Royal-T - Weirdo Music For Elitist Aliens (2004)

It’s a bit bittersweet to be sharing this album for me. Royal-T (R.I.P.) is one of the many great musicians who was taken too soon in the last few years, and I really want this post to be especially about celebrating his legacy. I feel that putting his early work out there (work that was in my experience incredibly difficult to locate) might help to cement how amazing this guy was.

Hailing from Thunder Bay, ON Canada, Royal-T was one of the founding members of Deepcave Records probably best known for their 2009 eponymous album with Factor. The crew consists of emcees like Big Bear, 40oz, Nevamind, Lev, Webster Death as well as many different collaborations between them like Filthy Animals and The Yesmen. Royal-T himself collaborated with well known producers like The Dirty Sample and DJ Kutdown, but he always seemed at home and in his element working with whomever behind the boards.

The Deepcave Crew and Royal-T were great at putting out hard hitting tracks over dope production, with technical skill and a sense of humor. Royal-T himself had a rapid fire technique that always made for impressive and enjoyable listening. Weirdo Music For Elitist Aliens was his first official solo album, and is a long and expansive look at his early days. The styles are numerous, the production is usually good although a few songs can be pretty out there. The liner notes indicate this album was never really mastered to his satisfaction, and he promised the next full length would be better. I really think this work is an example of all that I like about indie rap. He's having a good time, making stuff that mostly hits, sometimes misses, but is all his own no matter what.

I was personally shocked to hear of his passing, and as unlikely as it may be if any who knew him end up reading this I hope you take this post as a sign of my deep respect and admiration for the man's talent, and that you know how much I enjoyed his work.

Download

A ton of Deepcave material and videos can be found here. These guys didn't seem to care about giving stuff away for free, as far as I can tell most of their albums were shared at some point. Many of the older links have been removed, but last I checked some of the more recent postings still function. Check it out!

Oh, and I'd really love to get my hands on the first and third Yesmen albums, if anyone wants to share them you'd get an official thank you from UGF and my personal gratitude. See you guys next week!