Skyzoo
A Dream Deferred
Duck Down (2012)
After a few years of releasing mixtapes and collaborative projects, Brooklyn emcee Skyzoo returns with his second official solo effort, A Dream Deferred. The album pairs the rapper’s ever-improving lyricism and flow alongside bubbly and lavish jazz and R&B-tinged soundscapes. Production heavyweights like Jahlil Beats, Black Milk,9th Wonder, and DJ Khalil all contributed beats but it’s the live instrumentation—including violinists, pianists, and horn players—which were overseen by longtime collaborator Illmind, that steer the overall sonic direction of the record. Initially, heads that don’t like too much R&B all up in their rap music might not be inclined to give this more than a few spins. However, Skyzoo’s smooth dialect and charismatic prowess on the mic is strong enough that, given time, the album will grow on even the most hardened of B-boys. Much like its predecessor The Salvation or, say, Torae’s For The Record, this album is more along the lines of this-is-my-story (see Kanye West’s College Dropout) and less I-am-who-I-pretend-to-be (see anything Kanye West post-Late Registration.) It wouldn’t be a stretch to draw comparisons to, for lack of a better term, the emo rap days of the early ‘00s when Atmosphere, Blueprint and Sage Francis were the face of … Read more
God Equals Genocide
Rattled Minds
Razorcake\Dirt Cult (2012)
I’ve listened to a pretty solid variety of new records this year, but it’s always nice to come back to … Read more
WAR//PLAGUE
On A Darker Dawn
Profane Existence (2012)
Minneapolis’ scene veterans WAR//PLAGUE have finally released their debut full-length LP On A Darker Dawn on Profane Existence Records. The … Read more
Pig Destroyer
Book Burner
Relapse (2012)
The news that Pig Destroyer were to release a new record this year was met with much celebration, a lot … Read more
