Bend But Don’t Break

Greenhouse is a group that has experienced a lot of change. Originally known as Greenhouse Effect, the group broke onto the scene in 1999 out of Columbus, Ohio with the Up To Speed EP. The group consisted of Blueprint, Manifest, and Inkwel, but Blueprint was no doubt the most prolific of the group. He founded Weightless Recordings, was a seasoned producer, and came in second in the 2000 Scribble Jam freestyle competition. Also signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment and in the group Soul Position with RJD2, Blueprint has released a ton of material. Greenhouse Effect went on to release two more albums, Life Sentences and Columbus or Bust before the group was disbanded; their final album was released in 2005. Instead of letting the group die completely, Blueprint recruited his label mate Illogic to reform the group as Greenhouse.

Illogic has been a factor in the indie rap game since 1999 when he released his debut album Unforeseen Shadows on the Weightless Recordings label; the album was produced entirely by Blueprint. Illogic went on to put out a lot more albums, his most recent being Capture the Sun which was entirely produced by Blockhead.

Once Blueprint and Illogic formed as Greenhouse, the group released Electric Purgatory Part 1 in 2009 and Electric Purgatory Part 2 in 2010. They went on to release their official debut Bend But Don’t Break in 2013. The duo compliments each other perfectly and Blueprint’s heavily synthesized beats are the perfect backdrop for the album. Full of songs about government corporation, the preposterous state of mainstream rap, and the troubles of living in the modern age, the two use their razor-sharp wit and lyrics to dissect many aspects of life. Blueprint and Illogic have both been known for deep, conscious, poetic raps, and this album is no different. Sometimes the lyrics are so abstract that they are hard to digest, but listening with a close ear is a rewarding experience. They both rap with a chip on their shoulder, evidently frustrated with the current state of the world.

It isn’t all pessimistic raps though, and Blueprint makes sure to produce some more uptempo tracks to keep the album even. The production varies from classic boombap, to jazzy basslines, to heavy synthesized beats. Check some of the standout tracks below.

Cop the album here Digital CD

A.T.U.

I felt like doing a throwback post today. I have touched on the Project Blowed collective in my Freestyle Fellowship post. Project Blowed is an open mic workshop based in Leimert Park in Southern California and is known for breeding some of the most skilled lyricists in hip hop. It was founded in the early 90’s and was spawned out of the Good Life Cafe, which was a health food cafe that held open mic workshops every Thursday. Serving as an outlet for young teens in the area, it taught the youth about healthy food choices while providing a platform for their creativity.

There were a handful of rules for the open mic workshop but the most interesting was there was no swearing allowed. This forced the emcees to be more creative and helped them evolve as world renowned lyricists; the emcees that came from Project Blowed and the Good Life always put substance, style, and creativity as the most important aspects of their art.

The Good Life Cafe gave starts to many notable hip hop acts like Jurassic 5, Volume 10, and Freestyle Fellowship. The Good Life started to garner national attention and even attracted the likes of mainstream artists such as Ice Cube, Kurupt, Snoop Dogg,  and Fat Joe. The group I’d like to focus on today is A.T.U. (Abstract Tribe Unique).

Spearheaded by a young, dreaded emcee by the name of Abstract Rude, the group also incorporated live dance interpretations by Tribe Unique, and were backed by the innovative production of Fat Jack. After twenty years strong in the rap game, they have released a ton of material and continue to be an innovative force in the underground scene. Noted for their psychedelic and spaced out music and dance interpretations, coupled with Abstract Rude’s soulful and skillful raps, the group gained steam in the alternative rap game; Abstract Rude was even signed to Grand Royal by Mike D of the Beastie Boys in the early 90’s.

Fat Jack provided rich landscapes for Ab Rude to weave soulful tales of family life, government corporation, the troubles and tribulations of life as a ghetto youth in South Central LA, and just straight up battle raps. The group is known for mellow songs as well as hard hitting raps.

Their first release, Underground Fossils, was a short, tripped out album filled with tales of the danger of slow traffic lights, life as a dreadlock, battle raps, and spacey instrumentals from Fat Jack. Their sophomore effort, Mood Pieces, further expanded on this format and is an incredibly cohesive album filled with cinematic music and great raps from Ab Rude. Their next release, South Central Thynk Tank, is another beautifully crafted album and further cemented their place in the hip hop scene. The group released two more albums, 2001’s P.A.I.N.T. and 2003’s Showtyme. Additionally, Fat Jack and Abstract Rude have also released multiple solo albums since they burst onto the scene out of the Good Life. The versatility of the group is undeniable and they continue to make their imprint felt. Although there are hundreds of songs from this group, check some of my favorites below.

I wish I could post all of the group’s songs but I feel as if I should stop here. Please believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg of the great material this group has put out. Cop the albums here ATU

J57

I thought I’d run with the last post and expound on J57. As mentioned in the previous post, J57 is from the Brooklyn based group Brown Bag AllStars. A team of great emcees and producers like Koncept and Audible Doctor, the group has released some good material; J57’s last two albums, which were techinically EPs, were stellar. The 2057 EP released in 2012 saw the producer working with many noteworthy artists like Action Bronson, Maffew Ragazino, and Chuuwee. On the Wax Aesthetic EP, released last month for free, J57 decided to showcase his rapping skills over other producers’ beats. The Brown Bag AllStars and Dirty Science crews have been putting out a lot of combined material and this EP is no different. J57 can hold his own on the mic and the album has production from Exile and features from Denmark Vessey, Co$$, and Johaz. Check out some of the great tracks spanning the two projects and be on the lookout for both crews.

Cop the albums here Wax Aesthetic 2057