Good Equals Evil 12

Worthlessness Purpose 13

Right Now 14

Download/Buy.

#146: 2000 BC (Before Can-I-Bus) (2000)

"Soon after the release of Can-I-Bus, Canibus was met with backlash and critics who thought his record was no good. Indeed, Canibus had not led up to the hype that he had coming for him, and his career fell to ashes. He would take a two year break from rap before coming back to the industry, and when he did, he came back with more lyrical prowess than ever before. He got an army of beat makers that were somewhat willing to actually help him make the music that he deserved. It would be more epic, it would have crazy lyrics, and it would be an overall better effort. It would be what Can-I-Bus should have been, and it Canibus’ sophomore album 2000 B.C., and this time he did not let his fans down." — Sputnikmusic.com

TRACKLIST:

The C-Quel 01

2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus) 02

Life Liquid (ft. Journalist) 03

Shock Therapy 04

Watch Who U Beef Wit 05

I'll Buss 'Em U Punish 'Em (ft. Rakim) 06

Mic-Nificent 07

Die Slow (ft. Journalist) 08

Doomsday News 09

Lost @ "C" 10

Phuk U 11

Horsemen (ft. Pharoahe Monch) 12

Horsementality (ft. Four Horsemen) 13

100 Bars 14

Chaos 15

Download/Buy.

#145: Uptown Saturday Night (1997)

"Hailing from the Bronx, New York, Sonny Cheebah and Geechi Suede are the two members of Camp Lo, mostly known for this album, which is their only one to ever receive much attention and critical success. On Uptown Saturday Night, the duo has one of the best chemistry to have ever been witnessed on a hip-hop record, a back-and-forth tour de force akin to Mobb Deep's, A Tribe Called Quest's or Binary Star's finest moments. Much in the latter's fashion, both MCs have similar voices, but there is still a distinct difference in the style of both MCs, Sonny Cheebah serving as the more aggressive and in-your-face nemesis to Geechi Suede's laid-back and somewhat tantalizing voice. This difference enables them to create a dynamic between the two styles, which is one of the stronger aspects of this LP. Both Geechi's and Cheebah's flows are very slick and smooth, and it is a wonder how much aggressivity they can put in their delivery while never losing that laid-back and smoother-than-ever aesthetic. " — Sputnikmusic.com

TRACKLIST:

Krystal Karrington 01

Luchini AKA This Is It 02

Park Joint 03

B-Side to Hollywood (ft. Trugoy the Dove) 04

Killin' Em Softly 05

Sparkle 06

Black Connection 07

Swing (ft. Butterfly) 08

Rockin' It AKA Spanish Harlem 09

Say Word (ft. Jungle Brown) 10

Negro League (ft. Karachi R.A.W. & Bones) 11

Nicky Barnes AKA It's Alright (ft. Jungle Brown) 12

Black Nostaljack AKA Come On 13

Coolie High 14

Sparkle (Mr. Midnight Mix) 15

Download/Buy.

#144: So(ul) Amazing Three [2009]

TRACKLIST:

Til We Die 01

JB's (Gone) 02

Vanity (Death of a Star) (Pt. 1) 03

Love Line(s) 04

The Grouch & Eligh - Old Souls (ft. Blu) 05

Big Tone - A Song Called Triumph (ft. Blu) 06

Tanya Morgan - Morgan Blu (ft. Blu) 07

Smoke 08

GNG BNG (ft. Flying Lotus) 09

Nino Brown (Unreleased) 10

Just Relax 11

IFeel (ft. Miss Jack Davey) 12

Amnesia 13

From the Heart (ft. Deep Rooted) 14

Untitled (Loved U 2) 15

Laminated Looseleafs (ft. MAG) 16

Radical 2 (Instrumental) 17

Download.

#143: I Hate You With A Passion [1995]

"The Bay Area’s underground rap scene saw something of a renaissance in the mid-‘90s. In Vallejo, rappers like Mac Mall, E-40, and B-Legit were pioneering their distinctive styles, while producer Khayree’s imprint Young Black Brotha had just become a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. Meanwhile, across the bay in San Francisco proper, the young rapper who'd eventually become known as Andre Nickatina was releasing idiosyncratic, often self-produced recordings under the name Dre Dog." — iTunes.com

TRACKLIST:

Muthafucka (ft. Cougnut) 01

Situation Critical 02

Powda 4 the Hoes (ft. Black C) 03

Killa Whale 04

Ike Turner (ft. Totally Insane) 05

Piece of My Mind 06

Hit It from the Back 07

Dirty Worm 08

Fillmoe 09

Killin' of the Caine 10

The Stress Factor 11

U Ain't My Folks (ft. Lo-Lo) 12

Mind Full of Hatred 13

Straight 2 the Point 14

A Diamond (Cocaine Murder Remix) 15

Download/Buy

#142: The Reach [2011]

"Aer hails originally from Wayland Massachusetts, but based on their 2011 sophmore LP you would think they were from Cali, the way they blend reggae and relaxing beach music together. Aer has a smooth style to them that sets them apart from most rappers, their flow’s ease along the mellow acoustic tracks they use as beats. Beats that compliment the ridiculously calming vocals of MCs David Von Mering and Carter Schultz whose voices seem to bounce along the beats flawlessly. While most rap groups brag about how tight their flow is or how much tail they’re getting on the road lyrically Aer stays away from those empty boast and just seem like they want to chill and take in the sun." — Sputnikmusic.com

TRACKLIST:

Room To Breathe (Intro) 01

Somewhere I Been 02

Ride Up (ft. June) 03

Feel I Bring 04

Never Know (ft. Jordan Looney) 05

Another Face (Midtro) 06

The Reach 07

Comin' From a Basement 08

Run Again 09

School 10

Come & Go 11

Lights (Can You Keep It) 12

Every Day 13

Download/Buy

#141: Strangers EP [2013]

"Following their success in 2012, with the release of their debut album, The Bright Side, and its subsequent 48-city North America tour, Boston-based duo Aer have released free 5-track EP, Strangers."

