Benz and a Backpack

Ricky Shabazz & the Boom Bap Boys and Juan Deuce present No Sweat. After the major success of his collaborative tape with Falside for The Mechanics EP, Juan recruited a team of slick producers to craft the music on No Sweat: Falside, J57 and Audible Doctor (of The Brown Bag All-Stars), The Doppelgangaz, Fonzi Wells, pJAYd, Fakts One (The Perceptionists), and ACB. Juan flexes over the diverse production, showcasing his growing lyrical muscles with a little help from fellow New Englanders Jon Hope, Romen Rok, and Dj Emoh Betta. Stream, download, share and enjoy! Note: Physical copies of No Sweat and Sweat Band Bundles will be available for purchase via Strange Famous Records later this month.

Tracklist after the skip!
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Metermaids, the tag-team duo of rappers Sentence and Swell, are excited to announce their new LP, Rooftop Shake. The two Brooklynites have picked an A-team to work with for the album, enlisting 9th Wonder, DJ Rob Swift of the X-Ecutioners, and Sage Francis. Sage Francis is also responsible for the release of Rooftop Shake, through his label Strange Famous Records, on September 6th.

“Graveyard Shift,” the lead single fromRooftop Shake, is a tribute to those who hustle hard, way past bedtime, with Rob Swift cutting up 9th Wonder’s wailing, electric guitar-driven beat.

GRAVEYARD SHIFT – Metermaids by Strange Famous Records
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This past weekend, I experienced a highlight of my time doing Midnight Madness, an underground hip-hop mix show Dizzy and I host every Sunday on WBRU.  Sage Francis and B. Dolan, two local rappers who have brought a taste of RI across the country, came to the studio to promote Dolan’s new album, Fallen House, Sunken City.

I have been a fan of Sage Francis since I was a youngin’ on his grind back in high school.  I have to admit though, it took me a few months to get into his work and fully appreciate his style of hip-hop.  The first Sage Francis album I heard was his 2005 release A Healthy Distrust, a perfect title to match the passion and mood of the album.  The first song that caught my attention was “Lie Detector Test”, a song who’s slow and infectious beat that loops a familiar sample syncs perfectly with Sage’s slowed down yet intense lyricism.

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After playing “Lie Detector Test” over and over, the rest of the album fell into place for me.  Songs like “Sea Lion”, “Slow Down Ghandi”, and “Jah Didn’t Kill Johnny” soon followed among other solid, unique songs.  Eventually, I found myself playing the album more or less all the way through, appreciating the grit, passion, and flow that Sage brings to the table.

It was a while since then that I got a chance to check out any new Sage, until I was re-introduced last summer.  Sitting in an airport in San Francisco, enjoying free wi-fi, I found myself listening to A Healthy Distrust, wondering if Sage had any new stuff out.  A quick Google search came up with a Sick of Wasting, his latest release from the Sick of… mixtape series.  Hard hitting beats provided the backdrop for my introduction to Sages’ doppleganger, B. Dolan.

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