While You Were Sleeping: Top 10 Underground Hip-Hop Albums From April 2013 (Part 1)

Here we are in the third week of April, the weather has finally warmed up and so has the underground Hip-Hop album release schedule. We’re approaching the stretch where highly anticipated Rap albums are beginning to be churned out at an alarming rate and with that high frequency of work dropping, some are bound to get lost in the sauce.

That is where this Hip-Hop Wired feature “While You Were Sleeping” comes in handy as we let you know about all of the quality indie and underground Rap albums you might have missed out on otherwise. Feel free to go back and review my previous picks for the first three months of Hip-Hop releases in 2013.

Over the past couple of weeks there were several quality indie projects let loose and we narrowed it down to 10 albums, thus far in April, that Hip-Hop Wired readers should be aware of. We have new releases from the likes of Ghostface Killah, Styles P, N.O.R.E., Slaine and more like Kev Brown, PMD and Trek Life that recently hit the Internet, digital music marketplaces and store shelves that deserve mention and recognition.

Here’s what you may have missed, while you were sleeping…

Trek Life x Duke Westlake – Hometown Foreigner 4.2.2013/4.9.2013 (Mello Music Group)

West Coast underground veteran MC Trek Life (Price I’ve Paid, Rhymes Within Reason EP & Everything Changed Nothing) teamed up with producer Duke Westlake (Turn) to create the album Hometown Foreigner. After collaborating with J.Bizness and Oddisee on previous projects, Trek decided to once again have one man compose the sonic landscape he rhymed over.  It was released digitally via iTunes & Bandcamp on the 2nd and dropped the next Tuesday in physical form and on every digital music market. This fantastic project boasts features from Hezekiah, Oddisee, Bishop Lamont, yU, Hawdwerk, Richard Wright and more. If you’re looking for introspective bars that touch on a number of relevant topics over ridiculous production then cop Hometown Foreigner from Amazon, iTunes, UGHH, Fat Beats or stream it first then purchase it from the Mello Music Group Bandcamp or DJ Booth.net.

Ammbush – Ammbaataa 4.5.2013 (SWTBRDS/Bandcamp)

Ammbush is an MC/producer from the Bay Area and part off the SWTBRDS collective’s Drums & Ammo production team. A few weeks ago Ammbush lived up to his moniker and surprised us all with a dope full length Rap album  featuring production from himself, REL, Al Jieh, CoffeeHouse Multimedia, YS Beats and Selector Jawbreaker.  You can stream & download Ammbaataa from the SWTBRDS Bandcamp right now.

PMD x Sean Strange x Snowgoons – Welcome To The Goondox 4.9.2013 (RBC Records)

EPMD’s PMD made a collaborative LP with MC Sean Strange and international Hip-Hop production team Snowgoons following making a few tracks featuring Sean Strange back in 2010 and being more than satisfied with the finished result. PMD, Sean Strange and Snowgoons have toured all over the world together over the past couple of years and the product of all that touring and recording is this album. Welcome To The Goondox features additional production from Solid Scheme’s Charlie Marotta and guest appearances from Smoothe The Hustler, Swifty McVay (D12), Esoteric (7L & Esoteric), Jus Allah (Jedi Mind Tricks), Jaysaun (Special Teamz), Virtuoso, Chief Kamachi (Army Of The Pharaohs) & Reef The Lost Cauze. Welcome To The Goondox is available to purchase via iTunes, Amazon & UGHH.

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Photo: Soul Temple Records

Substantial – Jackin’ Jill 4.9.2013 (QN5/Mello Music Group/Bandcamp)

QN5’s Substantial was laid up in the hospital a couple of years ago having preventive surgery following a cancer scare and he began working on a Jill Scott tribute album. Jackin’ Jill is the ultimate B-Boy’s love letter to Jilly From Philly, showcasing not only remixes & reworks of signature Jill Scott songs but sampling others and turning them into fully formed bangers. You can stream & download Substantial’s latest opus Jackin’ Jill from the Mello Music Group Bandcamp. It’s not to be fronted on…

Kev Brown – Songs Without Words Vol. 1 & 2 4.2.2013/4.16.2013 (Low Budget/Redefinition Records)

Low Budget Crew’s Kev Brown is one of the greatest (and most underrated) MC/producers of the past 15 years. He offers up 26 soulful beats on Songs Without Words Vol. 1 & 2 that hardcore beatheads can finally acquire both in physical form (CD & vinyl) as well as in digital format. You can cop Kev Brown’s ambitious double instrumental album full necksnapping beats from iTunes, Amazon, Fat Beats, UGHH, Redefinition’s online store or stream & purchase both parts directly from his Bandcamp page.

