Underground Fossils was an indie rap focused blog run by myself (Dimxsk) and by Trylemma, who passed August 3rd, 2024 from liver failure of unknown origin at the age of 34. We mostly posted week or twice weekly, the bulk of which were rare rips we made, found on old blogs, he acquired through his insanely broad connection to the scene, etc. We did all we could to make sure we didn't post stuff that (1) You could still reasonably buy from the artist directly, (2) You could reasonably buy secondhand for cheap, (3) You could download easily elsewhere, (4) The artist(s) asked us not to for any reason.
Being involved in this blog was some of the most fun I ever had, even if at times it was time consuming, challenging or intimidating (having a readership). It was the product of one of the best friendships I've ever had. If I could say one last thing, it's to encourage all of you: if you have the time and desire, make your own UGF. Find a friend who loves this shit like you do and build it together. It will bring you incredible joy, enhance your connection to this amazing community, and change your life in unexpected and exciting ways. I know it did mine. Love you all!
Hey guys, had a bit of trouble coming up with something to post for today, and then with a brilliant flash of light this appeared (okay actually one of y'all hooked it up, and for the life of me I can't remember who but thanks!). From Outta Nowhere is the first release from South Bay Area group Third Sight, those guys who did "Smegma in D Minor" among other frankly amazing songs.
From Outta Nowhere is a very short but very sweet little project. It contains three otherwise unreleased tracks from the group and one song "Gunshot Victim" that is featured on their awesome Orchids & Corpses compilation (get that one now please).
For fans of that gritty San Jose experimental and intelligent with a heaping dose of legitimacy and swagger style. Dave Dub, Haez One, Joe Cutter, Matt Gamin etc. This is to my knowledge one of the earliest examples of this truly unique style of West Coast hip hop.
Hey guys, welcome back to UGF's album review day. So for this post I'm gonna have to actually keep it brief this time as, not only have I not had a chance to give this one a listen yet but considering it's a whopping 38 tracks I know I won't have time. I do however want to promote this as I have a ton of respect for this crew and I think many of you will be as excited to sample this as I was.
Hecatomb is, as you probably know already, the Midwestern crew of emcees, Dj's and producers that serves as a sort of home base for people like Carnage the Executioner, Capaciti, Concentr8 and also people who's names start with other letters like Desdamona, and the various incarnations of said folks (earlybirds., NEMNOCH, etc.) In these uncertain times it's one of the best ways to listen to that Minnesota sound we all probably grew up on while not having to feel guilty about supporting people with seriously questionable values and morality. I happen to know both Carnage and Capaciti are great folks from my few chances to correspond with them, and I truly believe that they would be unlikely to throw their support behind anyone who would, say, laugh at a sex worker for having the gall to complain about being put in the hospital.
This release is a long time coming. Following the fantastic First Blood compilation back in 2012 I knew would take something special. Hecatomb has a very unique sound that I think can best be summed up as the perfect balance between grit and positivity. There's always something for everyone on these albums, and it seems from this track listing that they've more than delivered. Not only do we have some previously released yet newer material from those folks listed above (as well as some brand new jams) but Hecatomb has expanded it's reach a bit beyond the Twin Cities with Ohio Industrial protest rap rising stars Guerrilla Ghost, and the indie rap veteran emcee Taiyamo Denku, who I haven't really delved much into but seems to be well received by most of us.
So not only does this release offer up some serious heat from the ones we all know and love, it seems like a good place to go to discover some new voices in the industry. And as if that wasn't enough, it's free / pay what you will. I would say if you can go ahead and show these guys some support with the moneys, or maybe just wait until next year when the official Hecatomb crew album is slated to drop!
Pick up Hecatomb Cometh: New Blood, for free or $1,000,000.00 or maybe even something in between right over hur.
That's it for today friends. Stay safe and possibly send some good thoughts to those of us throughout the country battling some seriously inconvenient natural disasters, because a plague, an aspiring dictator and racist killings really isn't enough to make 2020 memorable in all the wrong ways.
