The Witzard

Prolific LA-based emcee, producer, lyricist, mixing engineer, etc. Blu has left a lasting mark on the Indie/Backpack(?) Hip-Hop scene, crafting an impressive catalog instilled with the essence of the vibrant city he calls home. Johnson "John" Barnes, III—better known as simply Blu—has recorded and released a staggering amount of (largely self-released) albums, EP's, and singles since about 2006. Aside from his self-produced body of work, Blu has worked entensively in collaboration with artist like Bombay, Damu The Fudgemunk, Exile, Fa†e, Shafiq Husayn, Madlib, Mainframe as Johnson&Jonson, M.E.D. Nottz, Oh No, Ta'Raach as C.R.A.C. Knuckles, and Ray West. Now, the gifted lyricist has returned with a new album, The Color Blu(e) . Among Blu's most conceptual projects to date, The Color Blu(e) is an artistic thesis statement, celebrating and reflecting on a remarkable creative journey. The Color Blu(e) by Blu The word "Blu(e)" is featured in every ...

"Homeboy Sandman's favorite song is "Knocks Me Off My Feet" by Stevie Wonder. His second favorite song is "I Know You, I Live You" by Chaka Khan. His favorite Michael Jackson song is "Lady In My Life." He prefers [A Tribe Called Quest's] Low End Theory to Midnight Marauders, but adores both," details Sandman's Bandcamp page. Homeboy Sandman's two most recent albums—Dusty produced by long-time collaborator Mono En Stereo (formerly rthentic RTNC) and Don't Feed The Monster entirely produced by Quelle Chris—were released by Mello Music Group. Prior to those aforementioned 2019-20 releases, Sandman had long been signed to Stones Throw Records, who issued his albums First of A Living Breed, Hallways, Kindness for Weakness, and Veins between 2012-17. Stones Throw additionally released a handful of Homeboy Sandman EP's including Chimera, Subject: Matter, All That I Hold Dear, Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent, White Sands, hi...

Just this past Monday, Boston-based label EveryDejaVu (@EveryDejaVu) casually Shared a rather mysterious message on their Twitter page, "Hidden in the intro blurb is a pre-order for a new cassette. Today marks the 4-year anniversary of Open Your Optics to Optimism, the collaborative album between @HerFavColor & @fateproduction! To celebrate, we put together a limited deluxe cassette." EveryDejaVu were, in fact, referring to their latest Substack newsletter, EDV #3: seangran, a Curator for the People. Said "intro blurb" in question further explains: "On top of that, today is the 4-year anniversary of Open Your Optics to Optimism, the collaborative album by Blu & Fa†e. While the Blu fan-boy in me could go on for days about this album, Miles Lamensky best described it: "On Open Your Optics to Optimism, LA's Blu and producer Fa†e buckle into a DeLorean, cruising back to a time before time in order that they might gain the knowledge necessary to ...

Amerigo Gazaway is a Berkely, California-based producer, emcee, multi-instrumentalist, and DJ, who is known for his remixes/mash-ups, original instrumentals, and digital sampling. Gazaway is the son of internationally-known Jazz trumpeter, Gary "El Buho" (The Owl) Gazaway from The Ozark Mountains and Brazilian vocalist, Tatiana Mindlin; with his brother, Rickey Mindlin , Amerigo Gazaway formed The Soul Mates Project/Records as a vehicle to present his lush, conceptual collaborative efforts. Soul Mates are best known for their documentary-style conceptual collaboration albums, which have famously incorporated the music of A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, Fela Kuti, De La Soul, Marvin Gaye, Yasiin Bey FKA Mos Def, James Brown, OutKast, and many, many more. Said critically-acclaimed remixes and mash-ups have garnered Amerigo Gazaway guest spots on releases from the likes of Aaron "Son Little" Livingston, Blu, and Oh No, as well as a gig re-orchestrating Miles ...

Bar for bar, Homeboy Sandman is easily, one of the most talented and somehow still, criminally under-rated emcees in all of Hip-Hop ! I've personally been a Sandman fan since his 2012 Stones Throw debut, First of a Living Breed and since, he's worked with the likes of Blu , Jonwayne, Paul White , Jake One, L'Orange , 2 Hungry Bros. RJD2 , Mono En Stereo FKA El RTNC, 88-Keys , and maybe, most notably, Aesop Rock ; between 2015-17, Aesop & Sand infested the masses with Lice , Lice 2: Still Buggin' and Triple Fat Lice to wide-spread critical and fan acclaim. While we're still waiting for a proper Lice full-length, Homeboy Sandman has teamed up with kindred spirit, Brooklyn -based DJ, producer, and emcee, Edan , for a brand spankin' new collaborative effort. Edan is arguably, one of the greatest and most eclectic artists in all of Hip-Hop and while he hasn't released a proper album since 2005's Beauty & The Beat , he's been moderately a...

