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

The first half of 2013 is now behind us and we have been plunged into a heatwave as the Hip-hop releases fly out at an alarming rate. There was a reason Stevie Wonder named one of his albums Hotter Than July and 33 years after the fact it still holds true. As we expected, Pusha T’s album was pushed back and Jay-Z’s (I still add the hypen, I’m a rebel) Magna Carta Holy Grail stole the thunder from everyone else’s album on Independence Day. That being said? Thank God for the underground because there are more than enough other projects you can be listening to and purchasing right now.

“While You Were Sleeping” is a feature exclusive to Hip-Hop Wired which showcases the quality indie and underground Hip-Hop and Rap releases that fly under the radar due to a lack of sizable marketing and promotions budgets at the disposals of the individual artists or their indie labels. The first three weeks of July provided us with 10 quality projects from a diverse group of artists including beloved Bay Area Hip-Hop collective/crew Hieroglyphics, legendary DJ/producer Tony Touch, Billy Woods (with producer Blockhead), Virgina outfit DMP (with producer Nottz), Brownsville, Brooklyn’s own KA, REKS, ScienZe, Chaotik Stylz (with producer Oh No), ¡MAYDAY! and a Boston/New York collaboration between MC Charmingly Ghetto & producer ATG.

If you missed the previous six months of this feature you can just click here and revisit the previous installments at your own leisure. Seeing as how time is money and it’s hot as hell outside I don’t need to waste anymore time. Let’s just launch into it already.

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

Billy Woods x Blockhead – Dour Candy (Backwoodz Studioz) 7.2.2013

Last year, Billy Woods released one of the best and most overlooked albums in his opus History Will Absolve Me. This year, he’s applied scimitar wit and top shelf lyricism to Dour Candy, a project produced entirely by Blockhead. Dour Candy boasts features from Aesop Rock, Moka Only, Elucid & Open Mike Eagle. You can cop Dour Candy from iTunes, Amazon, UGHH or Sandbox Automatic. You can even cop special editions with bonus material & merchandise direct from Backwoodz Studioz. You’ve officially been notified.

Nottz x DMP – God Made Durt! (Raw Koncept) 7.2.2013

Nottz follows up his previous Raw Koncept releases You Need This Music! and his In My Mind EP with the long awaited DMP project God Made Durt!. Whether or not you’ve been checking for Durtee Muzik Produkshinz since the old 12″ vinyl releases circa 2001-05 or you just caught on after last Summer’s Live From Early Street you need this album in your lives. God Made Durt! features VA’s own Pusha T, Toronto’s Kardinal Offishal, the Bay Area’s Mistah FAB, RL & Shateish. You can cop that (Nottz) raw directly from the connects at iTunes.

REKS – Revolution Cocktail (Gracie Productions) 7.2.2013

REKS dropped two of 2012’s best albums back to back with his collaborative project with Statik Selektah Straight No Chaser and REBELutionary which was produced entirely by Numonics. REKS is back once again with his new album Revolution Cocktail. This project picks right up from where REBELutionary left off and features production from MoSS, Numonics, Lee Bannon, Soul Searchers, The Architype, ATG, A3 and Introspective Minds amongst others. There are also appearances from Rapper Big Pooh, Bishop Lamont, J NICS, Singapore Kane, Boycott Blues, J Tronius, EZ DREAD and more. Step to the bar(s) and order a Revolution Cocktail from the following spots: iTunes, Amazon or cop it from his site REKSHipHop plus you even have the option to stream & buy it from DJ Booth.net. Don’t sleep…

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Photo: Hiero Imperium

ScienZe – Ella: The Prologue EP (AudioMack) 7.2.2013

Up and coming MC ScienZe won’t be in an XXL Freshman list because no one with deep pockets is behind him but he deserves consideration based on his lyricism, stage presence and his current body of work alone. His latest effort is an EP titled Ella: The Prologue EP which will precede his upcoming album, Ella. This release has managed to create quite a buzz in the past 2 + plus weeks featuring guest bars & vocals from Blu, Maffew Ragazino, Melodi J, Dom O Briggs & Noah Bility plus production from sene, NAMELESS, King I Divine, Lord Quest, EOM & Clint Partie. You can stream Ella: The Prologue EP & download it from AudioMack right now.

