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

August is already 3/4ths of the way through and before you know it t shirt and cargo shorts weather will yield to pants and pullovers weather again (Unless Kendrick Lamar can stop the seasons from changing, that is…). Before that happens, we here at Hip-Hop Wired have 20 indie & underground Hip-Hop albums from this month to introduce you to before you need to direct your attentions to Cuffing Season 2013-14. You know the drill, we give you 10 now and then another 10 next week.

“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. This results in these projects not getting the attention in mainstream Rap publications or even on the radio that they deserve based on the quality of their music alone. The first three weeks of August yielded 10 quality albums from legendary DJ/producer K-Def, No Malice of The Clipse, NC veteran MC Rapper Big Pooh, Homeboy Sandman (with producer M Slago), Brown Bag All Star’s The Audible Doctor, brand new SoulSpazm signee Boog Brown, Terrace Martin, ScienZe, MidaZ The Beast, Detroit producer Slautah and Mello Music Group’s CASTLE.

If you missed the previous seven months of “While You Were Sleeping” you can just click here and feel free revisit the previous installments at your own leisure. Seeing as how time is money and it’s still 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…

Boog Brown – The Late Bloom (Bandcamp/SoulSpazm) 8.3.2013

Boog Brown (Grind Season Vol. 1 & Brown Study) is one of the most underrated MCs in the game regardless of gender. Her coming out party was on the collaborative Mello Music Group LP Brown Study with Apollo Brown. Her lyrics, delivery, vocal presence and command of the language stems from a spoken word/poetry background and when coupled with top flight production the final product is undeniable Hip-Hop music. Boog’s long awaited sophomore album The Late Bloom has been in the works since early 2002. The singles Life & In Tune soon yielded to the EP Before The Bloom featuring tracks that didn’t make the album. If THESE didn’t make the album what does the album sound like? Damb!

The Late Bloom features production from Illastrate, Lex Boogie From The Bronx, Joe D & Dynamite Bruhz. You can purchase the album directly from the Bandcamp page for now but after Boog’s recent signing to SoulSpazm the album will soon be available in both digital & physical form via the usually musical marketplaces. If you want to be ahead of the curve (like I am), cop it now rather than waiting. You claim you want the game to go back to beats and rhymes? Well prove it!

Homeboy Sandman x M Slago – All That I Hold Dear (Stones Throw) 8.6.2013

This 7 song EP comes courtesy of Homeboy Sandman (The Good Sun, First Of A Living Breed & Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent)  and producer M Slago (Rampage EP, Attack The Wack, Let Me Holla At Ya, Let Me Holla At Ya Too & Negro Please) who he worked with previous to his signing to Stones Throw. Homeboy Sandman had recorded quite a few tracks over M Slago’s production over the years but he hadn’t released any of them as he maintained his prolific release schedule. This August Homeboy Sandman and M Slago’s collaborations led to the Stones Throw digital release of All That I Hold Dear.

All That I Hold Dear features guest appearances from MED & Gab Goblin and Homeboy Sandman and M Slago’s production perfectly compliment each other. All That I Hold Dear can be copped in digital form from iTunes (for only $3.99) and Amazon.  It can also be purchased directly from Stones Throw. The song “Runts” dedicated to his niece & nephew & Slago’s son is a favorite of mine. Physical copies of All That I Hold Dear will be available on September 9th.

ScienZe – Ella (Bandcamp) 7.9/8.7.2013

First there was Ella: The Prelude and now there’s the full length album Ella from ScienZe. First it was released on Bandcamp then the physical copies were made available in August. ScienZe’s concept album about the pursuit and acceptance of love features production from  Ski Beatz, Blu, NAMELESS, Vinyl Frontiers, Lord Quest, King I Divine, EOM and more. Guest appearances from Blu, Fresh Daily, Maffew Ragazino, sene, Rebecca Lord, LeXuS, Luxx, LD Henriquez add to the album’s overall theme. ScienZe is one of the MCs that should’ve been on the cover of XXL by now as a Freshman but he doesn’t have anyone with pull or any money behind him to give him those looks. All you need to do is hear his music. Speaking of which, you can purchase Ella from iTunes, Amazon or stream and purchase it from ScienZe’s Bandcamp. Don’t sleep…

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Photo: Malice

Audible Doctor – The Summer Tape (AMD Music/Fat Beats) 7.30/8.9/8.20.2013

Brown Bag All Star The Audible Doctor recently released two versions of his latest EP The Summer Tape. First is the digital version that has features from Edo. G, Oddisee, Guilty Simpson, Hassaan Mackey, Kurious, Chaundon and others which is produced entirely by him. The second version was released later on cassette with a bonus track featuring Del The Homosapien and Homeboy Sandman plus features The Winter Tape as the B side with Has-Lo & J NiCs and Davenport Grimes on it. You can cop The Summer Tape from iTunes, Amazon, UGHH or Fat Beats. The cassette version of The Summer Tape features both The Summer & The Winter Tapes and comes with download cards to download each. The summer is almost over but you can still possess it’s spirit all year long.