Sonic Truth/Flex Pistols by Bouquet of Bones Bouquet of Bones (@wearebouquet) are a Portland -bred rapper/producer duo in the same vein as Jaylib , Run The Jewels, Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman , Career Crooks, and their like-minded peers; consisting of the tag-team lyrical assault that is Bloodmoney Perez & B!LLY WH?T , Bouquet of Bones recently unveiled their inaugural release, "Sonic Truth" B/W "Flex Pistols." " @wearebouquet is a new group aiming to deliver gritty, sonically thick Hip-Hop throughout the remainder of the foreseeable future," Bouquet of Bones wrote Instagram post teasing their 4/20 debut release on Damn That Noise Music . Bloodmoney Perez (@DrBloodmoney) & B!LLY WH?T (@_murn_) list their collective interests as beat-making, writing rhymes, and drinkin' beer. "Sonic Truth" has been billed as both a mini-EP and 1990's-evoking maxi-single backed with "Flex Pistols" on Side B. Bouquet of...

Jeremy Toy is a New Zealand -based Shoegaze revivalist and one half of She's So Rad , who moonlights as "Leonard Charles:" a Hip-Hop -leaning producer, multi-instrumentalist, and Basement Funk originator. Since releasing his critically-acclaimed J Dilla tribute album, Basement Donuts , Leonard Charles has teamed up with Jellphonic, Reggie Blunt & kutcorners for a Rick James covers EP entitled ALL NIGHT LONG ; earlier this year, he joined forces with Detroit emcee Guilty Simpson for "Breaking Over You" 7-inch on Japanese imprint WONDERFUL NOISE , which was premiered digitally right here at The Witzard . However, in recent weeks, Jeremy Toy was unfortunately, involved in a hit-and-run accident after a Leonard Charles gig and was left with two broken legs. Now, with nothing but idle time while his legs slowly heal, Toy has vowed to return to recording material as "Leonard Charles" from his bed with beat machine and a crate-full of reco...

“There’s a song on there called "Shine Your Light" ["This Little Light"] and it’s about people being more aware about things happening in their government and the society around them. Using that awareness to spread light to other people about what’s going on,” Aloe Blacc revealed during a 2011 interview with Cuepoint @ Medium Managing Editor & Co-creator Mike "DJ" Pizzo . Blacc was referring to his Joanna Newsom "The Book of Right-On" (or The Roots "Right On" )-sampling "Shine Your Light," now slightly re-titled "This Little Light," from his long-rumored comeback with 1999-2006 rapper-producer group Emanon . It appears as though Aloe Blacc 's Exile -produced Dystopia EPx2 , which was somewhat surprised released this past Blacc(k) Friday , has been completed in some form since around 2011 and back then, may have been called either Bird's Eye View or Bullet ; " Emanon ’s Bird’s Eye View has...

"'[PROJECT 2] is a concept mixtape that covers the themes of fame, isolation, Armageddon, suicide, immortality, dark magick, and Christian mysticism. "Glass Half Empty" is the mid-point of this story and deals primarily with the emotion of helplessness... How do you see the glass? Can you see it any other way? Will my visions ever change? [PROJECT 2] on the horizon," self-described Occult Hip-Hop emcee Mahatma Crowley wrote within recent Facebook and Soundcloud statements... Mahatma Crowley's ghoulish delivery vaguely reminds me of his grizzled barking predecessors DMX, Ja Rule, Rick Ross, Yeezus-era Kanye, and at times, even Death Grips' frenzied frontman MC Ride. "Upon first hearing Crowley & The Beholder's Trinity's latest single, "Glass Half Empty" this past moon-lit Saturday evening, I was instantly reminded of his fellow Horrorcore peers Flatbush Zombies—who recently, for whatever reasons, played The Tonight Show Starri...

"Yeah, we had worked multiple times in the past on some of my projects and other songs that never gotten released. We had just finished working on the original "Cosmophobia" on a project I did with a guy named Arella Rocket (we have a continuation of that song, "Cosmophobia (Revisited)" on this project.) He really dug the vibe and type of instrumental, so we talked about a doing and project and here we are now," Blu collaborator Fa†e recently told The Witzard within an exclusive emailed statement; Fa†e had previously hand-crafted productions for Blu including "The Last Stop," "Summer/Winter," "3 Feet Higher," an unofficial "The Clean Hand" Remix, and the aforementioned "Cosmophobia." Fa†e seemingly alluded to the project, then titled Blu & Fa†e Present: Open Your Optics to Optimism , as early as February 2016 during a published interview with San Diego CityBeat . Blu 's proper follow-u...

