The Tortoise and The Crow

It is rather surprising I haven’t covered the Living Legends yet since they were a very influential group in the CA underground hip hop scene in the 90’s. Consisting of emcees/producers Murs, Scarub, Eligh, Grouch, Bicasso, Luckyiam, Aesop, and Sunspot Jonz, they hustled to sell their tapes on the streets of the Bay Area and LA. They had raw raps and gritty beats, mixing party anthems, with conscious raps, and many of the members displayed dope rhyme patterns and lyrical skills. The collective spawned many offshoot groups and the individual members have all had varying solo success and have stayed consistent through the 2000’s but the Living Legends have since disbanded.

 

I would say Murs is the most successful of the group, but the Grouch and Eligh are up there too. They have an extensive catalog between the two of them, both with solo albums and as a duo, and they just released a triple album The Tortoise and The Crow earlier this year. It consists of a G&E album 333, an Eligh album Nomads, and a Grouch album Lighthouses. I haven’t liked much of what the Grouch and Eligh have put out recently, as they have moved towards a more poppy, corny but there are definitely some gems between these three albums. Check out some of my favorites below.

Cop the album here CD Digital

Cool World

I covered Chuuwee in this post a little while ago but he just put out his first “official” release, Cool World which is a ten track EP. His previous releases have pretty much been mixtapes so this is a step in the right direction, and he’s claiming it’s a precursor to his long overdue debut album 3rd Coastin.

In Cool World Chuuwee sticks to the formula that has made him successful; golden era raps dripping with west coast flavor. He gets beats from a variety of underground producers and lays down great, smooth lyrics on each. My favorite track is Cool Grove while Propose a Toast is a very different and imaginative song for the emcee. Chuuwee uses the concept from the 1992 movie Cool World starring Brad Pitt, that the world is filled with fake cartoons. Chuuwee proclaims he is the only genuine one in the cool world and delivers a solid album to prove it. Check some of out below and keep lookin out for this talented young rapper.

Cop the album here Chuuwee

Clear Blue Skies

Clear Blue Skies by the Juggaknots is widely considered a modern day classic to those into underground hip hop. Originally released on vinyl with 10 tracks in 1996, it was also re-released in 2003 with additional tracks.

The Juggaknots are four siblings from New York, with Breeze Brewin’ being the most notable member of the group. Clear Blue Skies cemented him as an elite lyricist with deep subject matter, clever lyrics, and rhythmic patterns that make you rewind to catch everything that was said. The album is filled with songs about racism, devilish behavior, sex, government corruption, and straight up battle raps in which the emcees decimate wannabe rappers with dope punchlines.

The Juggaknots have released more material since Clear Blue Skies but none of it can hold a candle to their original release. Breeze Brewin’ pops up every now and then on a feature or a producer compilation, but fans are always clamoring for more from the talented emcee. Hopefully he’ll bless us with a solo album or even another Juggaknots LP, but until then enjoy some of the standout tracks from their stellar debut.

Physical formats have been out of print for awhile but cop the digital version here Clear Blue Skies