Today's post is an obscure one - if anyone has any further info on it, drop it in the comments!
Granola Funk Express is a live-based Hip Hop group originally from North Carolina, whose members include, amongst others, Foul Mouth Jerk, Adam Strange, Agent 21, and Josh Blake. The group released various albums throughout the 2000s, but I can't seem to find much info on this release, "God Force Energy" (a name that mirrors "Granola Funk Express" in initials.) The rip itself is an old CMS scene release. According to it, the project was a vinyl release from 2001. If this is correct, it would predate most of their releases aside from the 1999 "The Good Life."
Anyhow, the 5 track release is pretty fun if you enjoy the band-y sound! Check it out below and let me know if you can tell me anything else about the release!
For those not keeping up, Ruin Your Day is battle rap videographer Avocado's brand and "RYD Radio" is a series of projects that collects and compiles tracks from various battle rappers. The first three entries have all been great and this past Monday, Avocado blessed us with Volume 4!
The idea that battle rappers can't make good music is one that surely should have died long long ago, but this current era really puts things to rest. As Ruin Your Day is LA based, the project is heavily West Coast in features - Geechi Gotti, Illmac, and Esem all have various verses throughout - but several key out-of-coasters also make appearances as well (e.g. Hollow Da Don, Ryda, Bill Collector, Madness.) The styles are also expansive here, but nearly unanimously top notch all the way through. Enjoy the punch-line heavy aggressive "Gangsta" from Bigg K, the introspective breezy "PDBM" from Eddy I and Baby Franco, and the progressive cultural critique of "Change" from B Dot all in one sitting.
The production is very clean, slappy, and current. I'm not entirely sure of the production line up, but I'm guessing Chase Moore had a large hand throughout.
Hey y'all. So today we have something truly out there from psychedelic weirdo and fast rapping New Cocoon-er Lxor, best known for his DMT and spirituality laden releases on that aforementioned label. Open Mic Galactic Nights 07 is a freestyle collection of his available briefly on Bandcamp but removed for some reason, and so it fits our requirements for a fossil.
This is actually a great release if only for the fact that it highlights the NWerner's chops as simply a dope rapper. While his official releases usually contain a lot of chanting, obscure references and odd noises, here Lxor is just basically rapping like a mad man over some accessible production, and very competently I might add. Includes contributions from Slew(age), a great rapper and producer in his own right, and Lil Jay and CNI, who I know nothing about.
Before I offer the link to download this, consider throwing down some cash on his official albums over here , they're completely unlike anything else out there, trust me.
For today we have two new singles from the Denver legends Time and Awareness as Calm., with a period at the end (very important). I got an email from Time himself just in "time" for my Tuesday post, and knowing what an overall decent dude and hardworking artist he is (along with his labelmates as the Dirty Laboratory) I felt the need to share about it. Awesomely enough the first single "To Live and Die in Dystopia" also features Myka 9, so there's a lot to be excited about here. By now I expect you've already watched the video above, so you've heard that first song. Here's what I think about it.
PART 1: To Live in Die and Dystopia feat. Niko Is & Myka 9:
To sum it up, this song is about paranoia, and how the modern world fosters it on a daily basis. Also, is it paranoid when you might be right? We've allowed it to get to the point where virtually every schizophrenic delusion can now exist, from the Air Loom to microchips in our bodies. Disgusting and disturbing, and there are few rappers more equipped to speak on these topics than Time. Over an eerie and chilling piano driven beat, the three rappers each spit a verse, given room to breath by vocal samples that do nothing to alter the songs thoroughly dark and disturbing disposition.
