The Witzard

Confidence Is Everything 2 by ullnevano x illien rosewell "If something works, stick to it until the chemistry or the spark is no longer there anymore—that's the approach that Baltimore emcee UllNevaNo ("you'll never know") and Norfolk, Virginia producer illien Rosewell decided to go with Confidence Is Everything 2 (CIE2) . Consider it new chapter to last year's first release, which was well-received by Hip-Hop heads and critics alike, to the point where Indie label Already Dead Tapes pressed up limited edition gold tape cassettes," read a pseudo-press release sent by the sharp-tongued emcee himself, UllNevaNo . " CIE2 finds Neva finding his mojo, [comfortably] over illien 's production and it shows over joints like the graveyard-digging "they all die" where it finds the emcees murdering household names and local emcees, to the groovy haunting chills of "12's over the wire," which he got inspired by Skyzoo ...

"Worked with Guilty on Quakers through [Stones Throw] . Then we met when he was here in [Australia] on tour. Hung out with [him] and Phat Kat in the studio. Those guys were digging the new beats I had, and when Guilty went to LA to do the video for "Fitta Happier," he mentioned that we were vibing in the studio and he was into the beats and working together," Katalyst recently wrote within an emailed conversation. "We recorded "War Drums" while Phat Kat and Guilty were in town for that tour. Stones Throw thought it could be a great fit for his next album and hit us up and I was into it," Australian -based producer Ashley Anderson then continued, concerning his relationship with collaborator Guilty Simpson . Katalyst produced the entirety of Simpson's Psych-Rock -tinged DETROIT'S SON at Quakers band-mate and Portishead founder Geoff Barrow 's local Invada Studios . Stones Throw unexpectedly dropped DETROIT'S SO...

Professor and record store owner-turned- Blaxplotation producer Adrian Younge somehow managed to find time to pen an intricate Rap opera that's loosely based on Ghostface Killah 's infamous Tony Starks character. It's set in 1960's Italy where The DeLuca Family crime mob wreaks havoc throughout an innocent small town. Tony Starks falls in love with the kingpin's daughter, soon falls to his tragic end, and is eventually re-born. Twelve Reasons to Di e narrator/executive producer, RZA tells is best, " The DeLucas pressed Tony's remains into 12 vinyl records; One for each member of the family. But little did they know, he would return..." Adrian Younge & Venice Dawn successfully weave together a badass Neo Soul-Funk , guitar-drenched soundtrack for Ghostface Killah to lace up with raps. He then recruited a band of tough as nails Wu-Gambinos including Inspectah Deck , Masta Killa, U-God , Cappadonna, Killa Sin , and crooner William Hart (T...

Truth Be Told by Apollo Brown & Guilty Simpson Guilty Simpson & Apollo Brown are quite arguably the most downright Funky , brutally honest Detroit natives since Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ! Fresh on the heels of a few solid 2010-11 joint albums , Apollo Brown successfully flipped a smooth crooning [ghostly] sample of "Awe, baby, it's been so-ooo looong" that's perfectly suited for a few introspective Guilty Simpson verses. Generally mis-labelled as an "Underground MC," Simpson has been actively rapping ever since 1991... released his Stones Throw debut, Ode to The Ghetto in 2008, and has worked with everyone from J Dilla to Geoff Barrow (Portishead). "Truth Be Told" is the first taste/lead single to whet our appetites for Dice Game , which is currently slated for a Nov. 13th release. Guilty Simpson & Apollo Brown managed to rope in a set of top-notch feature guest verses from Torae and Planet Asia , too. "S...

"As for Conversation B , It's a bit of a re-visioning of In Case I Don't Make It (ICIDMI). Some people tuned in to ICIDMI without any problem, but there were others it didn't really connect with. Conversation B pushes the picture that I created with In Case I Don't Make It through these other producer's filters. That changes the tone of the album but it also lends itself to a number of new interpretations. While I produced ICIDMI in it's entirety, "Maxell UR" is the only song I produced on this Conversation B . The rest of it was taken on by Exile, J-Zone, [Kev Brown,] Eric Lau, Oddisee , and [Apollo Brown] . It all takes on a completely separate feel this time around. Conversation B may be a good primer for people who were maybe blind-sided by how dark In Case I Don't Make It was. I hope that if this is your first time hearing a Has-Lo record, it'll make you want to go back and experience ICIDMI. That's part of the reason I mad...