"GOING INTO THE SPACE... I GIVE SO MUCH OF MY HEART... OPENING MYSELF UP TO THE WORLD... AS MY SOUL BECOMES PUBLIC DOMAIN, [WHICH IS] A BEAUTIFUL THING... BUT WITH THAT ALSO COMES [YOU KNOW] HATRED [AND SH*T]... I'VE HAD TO GROW THIS CALLUS [AROUND MYSELF] TO PROTECT MY HEART," vocalist, producer, DJ, and yoga teacher Sumach "Gonjasufi" Valentine warbled within a crackly, baren Warp Records message dubbed Callus (Introduction) , which additionally included a fragment of his as-yet-unreleased song, "Surfinfinity." For those who may be largely unfamiliar, Sumach 's biggest claim to fame would likely be working alongside Jay Z and producer Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshu on his genre-eschewing Magna Carta... Holy Grail (which samples "Nikels and Dimes" ) and was once described by Pitchfork Senior Editor Ryan Dombal as "a scraggly, scary, smoked-out croak that creeps like the spiritual offspring of George Clinton and Leadbe...

It appears as though reclusive early 2000's rapper, producer, and cold-cuttin' DJ Edan has finally decided to re-emerge from his self-imposed sabbatical and unleash his first batch of new material since 2009's "Echo Party" mixtape; Edan recently contributed production work to old sharp-tongued friend Mr. Lif 's long-awaited comeback single of sorts, "Whizdom," as well as Homeboy Sandman 's newly unveiled Kindness for Weakness album teaser, "Talking (Bleep)." Sandman 's latest Stones Throw Drip can likely best be described as a Hip-Hop -laden amalgamation of pop culture's beloved, often over-used "BLAH, BLAH, BLAH" filler phrasing for drab, long-winded, unnecessary, etc. conversation we're often subjected to throughout our every day lives – be it Ke$ha 's chart-topping No.1 single, Charlie Brown & The Peanuts' "WAH, WAH, WAH" diction substituted for adults talking, or Seinfeld prota...

"White means purity, purity means GOD and GOD means the ruler of the land," @ShafiqHusayn profoundly replied, when asked what the name "WHITE BOIZ" actually meant, along with their stark white-stylized aesthetic; "'white" means different things to different people — from their record label to the Los Angeles Police Department to The Nation of Islam . In the 1700's, "white" did not represent race, but a state of freedom versus servitude. Today, however, white can be powder in the trap or a party in The Hamptons , which are seemingly worlds apart. Or are they," Husayn and primary WHITE BOIZ emcee Krondon continued in a Stones Throw-penned press release. Peanut Butter Wolf 's latest rapper-producer pairing formed organically out of mutual admiration when the Strong Arm Steady emcee would randomly show up to performances from Shafiq Husayn 's then G.O.O.D. Music -affiliated Alt. Hip-Hop collective, Sa-Ra (Creative Partn...

" DOOM 's verse was [an] interesting one. DOOM 's concept was that it's a text message. He text messages me while I'm not home, so he comes to my house anyway and starts borrowing all kinds of sh*t, you know, villain-style," veteran Oxnard -bred emcee MED (aka Medaphoar) revealed about his recent sample-heavy collaboration with fellow West Coast emcee Blu , prolific Stones Throw producer Madlib , and masked rhyming supper-villain MF DOOM , "Knock Knock." "I was like, 'what the f*ck is that?' So, there's this whole verse about him going to my house, drinking my beers, [and] going through my DVD's. It's so hilarious and genius," MED ecstatically continued. MED Blu Madlib , as they've been collectively referred to as of late, first linked up on MED -curated Bang Ya Head 3 label comp. cut, "Your Life" produced by Blu 's Below The Heavens collaborator, Exile . Madlib was almost accidentally broug...

"Holy sh*t! Here's a new song we made [with] Homeboy Sandman for our show together Friday," now-defunct New York Hip-Hop revivalists Das Racist Tweeted way back when in 2010, promoting a then-upcoming November 5th Southpaw gig along with a pre- Stones Throw Angel del Villar II ; if I remember correctly, "I'm Up On That" was the very first time I had ever been treated to the sweet, rhythmic sounds of Homeboy Sandman , who's comfortably seated as one of Stones Throw 's sharpest emcees. "Here's a new track from Homeboy Sandman , as the MC (and amazing live performer) kicks off a couple weeks of live dates through the east and southern states, culminating with a couple Texas shows with Stones Throw crew [Peanut Butter] Wolf , J Rocc & Guilty Simpson ," Stones Throw wrote in a recent quick-strike press release accompanying Sandman's latest non-album Soundcloud loosie. '"Nonbelievers" produced by EL RNTC . T...