Charmingly Ghetto x ATG – Of The Meaning Of Progress (DJBooth) 7.2.2013

Boston MC Charmingly Ghetto teamed up with NYC producer ATG to craft one of the most overlooked projects of the summer thus far. Of The Meaning Of Progress features REKS, Koncept (Brown Bag All Stars), Chaundon, Omar Aura, Murph Watkins & Katrina Renee. If you appreciate Hip-Hop that puts the focus back on beats and rhymes, superior lyricism, lyrical content and production that enhances it all then you need to hear this. You can stream & download Of The Meaning Of Progress right now from DJ Booth.net or SoundCloud.

Tony Touch – The Piece Maker Vol. 3: Return Of The 50 MC’s (Red River Entertainment) 7.9.2013

First it was Noreaga, but here’s another tried and true veteran that showed up and delivered an excellent album out of the blue that surprised me in Tony Touch. The Piece Maker Vol. 3: Return Of The 50 MC’s is Loaded to the gills with bars from Kool G Rap, KRS One, Sadat X, A.G. (DITC), Erick Sermon (EPMD), Busta Rhymes, The Beatnuts x Alkaholiks (Liknuts), RZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Method Man (Wu Tang Clan), Prodigy (Mobb Deep), Eminem and production from DJ Premier, RZA, Just Blaze, The Beatnuts, Statik Selektah, Fizzy Womack, Erick Sermon, Eminem & Tony Touch amongst others. If you sleep on this one, you’re an idiot. You can cop the latest from Tony Toca via iTunes, Amazon, UGHH or Sandbox Automatic.

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KA – The Night’s Gambit (Iron Works) 7.13.2013

KA dropped one of the most impressive albums of the past decade last year in Grief Pedigree. The aforementioned album was self produced, self distributed, and there were videos shot for each song on the album which were directed by the artist himself. I put Grief Pedigree on the short list of contenders for Album Of The Year in 2012. Now KA returns with his follow up, The Night’s Gambit. Whereas his previous album took me almost totally by surprise, I went into this one with an expectation level that was fairly high. KA hurdled my high level of expectations as effortlessly as he flows.

The Night’s Gambit sounds like an audio graphic novel the way it so vividly paints pictures in your mind and the production aids in submerging you in the album and totally engaging the listener. You can purchase The Night Gambit via iTunes, Amazon, Google Play & stream it from NPR right now. Don’t walk. RUN.

¡MAYDAY! – Believers (Strange Music) 7.16.2013

If you were feeling Wrekonize’s LP The War Within that dropped just 3 weeks prior then you’ve be properly prepared for the new album Believers from ¡MAYDAY!. !MAYDAY! is almost like a mix between Latryx, Blackalicious, Atmosphere and Fishbone. If you came into this album not a fan you will definitely begin checking for their back catalog after hearing it. If you have an open mind and are a fan of music as well as Hip-Hop then you definitely need to be checking for !MAYDAY! from now on. Believers is available on iTunes, Amazon, UGHH or stream & cop it from DJ Booth.net.

Chaotik Stylz x Oh No – The Subliminal Substance (Brick) 7.16.2013

Brick Records signee Chaotik Stylz teamed up with Oxnard’s Oh No (Gangrene, Greneberg & The Professionals) to craft one of the surprise standout albums of 2013 thus far, The Subliminal Substance. Chaotik’s bars blend perfectly with Oh No’s slaps to devastating effect making for what can best be described as a virtual bangathon comparable to Durag Dynasty’s 360 Waves or Apollo Brown x Red Pill x Verbal Kent’s Ugly Heroes. Features are from MED, Roc C, Declaime and additional production from Georgia Anne Muldrow & DJ Romes (Lootpack) .The Subliminal Substance can be located at iTunes, Amazon, UGHH, Beatport or Sandbox Automatic. Expect to see this on quite a few end of year lists.

Hieroglyphics – The Kitchen (Hiero Imperium) 7.16.2013

One of the most beloved, heralded and influential crews of the past 25 years of Hip-Hop history is the Bay Area’s Hieroglyphics Crew. They’re back with their first album in more than decade called The Kitchen in association with a turntablist crew called The Sleeprockers. The Souls Of Mischief, Del, Casual, Domino, Pep Love & DJ Toure all get busy over this 17 track collection that features production from the usual suspects in addition to The Sleeprockers, Gully Duckets, Stephen King and Unjust. If you consider yourself a fan of quality Rap music then you should seriously consider purchasing a copy of The Kitchen. You can cop it from iTunes, Amazon, UGHH and Beatport. If you want that heat? Get in this kitchen.

While You Were Sleeping will return in a few weeks to showcase of all the best releases from promises to be a hot August as far as underground & independent Hip-Hop releases are concerned. Until then, this is Dart Adams saying “Don’t sleep”.

One.

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

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