New Music: Boxguts & DJ Kryptonite - Feast of the Deities

It’s Wednesday again at UGF, and I’m excited to be talking about an album from one of my favorite East Coast acts. Boxguts starts out 2019 with a bang with Feast of the Deities, following up 2018's amazing collaboration with Carmine Moth (one of my favorite rappers right now) featuring production by Il Bruto as Canopic Jars.

Feast of the Deities is his first album with DJ Kryptonite, who’s old school take on production gives the album a decidedly East Coast minimalism, reminiscent of the earliest examples of horrorcore by Gravediggaz and Non Phixion. The production is perfect for Guts' (Guts’s?) style, some of the samples are kinda nice in a dreary way but when matched up with boom bap drums and grim, disgusting wordplay the whole presentation comes off as unsettling and eerie, like watching a b-movie horror flick about murderous clowns.

Boxguts' lyrics are undeniably off the wall and nasty, but his signature inventiveness gives them a value above "gross for the sake of gross" (the line "replace your tongue with an isopod" is a great example. For those unfamiliar with these crustaceans, a quick google search for "tongue isopod" will guarantee you never eat whole fish again). I often find myself laughing out loud while feeling a bit sick when I hear his work, but always in a good way.

Dude is extremely hard working, creative as hell, DIY to the death and a really awesome dude. He's probably the most friendly and humble of the artists I've had the pleasure of corresponding with, he never fails to send a personal note of thanks when I purchase an album and will put time and thought into discussions with fans. I think he deserves way more attention than he gets, his body of both visual and musical work speaks for itself.

Get Feast of the Deities from the man himself here, with the option to buy on CD or digital. In the case of Boxguts I always highly recommend the physical versions, his bonkers bad acid trip style artwork is a sight to behold. I actually own an original painting of his, which has graced my living room in two separate apartments. Check his site out here to take some time to admire his art, or even consider picking one up for yourself. You can support a hard working artist and unsettle any house guests who refuse to GTFO when requested.

See y’all Friday!

Black Mask - Free.P (2007) + Announcement

This week's upload is 2007's "Free.P" from the western mountain based collective, Black Mask. Black Mask is best known for being the crew headed up by Maulskull. The super producer/super rapper has collaborated with many indie acts from his native region (e.g. Rhyme Progression, Milogic, Eye Cue) and has also branched out and worked with larger names from the underground scene (e.g. Ceschi, Celph Titled, Snak The Ripper.) 

As far as I know, "Free.P" is Black Mask's first release. I got it off the collective's now defunct website back in the day, and not much info is out there about it (I'm not even sure about the track order as none of the songs have track numbers.) I'm also not even entirely sure who was in Black Mask at this point. Maulskull, Carnage, and INfluence were definitely in the mix. Nobe1 and Raph might have been in the mix too. The lineup has changed various times throughout the years so it's a bit hard to tell. 

What I can say, however, is that even in its early stages, Black Mask made some great music. Maulskull is still trying to find his production style on the project, but even so, the instrumentation is great - especially when things get fluffy and atmospheric. Nearly everyone in the crew can also rap well - lots of fun cadences and engaging content on here. Josh Martinez also stops by for a feature! 

Grab this jewel if you haven't already and also be sure to check out Maulskull's amazing "Unamazing Grace" album that he dropped late last year as well as AG Flux's (a Black Mask member who joined post "Free.P") "Accompanied By Solitude" and Alex Knox's (another Black Mask member who joined after "Free.P") "Who Goes There" albums, both of which dropped last year as well.

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And now for a small announcement of sorts. In honor of their turning ten, I have started to count down my Top 209 Favorite Hip Hop Projects of 2009 over on my RYM page. For each entry, I'll be dropping some brief thoughts on the given project, and for select entries, Dimxsk will be joining me! If this interests you at all, feel free to check out the countdown list HERE. 

Go V-Girl!

Sorry for the late post this week, we have been deliberating over what we wanted to share today. As many of you probably know already, Onry Ozzborn's young daughter Violet was diagnosed with cancer recently. Onry has reached out to his many fans and friends via a GoFundMe campaign, to ensure he and his family are taken care of during these uncertain times. We urge any of his fans who read this to contribute (if you haven't already). He may already have reached his goal but cancer can be unpredictable, and nobody deserves to wind up broke for trying to save a loved ones life.

Trylemma and I are huge fans of Onry's work. We feel that he is peerless in his sincerity, creativity and heart. His music is beautiful, and I can say personally that Vessel kept me going during difficult times.

Violet, we don't know each other personally, but UGF wishes you a quick recovery.

We'll be back on Friday with another fossil. Peace!

10 Cent Depozit - 5$ Limit (2003)

Happy Friday, and I hope everyone had a great week.  Today I thought I'd go with something hopefully not many out there are familiar with. 5$ Limit is the debut album from a group that hailed from Michigan called 10 Cent Depozit, a reference to the value of aluminum cans in MI (see picture). The group consisted of MC's James Gwoove, Skin Graf, Slyder, and Fritzo. I don't know much about the others but I do know that Fritzo's done a lot for the indie rap culture. You can hear his voice on a few projects, notably "Fritzo Drop" on Matre's Courage Mixtape, and a verse on "Staring Problem" from the Epedos (JKC) album Stories from the Hole in My Head. Here's a video of him talking about his tour project Bring it Back, which traveled with the late Van's Warped Tour:

So, all that being said, I find this groups work hella fun to listen to. It's very much DIY garage indie rap, with sample based hard ass beats, dope rhymes, blazing turntable work and a passion for music that shows through as an infectious energy. No idea where I got this album TBH, but I love it and hopefully you will also. Check it below:

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New Music: Sole - Destituent

Happy hump day! Hope the week has been going good for y'all and if not, know it's downhill from here. Our review this week is Sole's 7th solo studio album Destituent, which drops officially on the 20th but has already been released to those of us who preordered the album. It's not too late for some of the options, check it out here!

