The Witzard Premier: Jack Topht's "Come On Nike" Lyric Video from We Can't Go Back Now: The Cold Rhymes Collection (EDITED BY COOL GUY BRY)

"recorded in like, 2008 by mr. ski-mask on 1-inch analog tape at the electric pumpkin patch studio on the east side of buffalo. lindsey did guitar, i did drums, and me and ski-mask did synths. i wrote the song before i had a band in 2000," Jack Topht AKA Jack Toft AKA Jack Topht with The Vegetables AKA Little Cake n Jack Toft AKA Lindsey & Jack Toft AKA TEENWOLF AND JACK TOFT wrote within a recent email exchange regarding "Come On Nike." His rather unique style has been self-described as "Kool Keith meets Crass" and has often been labelled Awesome Rap, Folk-Rap, Americana Grime, Grunge-Funk, Grunge Rap Punk/Ska, "kooky, riveting Rap, wild freak Anti-Folk Noise/Free Jazz" (Little Cake n Jack Toft,) and "part rapper, part performance artist, part comedian/motivational speaker." Jack Topht's largely genre-less style has been compared to the likes of Bob Dylan, Minutemen frontman D. Boon, Kool Keith, Le Tigre, Jonathan Richman, Das Racist, and Ween. I would personally liken Jack Topht's output to a somehow, even more lo-fi version of Pavement with a dash of Darko The Super.


"nypirg was calling nike headquarters in the lobby of [university at buffalo] and encouraging students to complain about their sweatshop labor practices. my comedian-mentor, velvet al, came up with the punchline that their sh*t should be cheaper, since they don't pay their workers much. i worked that into a song. eventually, i had a band i could do the song with—always a staple of lindsey and my band's from 2005-2010," Jack Topht continued. Now, friend and Jack Toft super-fan Height Keech has pain-stakingly assembled a comprehensive, 22-track collection entitled We Can't Go Back Now: The Cold Rhymes Collection, culling tracks from 20 albums and endless tour-only CD-R's released over the course of the last decade. We Can't Go Back Now: The Cold Rhymes Collection is now available for pre-order from Cold Rhymes Records/Awesome Rap ahead of its Monday, Sept. 25th release. Cold Rhymes' recently assembled videos for both "TADPOLE" and The Witzard-premiered "Come On Nike" were edited together by Cool Guy Bry AKA mister from Passalacqua.

"We Can't Go Back Now: The Cold Rhymes Collection is a retrospective of Jack Topht's immense catalog. I've been a fan of Jack's music since our respective tours crossed paths at a Charlottesville, VA house show in 2011. That night, he gave me copies of RAP DRUMS, Goofy Tunes, and Songs of Love, Spleen & Tenderness. His songs went all over the place. Some songs made me laugh ("Awkward Interactions at Yer Favorite Band's Show,") and some songs freaked me out ("Big Disappointment.") The common thread was that they all had a strange, poignant twist and he seemed relentless and fearless in taking that "strange twist to the highest peak." Despite his wild styles, he's been anything but a reclusive, outsider artist. He’s toured the country year after year with the tenacity of a Hardcore band. Unlike that Hardcore band, there's no Jack Topht genre or Jack Topht scene for him to safely navigate. I've seen him ruffle feathers at local Hip-Hop open mic nights and Punk shows around the country. I've also seen him convert suspicious strangers into rabid fans with one set. Jack has self-released 20 albums over the last decade; some solo and some with frequent collaborators Lindsey, Little Cake, and TEENWOLF. These are my favorite songs off all those albums re-mastered. I hope this little tape is just the beginning of people taking a second look at what Jack [Topht] does."

- Height Keech (Cold Rhymes Records)