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"Obey the Triangle" - The Bermuda Triangle
Posted by Justin Boland on Oct 01, 2013 | 0 Comments
Cove is a tirelessly prolific producer / force of nature from Buffalo, NY. I have known him for years and he’s been an inspiration because he has never slowed down, given up, or even complained: he just keeps building. The Essential Vitamins Crew is a rotating cast of creative cats, and this latest iteration has Mic Excel, Dr. Ooo, and Mario Bee trading rhymes over Cove’s beats and some scratches from someone with the good sense to name himself DJ Your Moms. No sarcasm: that is fucking fantastic. His scratches are also a genuine contribution to the music and a welcome break from the usual traditionalist “turntablism” templates.
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"80z Babiez To The 2Gz" - The Black OpEra
Posted by Justin Boland on Sep 26, 2013 | 0 Comments
We’ve been digging everything this crew has released since they showed up on the scene. They make it pretty easy to be a fan, and this latest relase just ups the ante. This is an “all 90’s” mixtape, but it’s lightyears beyond a mere tribute — this is a feverishly creative album and they make every track their own.
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"Local Nobodies" - Mathien & Sulaiman
Posted by Justin Boland on Sep 25, 2013 | 0 Comments
Here at Audible Hype, we’ve been fans of Mathien since he was doing house parties in Carbondale, but I didn’t discover Sulaiman until I moved to Chicago. This is a project from 2011, but it remains in rotation to this day because it is dope. For reasons unknown to modern science, it also 100% free. I have been recommending this for years now and nobody has been disappointed yet…
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"The Quiet Life" - Fresh Daily
Posted by Justin Boland on Sep 23, 2013 | 0 Comments
We’ve interviewed Brooklyn’s Fresh Daily before — at which time I described him as “creative, complex and blessed with a bulletproof flow.” That hasn’t changed. Today we’re spotlighting a two year old project of his which aged nicely and came back into rotation on a Sunday afternoon: “The Quiet Life” is a cohesive and pitch perfect slice of thoughtful rap music.
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"Quality > Quantity" - Blind I For The Kids
Posted by Justin Boland on Sep 20, 2013 | 0 Comments
The exquisitely tasty blog Blind I for the Kids has recently re-launched and this exquisitely tasty compilation is a free release to celebrate. There are 24 tracks here and they’re all exclusives. This is a damn impressive piece of work and I will have this on repeat all weekend.
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"exit,us." - Sene
Posted by Justin Boland on Sep 19, 2013 | 0 Comments
Sene’s entire catalog is worth checking out, but this…this is something special. Built over a bed of live classical instrumentation and clocking in at over ten minutes, adjectives like “experimental” or “ambitious” don’t really do this song justice. The writing and delivery are tightly wound, spanning human history and blurring the line between the personal and the Universal. This is a flawless gem.
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"Half Measures" - Armand Hammer
Posted by Justin Boland on Sep 18, 2013 | 0 Comments
Backwoodz Studios keeps it moving. This latest release is one of the most interesting MC combinations of the year: Euclid, the minimalist poet, and Billy Woods, one of New York’s most densely lyrical rappers. The beats are even more impressive, drawing off NY underground veterans like Blockhead and fresh new producers like Steel Tipped Dove. They also had the good sense to feature Curly Castro on two songs: clearly, this is top shelf product. Get some.
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"Splendid" - PremRock & Talpas
Posted by Justin Boland on Sep 16, 2013 | 0 Comments
One big advantage of regularly touring Europe is that you get access to all kinds of local talent that the United States is sleeping on. A prime example would be Talpas, an MPC-worshipping producer from the Czech Republic. This collaboration with New York emcee PremRock is a damn tasty slice of boom bap.
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"Mark's Wild Years" - PremRock
Posted by Justin Boland on Sep 13, 2013 | 0 Comments
Not too many rappers in this crazy world are dedicating albums to the legacy of Tom Waits. PremRock’s latest project manages to balance between sprawling and cohesive, painting a dozen memorable stories over productions from Willie Green, Steel Tipped Dove and Zilla Rocca. As Dr. Quandary put it: “This album is amazing. That is all.”
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"Freedom" - MaG
Posted by Justin Boland on Sep 12, 2013 | 0 Comments
This was released in January, but I still come back to it often. MaG is an artist who has grown a lot over the past few years — and where he’s at now is honest, compelling and pretty damn funky, too. He’s got intricate bars, an adventurous flow and a hell of a lot to say. Freedom is highly recommended.