The big surprise here is Niko Is. Damn this guy kills it right? Not to mention a weird and totally unexpected Rush reference, which you might or might not have caught (I happen to listen to classic rock all day at work these days, because it's that or Top 40 and I swear Lewis Capaladi or whatever his name is may be my least favorite person in history right now). Great voice (were back to Niko now, not Lewis), interesting style with a seriously rugged delivery. I've never heard anything from this dude before, but I'm definitely gonna be looking into his work from here. Time takes up the torch immediately following, and it may be one of his most brutally executed verses yet. My personal favorite line: "The right brothers made planes the wrong brothers made drones", but there's a lot to love here. An instant classic verse by Myka closes the song, full of his quirky and strange delivery with a deep rumbling voice. No one does stream of consciousness quite like Myka, and his contribution is like a poem written by a crashing computer. Unsettling and dope as hell.
It's not available for download publicly, but I have it on good authority that if you go here, contact Time and ask nicely you can get either MP3's or WAV's. He's also a great dude overall so it's worth making that connection. Also while you're there check out his extensive catalogue of music, he's very unique, creative and woke. In the wake of all these guys turning out to be worse than we could hope, he truly strikes me as one of the good ones so support with confidence.
PART 2: Learn to Die:
I have to say on first listen I wasn't as instantly impressed with this one as with the first single. On my second listen I'm getting a bit more out of it. Basically it's a song about, ironically, learning to live. Time discusses his usual topics, poverty, depression and disillusionment and how we can continue to be good in a world where we sometimes feel like we can't escape these things. The beat is fairly good, Awareness has done some interesting things with the drums and the sample is beautiful and somber. Overall though I have to say the whole thing seems just a bit rushed. It would make a good interlude stye track on a full length or EP, but released as a single it seems to be missing something. Not that any part of it isn't good necessarily, it just doesn't stand on it's own very well. Maybe in the future there'll be a third verse to tie everything together, or a hook? Either way, not a bad offering for free streaming or download (maybe, see above).
That's it for today, thanks for reading! A quick note, I know I said a few weeks ago I wanted to promote more music from minority rappers, which sometimes doesn't happen as much as it should on the indie rap web, and then I went and did three posts in a row (well, Object Beings having Doseone maybe counts, I dunno) promoting Caucasian rappers. I have an idea for a Friday post that should get things back on track though. Just know I haven't forgotten what I said, or what's been happening in America for a few months now.
Going to the West Coast once again with today's upload - 2000 Crows' "The Danger Room" from 2011.
2000 Crows is a Good Life/Blowed offshoot collective, perhaps best known for being related to the great Zagu Brown. Other members have included Foe Teen, Black Silver, and Nairb. The group's best known release is probably 2002's "Tha Moment They Feared," but the banner has also dropped various lower key projects since, including "The Danger Room."
I don't know too much about the release, though it seems to be billed as a mixtape and fronted by Foe Teen. The sound is very hardcore Cali and features tracks from Foe Teen, Panama Red, Black Silver, Aktion, Faxx, Gizmoe, and others.
Aside from Ngafsh's latest terrific project, a couple other Blowedians have blessed us recently with new albums.
First is OG Volume 10's new one, "Brain Damage." The Pistolgrip Pump king has been releasing weird compilations over the past couple of years, but this one, put out by The Order Label and Alpha Pup, is his first real proper album release in well over a decade. The album is interlaced with mock-interview interludes which do get a bit tedious, but the album's meat and potatoes are more than worth a listen, with Volume 10's energy and presence on the mic being as strong as ever.
We also recently got a surprise drop from AllCityJimmy, formerly known as Nocando (aka my favorite rapper) - "DRFTR." The 7 track project technically consists of tracks that got cut from an upcoming release, but there's really no filler to be found here. Name change or not, Jimmy's newfound dark and moody song-writing and delivery is really top notch. The standout track is easily "Mobbin" where Jimmy connects with the older Blowed vets and delivers a killer posse cut alongside Rifleman, Mister CR, and Myka 9.
Peep Volume 10's Brain Damage HERE and peep AllCityJimmy's "DRFTR" HERE.
