Gutterfly

To me, this is a modern day west coast classic. Everybody knows of the dreaded sophomore slump but with this release, the Lifesavas made sure not to fall victim to that. Although their debut Spirit in Stone released on Quannum Projects in 2003 was a solid hip hop album, Gutterfly pushed the boundaries much further and is an enjoyable and cohesive listen all the way through.

Lifesavas are comprised of emcee Vursatyl, emcee/producer Jumbo and DJ Rev Shines. Hailing from Portland, OR they are a solid group reminiscent of 90’s hip hop. They have been described as Blackalicious 2.0, which is a fair comparison since they are signed to the same label and are featured on each other’s work frequently. Lifesavas are conscious hip hop at its best and on Gutterfly they mix hard raps, soulful songs, political and government topics, as well as just feel good hip hop songs.

Their debut was a very solid album but it seemed to be more of a demonstration of their skills and styles than a complete album. With Gutterfly, they really upped the ante with a great concept album. Based off the 80’s blaxploitation film of the same name, they call this album the original soundtrack of the movie. It’s filled with samples from the movie and the album tells a story from beginning to end; they even created alter egos for each member as players in the film. The music itself is varied and the album has introspective songs, experimental beats, and deep lyrics about betrayal, corrupt cops, and rising up against tyranny. Since the release of the album in 2007 the Lifesavas have been extremely quiet although they keep promising they’re working on a new album. Until that is actually released, check out some of the tracks from the album and make sure to pick up both of their releases; if you like quality hip hop you won’t be disappointed. Unfortunately I couldn’t find my three favorite tracks online, The Warning, Superburn, and Untitled.

Cop the album here CD Digital

 

Rubber Souls

Tanya Morgan is a group with interesting origins. Originally consisting of Cincinnati emcees Donwil and Ilyas and Brooklyn emcee/producer Von Pea, the group formed over the okayplayer.com message boards. Each artist had already been involved in music and once the chemistry between the three was evident, they decided to collaborate on a group project.

Since they lived in different places, the recordings for their first album were exchanged online through instant messaging. The group chose Tanya Morgan as their name in hopes that people would be tricked into listening because they thought it was an old soul singer. They released their debut album Moonlighting in 2006 to widespread acclaim. After receiving praise from the likes of ?uestlove and magazines like Billboard and Spin, they decided to keep the name Tanya Morgan and continue working together. They released their second album Brooklynati in 2009 which was another success and allowed them to reach a wider audience. They have been described as the sons of De La Soul, and they make infectious, conscious hip hop.

Ilyas ended up leaving the group in 2011 to focus on his solo career and video producing. That left Downwil and Von Pea to carry the torch and in my opinion, they released their most impressive album yet in 2013; that album was Rubber Souls. The album was completely produced by 6th sense and included a lot of live instrumentation. It was also the first album that the group recorded together instead of over the internet, and the result is a very cohesive listening experience. Filled with conscious lyrics, funky and soulful instrumentation and classic hip hop beats, it is a solid album front to back. Check out some of my favorite tracks below.

Cop the album here CD Digital

Sleeze Rap

I hope I don’t bore anyone by making another west coast, Blunt Boogie Records post but there’s an excellent new project from the camp I want to promote. That album is Sleeze Rap by Mista Melo and Scumbag SaV!, it was released in December of last year.

In the same vein as Up From The Desert, it’s another solid album dripping in west coast funk. The production is handled by a variety of artists like DJ Muggs, Animoss of Arch Druids, and Mista Melo himself. The tracks are mostly stellar but there’s a couple trap type beats I wasn’t feeling much. Overall it’s a laid back, moody and chilled out album with heavy bass and smooth vocal and horn samples.

The emcees do their thing over the beats. Boasting about their graff and rap skills, glorifying drugs, and pipin beautiful LA women is all fair game on the record and it lends to the concept of sleeze rap perfectly; the duo claim to be the originators of sleeze rap.

This mixtape is a precursor to a full length debut from the duo. The album is called Golden Harvest and is slated for a spring/summer release. In the meantime, listen to some of the standout tracks from Sleeze Rap and grab the album to hold you over until the official album drops.

Cop the album here Sleeze Rap