September’s guide to the best new hip-hop releases to grace Bandcamp takes on a globe-trotting vibe, as we highlight a Brazilian MC’s tropicalia-influenced debut, a Canadian producer’s deeply melancholy instrumentals, and an Oakland-based MC’s foray into ancient Egypt. We also hail the return of an elusive ‘90a independent rap champion.
Casual
Fights Over Egypt
Casual’s latest longplayer was inspired by a series of debates the Oakland-based MC and Hieroglyphics member had about ancient Egypt while researching and writing his recent book, Black Like Osiris. On the mellow boogie-inflected title track, Casual recalls going back and forth with an Egyptologist PhD. scholar, before diving into the dynamics involved in accurately sourcing hisory. Later, on the eerie “Bombs Over Gaza,” the MC to rattles off a checklist of warmongering ills, lamenting: “Military tours—we endured ‘em for centuries.” Underscored by funk-heavy production provided by DJ Toure, Kash Martin, and Casual himself, Fights Over Egypt is a smart and thought-provoking throwback to hip-hop’s “edutainment” era.
Eligh x ES.CE
Hello Youth
“Roundhouses delousing my karma/ Shaking loose the past, I came here to win/ My turn to ride, let me take a spin/ I never let my ego keep me from a grin,” raps veteran Living Legends MC Eligh on the title track to his latest full-length—a collaboration with producer ES.CE. Flowing breezily over a backdrop of guitar- and horn-driven boom-bap, Eligh’s grounded lyrics establish a template that’s upheld across the album’s ten tracks, the MC espousing a humble but optimistic worldview. Enhancing Eligh’s observations, Tha God Fahim and Guilty Simpson reflect on surviving hard times on “Work”; Blu and Abstract Rude channel superhero imagery on the crunching “Superman Down”; and Del The Funky Homosapien brings lyrical teeth to the MC-eviscerating “Flames In The Greenhouse.”
Factor Chandelier
Cold, Cold World
Vinyl LP, Hat
Saskatoon producer Factor Chandelier’s Cold, Cold World is an instrumental lament, dripping with musical melancholy. After dispensing with ambient opener “The Hail,” the 10-song album reveals its pained tone with the longing “Don’t Leave Too Soon,” which gives way to “Dancing On My Neck,” a modern electro ballad. Across the album, live instrumentation from Gregory Pepper and Emmett Glancie temper and soothe the snap of Chandelier’s electronic-influenced drum work, while a vocal support comes courtesy of the Codefendants, who bless the pillowy bass-helmed “Without A Trace,” and West Coast word wizard Myka 9, who brings his melodious gravitas to the chugging “Size.”
Godfather Don
Thesis
Thesis heralds the return of elusive underground legend Godfather Don, an MC famous for collaborating with rap maverick Kool Keith as the Cenobites back in the vital stages of the ‘90s independent rap revolution. Clocking in at 16 tracks,Thesis showcases Don’s sharp lyrics over self-produced musical backdrops that combine taut drum patterns with drama-packed stabs of keys and brass. “Flip dreams into nightmare scenarios/ 32 bars, no hype, just a burial/ Yeah, I’m a heavy dude, cut like a machete/ Through a hack on a track for a stack—you already knew!” Don spits with grand panache over the subtle strings that waver throughout “Steps.” Bonus instrumental versions of all songs are included with the package, highlighted by album closer “Checkmate,” which pairs a classic, dusty drum break with foreboding piano.
Grand Choice Records & Friends
Life Beyond Bars
Life Beyond Bars is a 10-track compilation designed to bring attention to the case of Marcellus Williams, a Missouri inmate who has spent over two decades of his life on death row on a first-degree murder charge—despite mounting DNA evidence that could prove his innocence. (At the time of writing, Williams’s fate will be decided on September 24.) Released on the Massachusetts-based Grand Choice Records, the collection opens with Sealey imploring people to choose light and life over hatred and death against a backdrop of elegiac saxophone; on the mid-album “Missouri Goddamn,” The Professor and Hunter Wood rail against the state and lament “the uncelebrated birthdays, the unattended graduations, the untoasted achievements” of those whose freedom has been unjustly taken from them. Released in partnership with the Innocence Project, all proceeds from the album will go towards helping the cases of wrongly convicted persons across the United States.