TRACKLIST:

She'll Miss It 01

Take it Wrong 02

Guaranteed 03

Strangers (ft. Mod Sun) 04

Tell it Straight (ft. Guy Harrison) 05

Download.

#140: the humble & low ep [2011]

"should i join the system i can’t be? or gamble with the heat? cancel all the dreams i speak for dying on my feet? why should i rely on a piece of the pie that’s incomplete? judas with the judge and the jury, hurry to catch defeat."

"a stray bullet wrapped in a love letter from the early days of the millennium. an era of hard rocks and hard rhymes, coupled with a contradictory sense of optimism and expansiveness. an era i recall as grimier and more innocent, at the same time. before mainstream hip hop made the full-on transition from culture to market. before the way we were in the world was put up for sale. before his untimely demise, lastchild lived in the typical cats house. evidence of a lost style. it sounds like him — cynical and sincere, rugged but nimble. he is heartless and plaintive in the same breath. he was a wayward genius, a multi-instrumentalist, a punk rocker and hip hopper, a lost poet, and a last son. he was my brother. he’s gone now. but we’ll see him again—and soon. some leave because they were too swift for babylon to catch. they’ll never touch him now. rest in peace." - denizen kane (lastchild's older brother)

tracklist:
lastchild's lament 01
lastchild speaks 02
lastchild's wrath 03
last shot 04
last days 05

your choice: get it easy/support the artist.

#139: cinemetropolis [2011]

"cinemetropolis is a solid effort from blue scholars. sabzi’s beats show a fantastic progression from "bayani" and geo maintains his thoughtful and topical rhymes. however, the album’s "visual soundtrack" theme falls short in presenting truly evocative music as the concept really clicks in only a handful of songs. nonetheless, the album is a more subtle and mature record than their previous work, very worthy of a listen." - kevin nottingham

tracklist:
cinemetropolis 01
hussein 02
fou lee 03
lalo schifrin 04
seijun suzuki 05
anna karina 06
marion sunshine 07
slick watts 08
george jackson 09
oskar barnack ∞ oscar grant 10
yuri kochiyama 11
rani mukerji 12
tommy chong 13
chief stealth 14
fin 15

your choice: get it easy/support the artist.

#138: none shall pass [2007]

"created over a 2 year period following his last release, "none shall pass" documents not only a vast amount of personal change that aesop experienced over this time, but also deftly depicts scenes and stories relative to all ages of life. the majority of production duties have been handled by aesop's longtime partner blockhead, while label mates el-p and rob sonic each make offerings. aesop himself confidently produces a handful of his own tracks as well." - amazon

tracklist:
keep off the lawn 01
none shall pass 02
catacomb kids 03
bring back pluto 04
fumes 05
getaway car 06
39 thieves 07
the harbor is yours 08
citronella 09
gun for the whole family 10
five fingers 11
no city 12
dark heart news 13
coffee 14

your choice: get it easy/support the artist.

#137: labor days [2001]

"aesop rock doesn't try to contend with rap music's commercial villains. instead, on "labor days," his first release for the def jux label, aesop ignores the mainstream and displays an unshakable confidence rarely seen in independent hip-hop. although a staccato, dadaist delivery is his trademark, subsequent listens reveal his storytelling gifts and rhyme structures to be thick with purpose. there's also a sensitivity only hinted at on "float," his first mass release. On "daylight," he informs, "life is not a bitch / life's a beautiful woman," while "no regrets" tells the life story of a woman who only communicated through her drawings until her death in a nursing home. surely, this is a fine example of hip-hop's formidable underground." - arno kazarian

tracklist:
labor 01
daylight 02
save yourself 03
flashflood 04
no regrets 05
one brick 06
the tugboat complex pt. 3 07
coma 08
battery 09
boombox 10
bent life 11
the yes and y'all 12
9-5ers anthem 13
shovel 14

your choice: get it easy/support the artist.

#136: float [2000]

"cd reissue of aesop rock's long out of print, second album and first major release, "float", which was originally released on mush records in 1999. float features appearances from slug [atmosphere], vast aire [cannibal ox], doseone [anticon]." - amazon

tracklist:
float 01
commencement at the obedience academy 02
big bang 03
garbage 04
i'll be ok 05
breakfast with blockhead 06
basic cable 07
fascination 08
oxygen 09
skip town 10
6b panorama 11
lunch with blockhead 12
spare a match 13
attention span (ft. vast aire) 14
how to be a carpenter 15
prosperity 16
no splash 17
drawbridge 18
dinner with blockhead 19
the mayor and the crook 20

your choice: get it easy/support the artist.