Rap Noir feat. Naté The Soul Sanger – Overtime [Audio] + Let It Rain [Video]

In the film noir tradition of Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles and Otto Preminger, Tajai from Hieroglyphics (and Souls of Mischief) and super producer Unjust (Ron Jon Bovi, First Light, Chosen Few) have come together to craft “Rap Noir”, a collection of stories from the darker side of things. On this album Tajai plays narrator of tales of crime, vice and passion all over cinematic soundscapes provided by Unjust. “Overtime” features Naté the Soul Sanger and is an ode to the world’s second oldest profession. Enjoy! Watch the music video for “Let It Rain” down bottom.

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First Light (Opio & Pep Love) – Livin’ The Life + Fu2 [Audio]

Hieroglyphics Imperium and Elevation Nation present “The Hierotrope Series”; A collection of 7″ 45 singles with 2 sided on-record phonotropic artwork that comes to life, animating when viewed in a camera/phone in direct light (The more direct light the better – see below for details). The music for the series will be a variety of unreleased songs from the Hiero vault, and featured singles from upcoming projects released monthly. All design/animation of the series is created by Unjust, long-time Hieroglyphics collaborator, and in-house producer. Keeping in tradition with Hieroglyphics’ tradition of innovation, landmark creative quality, and independent ideology, this series gives it’s listeners/viewers a truly unique bonus value, adding an extra layer of visual stimuli to the beloved physical act of playing a record. Marrying art, music, and technology, The Hierotrope Series promises to be on-going treat for Hip-Hop heads, vinyl heads, and tech-heads alike. The first single is First Light (Opio + Pep Love), “Livin’ the Life” b/w “FU2”, 2 previously unreleased songs that were cut from The “Fallacy Fantasy” album, Produced by Unjust. This will followed by the lead single from the upcoming self-titled album “Rap Noir” (Tajai + Unjust), “Make It Rain” b/w “Watch out”. Keep up and check for the new release of the month at ShopHiero.com where you can also sign up for a monthly subscription plan, with subscription-exclusive limited edition (1-100) alternative phonotropic artwork.

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Opio x Free the Robots – Stoned Temple Pilot [Stream]

The Souls of Mischief Emcee and LA Beat Scene Vet Recorded Their Sempervirens Album in a Redwood Forest, Share Second Single via Ambrosia For Heads FTR: “I made this track with a certain rhythmic swing in mind to subtly break your neck. Simple, mysterious, and lazy with somewhat of a strait forward Hip Hop vibe. The background lead i added was inspired by 70’s crime films. I remember Opio staying up all night in the forest shed studio to record the vocals this. The finished song felt like an honest representation of everything that could go on in your head while you’re vibing out in the middle of nowhere by yourself.” Opio: “I recorded ‘Stoned Temple Pilot’ up at the cabin in Russian River late at night all by myself. The beat is dark dirty and dusty and it matched my surroundings perfectly. I was out there without any media stimulation, no cell phone service and spotty wifi at best which left me with nothing but my imagination. Lyrically,this song is quite visual, when you hear it you can almost see what I’m saying. like to paint pictures with words and I feel like this is a great example of that.”

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Opio (of Hieroglyphics) & Free The Robots – Point Of View [Stream]

Opio: “‘Point of View’was the song that I had the most fun recording. FTR and a bunch of my homies were with me in the studio and we were all sitting around talking shit and cracking jokes and those conversations manifested themselves into the lyrics. I really like the pacing of this track, the chorus and the verses mesh seamlessly, it’s just one of those songs that never gets old.” FTR: “‘Point of View’ was created as my own version of a playful, uptempo party style track, blending analog drums with electronic synth. I made the track fairly simple with limited instrumentation and catchy hook melody, leaving it open enough for Opio to take over. Lyrically he connected with what I was going for in his own way.”

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Hieroglyphics – Heebie Jeebies [Stream]

Just in time for Halloween, the Hieroglyphics crew is back with a new jawn titled “Heebie Jeebies.” The Gully Duckets-produced track finds the eight-man crew rapping over some menacing production with a slight trap feel to it. This track is one of two jawns that came out of the entire crew being together in the studio in YEARS. This week has been busy for the crew already, as member Pep Love released his Dolla Daily EP on Tuesday.

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Hieroglyphics – The Kitchen [Album Stream]

Oakland underground rap legends Hieroglyphics have returned with their first collective album in a decade, The Kitchen. With an assist from Sacramento DJ crew the Sleeprockers, the new set functions as a mixtape combining brand new material with various recordings from the crew’s last few years hustling behind the scenes. The continuous blend bumps, grooves, and jitters with soulful loops and acrobatic turntablism, naturally functioning as a perfect platform for the lithe rhymes of the group: Del the Funky Homosapien, Casual, Pep Love, Domino, and Souls of Mischief (Phesto, A-Plus, Opio, and Tajai). Stream: Hieroglyphics – The Kitchen Tracklist 01. “The Kitchen Intro” 02. “Livin’ It Up” 03. “The Mayor” 04. “Golden” 05. “Gun Fever” 06. “Indonesia” 07. “Shores Galore” 08. “That Merch” 09. “Nutrition” 10. “Indonesia Interlude (Sleeprockers Edit)” 11. “Highway Five” 12. “All as Above So Below” 13. “Nano Salt” 14. “Immortals” 15. “Exciting” 16. “It’s Partly Me” 17. “Passing Fads”

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Hieroglyphics – Gun Fever [Video]

In the midst of a nationwide highly controversial debate about gun control the Hiero Crew chimes in with their unique perspective. Known as pioneers of the underground Hieroglyphics continues to push the envelope with this stunning visual directed in house by Casual. “We are not promoting guns or violence,” explains Tajai (Hieroglyphics / Souls Of Mischief), “but simply expressing our thoughts on the issue and encouraging further dialogue.”

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