The Hell Hole Store
H. E. Double Hockey Sticks
T-Shirt/Shirt, , Vinyl LP
The Hell Hole Store brings together the gleefully oddball talents of Philadelphia-based MCs and producers ialive and Darko The Super. “I got the Midas touch/ I wanna self-combust/ Where’s the love?/ Didn’t the Black Eyed Peas ask that?/ Where’s the trust?/ Is it BMI or ASCAP?/ Maybe I’m past rap/ Gonna be a magician with nuggets of wisdom/ I’ve gone fishing,” raps Darko over the early-‘80s pomp of “Change The Beat (AGAIN),” setting in motion the surrealist trains of thought that run throughout the 10-song escapade. Ending the album on an existential note, tender closer “Wonderful World” spotlights the two artists grappling with mortality and the meaning of life over a wobbly guitar slurry courtesy of guest producer Joseph Hughs.
Laiz & The New Love Experience
Ela Partiu
2 x Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
Ela Partiu relays the globe-trotting life experiences of Brazilian rapper Laiz, who left her home in São Paulo at age 14 before settling in Germany after a stint in the United States. Rapping in Portuguese, and blessed with a honeyed lilt, the host MC deftly navigates a series of busy backdrops that nod to samba and tropicalia—a blend exemplified by the undulating nine-minute “Trimegistus,” which adds the syncopated percussive touch of Ghanaian instrumentalist Eric Owusu. For a funk-forward entryway into the Ela Partiu experience, head straight to “Jongo,” where Laiz and Sudanese spitter Zeyo Mann trade fiery bars over upbeat, squelchy bass and swooping horns.
Lt Headtrip X Bloodmoney Perez
EMBLEMS
Cassette
Released on WATKK, EMBLEMS is a psychedelic art rap expedition that brings together the politicized verses of MC Lt Headtrip with the industrial-edged work of producer Bloodmoney Perez. “‘Social constructs/ Post-modern apocalypse/ The dissolution of knowledge due to group self-consciousness/ Curious how you most esteemed philosophers are all misogynists/ “Human nature’s an oxymoron,’ says the crusading anthropologist,” Lt Headtrip raps on the album’s title track over intense production featuring the operatic wail of singer Christina Peace. Flipping between political barbs and existential wanderlust, EMBLEMS prospers as a potent portal into the world of an uncompromising MC.
METALFLOWERZ
METALFLOWERZ VOLUME I (THE TIME SHE FACED DOOM)
Compact Disc (CD), Vinyl LP, Cassette
METALFLOWERZ VOLUME I (THE TIME SHE FACED DOOM) spotlights the beat-making abilities of Walasia Noor Shabazz, a seasoned industry figure and self-styled sample librarian whose experience includes assisting MF DOOM and MF GRIMM at crucial points in their careers. Mirroring the introduction of DOOM’s iconic Operation: Doomsday, METALFLOWERZ opens with the Wild Style-inspired “LADY PINK,” where vocal samples from the vintage graffiti flick are paired with a graceful piano loop, before a fizzy ambience brings the cut to a close. Deep crate digging is on display throughout the album, with “GRANDMADAME FLOWERZ” hooked on a hypnotic loop; “ALLAT” shifting from a dub-tinged sludge bass to a crusty drum workout; and “DJ JAZZY JOYCE” strutting with ’70s funk-rock flair. Thrifty MCs take note: The project comes complete with a curt disclaimer: “Please do not ever rap on my beats.”
peace586 & Taelor Gray
Let The Church Say Amen
Vinyl LP
Billed as a collection of rapped sermons and psalms, Let The Church Say Amen pairs the spiritually-rooted verses of Columbus MC and pastor Taelor Gray with the robust boom-bap gospel of Honolulu beat merchant peace586. “Yeah I’m O.G., I’m the legend, I’m the big bro/ That balances the wisdom when you walking on this slim rope,” Gray raps over the craggy kicks and snares that power opener “Better Days.” High points on this concept album include “Golden Gate,” which revisits Biblical origin theories while throwing jabs at Kanye; “Fear,” which co-stars the high-strung MC Datin and digs into the psychology of angst and terror; and the slinky, syncopated “Signs,” which weaves in social commentary about unions, climate change, and the evils of Disney.