Or, if Bandcamp is more your thing you can find the same deals there, with the digital album dropping the 22nd.

The whole album, like most of his newer projects is entirely self produced, and was funded through his patreon. I'm one of his supporters, the monthly song is usually dope, and given the Podcasts and hands on approach from Sole (he's very responsive and chill) it's probably one of the better deals on Patreon out there, I recommend it for any serious fans.

Regarding this review I do want to state outright that, while these days separating Sole's politics from his music is like separating the stripes from a zebra, since this is a music blog I will stick to only the albums merit as a work of music. There are a lot of other places online that discuss the type of messages he conveys. That said, if you don't agree with Sole you probably will have a hard time enjoying this record. He's never been one to tone it down or soften his opinions to sell music, and I love that about him but do admit that for some this album may beat you over the head a bit more than you'd like.

Destituent is Sole's attempt at a new wave punk rap album, using samples from 80's era pop songs to create a sound that is cinematic, sounding like the background music to the type of movie I grew up wathcing. The dark tone of his content goes well with the distorted drums and eerie synths, although there is a catchy quality to these songs provided by his choice of samples that hasn't always been evident in his earlier work. It makes them more accessible than the stuff he put out with Anticon. It also offers a bit of light and hope to an otherwise very dark work.

Songs like Shipwreckers II and Measuring My Cage have interesting production, and Sole's lyrics have evolved over the years from rhyming, to not rhyming, to kinda rhyming to doing whatever he feels fits the song. In this case it gives his poetry a dreamlike quality, though not quite stream of consciousness. It sounds more natural this way, he's not trying too hard to be different, but at the same time he's not constrained by what others are doing.

I liked this album, but I've pretty much liked everything Sole's released going back to Northern Exposure. To sum it up for you guys, I think Destituent is a solid Sole album, with some better examples of his production and a mature sound. It's worth a listen for everyone, but especially if you like Sole you shouldn't be disappointed.

Below is the music video for the opening track, directed by kidDEAD. It sets the tone for the rest of the record.

Everybody Knows - Traveler Music Pt. 2 (2012)

Another Friday, another upload. Today's entry is Everybody Knows' "Traveler Music Pt. 2" from 2012.

Everybody Knows, now going by Eiji Kwan, is a busy and multifaceted man. The rapper hails from Hawaii so he has ties to the Lightsleepers crew. He's released projects with Grimm Image and LA2TheBay so he has connects with the Cali underground. He currently resides in Portland, OR and is part of the Proper Knocks collective. He raps, he sings, he directs, he's part of various groups (Feo Faces, 7th Deadly, Big Bang,) and he's of course best known for his decade+ of battling - freestyle and written. 

"Traveler Music Pt. 2" is a collection of 7 tracks that, with the exception of the opener "Armageddon" (which was uploaded to EK's Soundcloud,) was only available on the physical cd version of EK's 2012 album, "Alexander the Liar" (released via Grimm Image.) Since the CD is no longer being sold, we bring it to you now.

It's a shame that this was never released digitally. All 7 tracks are EK greatness - slightly off-kilter, laid back (though usually pretty technical) rhymes over a multitude of instrumental styles. Features include Nabahe, Cease2Exist, K-The-I???, and Tommy V. I'm not exactly sure if "Traveler Music Pt. 1" actually exists - I for one have never heard or seen it. If anyone has, drop a line below. 

Enjoy the weekend! We've got some news coming next week regarding a small project we've been working on!

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New Music: Jason the Argonaut - Surface Sounds

This week's new music spotlight is on Disflex6's very own cali OG Jason the Argonaut and his new beat tape, "Surface Sounds."

The Argonaut is a fine rapper, but he truly excels at production, especially of late. The man's spacey, drawn out "Headspace" beat tape (done under the name Autohyme) was one of my favorite instrumental projects of 2018.

Unlike "Headspace," "Surface Sounds" takes a more traditional approach to Hip Hop beat taping - lo-fi, dusty sample, head-nod ready beats. Though where many a beatmaker might eventually put the listener to sleep, the Argonaut succeeds, for the most part, in keeping things interesting the whole way through, which is impressive as this thing is 29 tracks long! There's lots of groovy sounds on this and the Argonaut almost always knows how to make the most of the beat and move on before things get stale.

"Surface Sounds" is free to download on Jason the Argonaut's Bandcamp and is available to purchase on cassette there as well.

Drunken Immortals - Live (2002)

Happy February! This marks the end of the first month of UGF, we hope you’ve enjoyed being a part of it so far, and that you know we appreciate any and all support. So with that...

It's another Friday at Underground Fossils! This week we're excited to bring you "Live" by Arizona hip hop band Drunken Immortals. I can personally say I sought this album out for years before Trylemma hooked me up. It seemed like nobody had it, and I know others were looking for it on blogs and forums all over the place.

So "Live" is not a live album per se, but contains mostly original tracks and some alternate versions of songs found on the Drunken Poetry EP and Soul Revolution albums. It is probably one of my favorite releases from Brad B; the songs are deep, intelligent and dope as hell. The beats and musicianship really prove the amazing talent this group has at creating evocative soundscapes to elevate the consciousness over.

This rip is not ours, and has no tags to let us know who's behind it, but it is high bitrate and sounds great so props to whoever. Enjoy!

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