Terrace Martin – 3ChordFold (AKAI Music/Empire Distribution) 8.13.2013

Terrace Martin is one of the most underrated producers in all of Hip-Hop music today. He comes from a musical background and is an accomplished musician himself that has lent his production work to Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, DJ Quik, Dr. Dre, Diddy, MURS, Talib Kweli amongst many others. His latest production album showcases his versatility as he shifts back and forth between Hip-Hop and R&B then sometimes seamlessly combines the two in a project built around the concept of a man in love with two women. The impressive list of features includes Kendrick Lamar, Robert Glasper, James Fauntleroy, Ab-Soul, Focus, Musiq Soulchild, Lalah Hathaway, Snoop Dogg & Brevi. You can cop 3ChordFold from iTunes, Amazon, UGHH or you can stream and cop it from DJBooth.net. Perfect summer album…

Rapper Big Pooh x The Mighty DR – Fat Boy Fresh Vol. 3: Happy Birthday Thomas (For Members Only) 8.6/13.2013

Rapper Big Pooh (Sleepers & Dirty Pretty Things) is back at it with producer The Mighty DR on his latest project Fat Boy Fresh Vol. 3: Happy Birthday Thomas. The brand new 13 track collection features guest verses from Chaundon and Jared Evan as Rapper Big Pooh continues to show the fans that his legacy extends far beyond his years with Little Brother and the Justus League. You can purchase Fat Boy Fresh Vol. 3: Happy Birthday Thomas from iTunes, Amazon, DJBooth.net or you can stream and cop it directly from Bandcamp. Don’t miss out…

No Malice – Hear Ye Him (Envision Ent./Re-Up Gang) 8.18.2013

Gene Thornton (formerly known as Malice of The Clipse) underwent a spiritual change between the release of the last Clipse LP Til The Casket Drops back in 2009 and today. He released a book in 2011 titled Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind & Naked which outlined his belief system and his newfound faith. Since then he’s pretty much stayed away from the Rap world while his brother Pusha T went solo and joined G.O.O.D. Music. Gene Thorton changed his name to No Malice to reflect his change in life and has returned to the Rap world with Hear Ye Him, an album that combines his current calling in life with what the world knows him best for. You can purchase it via iTunes or Amazon. If you can listen to 17 tracks of ratchetness and coke rap then you can listen to 17 tracks about what it leads to in later years when you realize you’re still empty inside.

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MidaZ The Beast – AU: Another Universe (HipNOTT Records) 8.20.2013

MidaZ The Beast is a member of the Doxside Music Group collective alongside IMAKEMADBEATS, TZariZM, Synopse, Rugged, J. Freedome and many others. MidaZ has been killing the game for numerous years via his mixtapes El MidaZ Affair, The Life & Times Of Grizzly Adams & LOOPS plus his guest appearances on albums like Alchemist’s Russian Roulette. MidaZ’ relentless delivery, razor sharp lyricism and gravelly voice starred on many Doxside Music releases and it all culminates in his long awaited solo debut AU: Another Universe.

MidaZ The Beast’s album boasts production from Marco Polo, Oh No, Paten Locke, Tough Junkie, IMAKEMADBEATS & TZariZM and guest appearances from Roc Marciano, Planet Asia, Blueprint, Sabac Red, Sharp, Black Gallery, Ms Mylodic & more. AU: Another Universe can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon, UGHH or Sandbox Automatic.  You can also stream & cop it from DJBooth.net. If you actually value versatility, lyricism and production then you need this album in your life.

K-Def – The Meeting EP (Redefinition Records) 8.20.2013

Legendary DJ/producer K-Def has had quite a productive 2013 thus far. He’s released the excellent projects The Exhibit, One Man Band & The Program EP all in recent months (and all have been featured in While You Were Sleeping) but the onslaught continues with The Meeting EP on Redefinition Records which features verses from Blu, Kaimbr (Low Budget Crew), Insight (Y Society) & Has-Lo. You can purchase The Meeting EP from iTunes, Amazon, Fat Beats, UGHH or directly from Redefinition Records. Don’t be late to The Meeting EP…

Slautah – The Red Room Experiment ((iN)Sect Records/Fat Beats) 8.20.2013

Detroit producer Slautah was one of the Rap game’s best kept secrets up until now. The secret will be out after this beat tape (on actual cassette) from (iN)Sect Records & Fat Beats drops. His production work for Detroit outfit Almighty Dreadnaughtz has raised eyebrows for years but The Red Room Experiment will expose his beats to everyone. You can cop The Red Room Experiment cassette tape from Fat Beats or HHV and Juno Records if you’re overseas.

BONUS: CASTLE – Gasface (Mello Music Group) 7.23.2013

In the last installment of While You Were Sleeping there was a clerical error which led to the omission of CASTLE’s dope LP “Gasface”. The straight to the point commentary about the working class life and Hip-Hop over 11 tracks clocks in at under 30 minutes. CASTLE removed all of the bloated aspects that most albums suffer from. There aren’t any guest appearances and there is no pandering to anyone, just pure unadulterated expression. You can cop Gasface on iTunes, Amazon, UGHH or Fat Beats. You can also stream & cop it from the Mello Music Group Bandcamp. Don’t sleep on it…