Slaine – Slaine presents The Boston Project 4.16,2013 (Suburban Noize)

Slaine (Special Teamz & La Coka Nostra) decided to showcase the prodigious talent in his hometown over 17 tracks featuring artists as diverse as Edo.G, Twice Thou (Almighty RSO & Made Men), Esoteric (7L & Esoteric), Jaysaun (Special Teamz), REKS, J The S, Dutch ReBelle, Checkmark, Dre Robinson, Easy Money (ST Da Squad) and more. If you’re into raw bars over hard beats then cop Slaine’s The Boston Project via iTunes, Amazon & UGHH. Threes up!

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Styles P x Scram Jones – Float 4.16.2013 (Nature Sounds/High Times)

Styles P (A Gangster & A Gentleman, Time Is Money & Master Of Ceremonies) of The LOX last worked exclusively with one producer on 2010’s The Green Ghost Project with DJ Green Lantern. Styles P spits venom over 12 Scram Jones tracks with features from his co-defendants in The LOX Jadakiss & Sheek Louch plus Raekwon, N.O.R.E. & Scram Jones himself (he can spit too, don’t forget!).  Float can be bought from the following outlets: iTunes, Amazon & UGHH.

N.O.R.E. (P.A.P.I.) – Student Of The Game 4.16.2013 (Militainment Business/Conglomerate/E1)

The pride of Lefrak City returns to the fray with a new name (P.A.P.I.) and a new album called Student Of The Game. This time around N.O.R.E. enlisted some heavyweights from the world of Rap to contribute beats and bars to his new offering. Large Professor, Pete Rock, Pharrell Williams (The Neptunes), Scram Jones & SPK are among the names behind the boards and features came courtesy of Scarface, Raekwon (Wu Tang Clan),  Busta Rhymes, Havoc (Mobb Deep), Lil’ Wayne & Tragedy Khadafi amongst others. I liked this album a lot more than I initially expected to. If you’re trying to get your hands on Student Of The Game just hit up either iTunes, Amazon or UGHH. What! What!

Nametag x NAMELESS – For Namesake 4.16.2013 (Brick Records)

A few years ago, Detroit area MC Nametag (My Name Is Tag) teamed up with Flint, MI’s NAMELESS to craft some tracks for his upcoming mixtape. They ended up coming out so well that the duo were encouraged to make more music together and before you knew it they were forming a duo and asking the public on Twitter for group name ideas. What initially was going to be a free release on Bandcamp has grown into a commercial album that drops today on Boston based indie giant Brick Records. Nametag’s rhymes perfectly complement NAMELESS’ infectious beats and For Namesake also contains guest appearances from Guilty Simpson, Black Milk, Miz Korona, Jahshua Smith, MAHD & Chell.  If you are a purveyor of quality Michigan Hip-Hop then this album can be procured via iTunes, Amazon, Fat Beats & UGHH.

Ghostface Killah x Adrian Younge x Venice Dawn – Twelve Reasons To Die 4.16.2013 (Soul Temple Music)

Adrian Younge crafted a sound that is a blend between an Italian Spaghetti Western score and a Blaxploitation film soundtrack as interpreted by the in-studio band Venice Dawn and brought to life by Ghostface Killah’s story rhymes. This feels more like a Wu Tang project than just a Ghostface Killah album due to vocal contributions from Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, Killa Sin, Cappadonna & U God throughout the album’s 12 selections. The story of how Tony Starks gets crossed by the Deluca crime family, resurrects himself and gets his revenge plays out in epic fashion over live instrumentation. You can cop the highly anticipated project Twelve Reasons To Die on iTunes, Amazon, Fat Beats, UGHH, GetOnDown or stream & purchase it from the Soul Temple Music Bandcamp. Hurry up before all of the different bundles and special/limited editions sell out.

While You Were Sleeping will be back in another couple weeks to put you all up on the best in underground & independent Hip-Hop. Until then, this is Dart Adams saying “Don’t sleep”.

One.