homeboy sandman is the sandman by blu "I understand you've been running from the man that goes by the name of the sandman," echoes an eerie back-laid sample delicately lifted from America 's 1971 Folk Rock album track, "Sandman." It's actually the lead-off track from illusive super-producer from Blu and seasoned underground rapper Homeboy Sandman 's surprise four-track download-able EP, homeboy sandman is the sandman . While they've previously worked together on a number of non-album tracks, most notably "Atlantis," which was released on Stones Throw this past June, this marks their first cohesive long(er)-form project. homeboy sandman is the sandman EP was released with little to no release information, aside from " homeboy sandman is the sandman produced by blu " and a handful of vague Bandcamp genre tags: " hip hop , hip-hop/rap, nwc rap , Los Angeles." It's largely a Jaylib -style rapper-producer a...

"There [aren't] too many Thanksgiving tracks in Hip-Hop . Here's one by Homeboy Sandman ," @stonesthrow Tweeted, along with a link to "Happy Thanksgiving," late Tuesday afternoon. Not entirely unlike Eugene McDaniels' own 1971 anti- Thanksgiving anthem, "The Parasite (for Buffy)," Homeboy Sandman 's latest tells the gritty truth behind Thanksgiving 's rather gruesome origins; "This cut is called "Happy Thanksgiving." It's the story of a Native American going out like a champ before being slaughtered by European settlers. It was produced by Psycho Les of The Beatnuts ," Sandman explains. "Happy Thanksgiving" sees a FREElease on the heels of Homeboy Sandman 's latest Stones Throw -backed project, HALLWAYS , produced by Jonwayne , Oh No, Knxwledge , DJ Spinna, Blu , and a multitude of inventive beat-makers. Homeboy Sandman 's latest festive-leaning release consists of roughly 57 bars-w...

Not even counting his seemingly endless pre- Stones Throw material, veteran emcee Homeboy Sandman has released one album, First of a Living Breed , and about four EP's with the documentary-wielding Indie Hip-Hop label since inking a deal in 2011; most recently having concocted a Jaylib -style collaborative EP with Stones Throw affiliated producer Paul White , ingeniously titled White Sands . According to Stones Throw , Homeboy Sandman 's latest track, "Atlantis" is "one of a few dozen new tracks Sand's been working on this year. Expect to hear the best of them in a new full length album set for Fall 2014 - title, producers and track list TBA." It's single cover is essentially laid out to mimic Nirvana 's iconic Nevermind album artwork and the track itself was produced by insanely prolific rising West Coast rapper-producer Blu . Comfortably nestled atop a jittery off-kilter beat, Homeboy Sandman ferociously raps, "I'd rather l...

While chances are kinda slim that this was recorded all at once (but you never really know with Stones Throw ), Rappcats gave cyber-birth to an amazing-sounding MED, Blu, Mayer Hawthorne & Madlib track, "The Buzz" around 12-1am Tuesday-Wednesday morning. Not unlike The Burgundy EP , MED & Blu share vocal duties, Madlib produced the beat, and Hawthorne's relegated to the buttery smooth hook; an unreleased Dâm-Funk track will also appear on flip Side B. The Buzz 12" EP will include two vocal tracks, bonus beat, instrumentals, and a cappella. It's currently available for pre-order today (November 5th) at either Stones Throw or Fat Beats . Let's talk about the sheer talent Stones Throw managed to wrangle yup for "The Buzz:" prolific underground king Madlib chopped up a beautiful Boom-Bap -infused Soul sample, the label's former Blue-Eyed Soul crooner Mayer Hawthorne on the hook, and MED & Blu , two of the most talented a...

When Odd Future first came out (2007), it seemed like they were pretty against working with an outside producers. But they've since slightly broadened their horizons, working with a handful of various producers: Kanye , Flying Lotus, Pharrell , James Pants, The Alchemist , RZA, BADBADNOTGOOD , Samiyam, and supposedly even MF DOOM . Late Tuesday night, without any prior notice, rhyme or reason, OFWGKTA uploaded "Look" to Soundcloud ; It's produced by Nottz Raw , a Virginia -based beatsmith who's worked with everyone from Asher Roth to [The] Game . Tyler The Creator, Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis & Earl Sweatshirt manage to utterly RIP apart Nottz 's hard-hitting beat over the course of nearly 5 minutes. While it's chock-full of righteous-minded bars-on-bars , some of my personal favourite lines include: "Barnacles, now I gotta brag / [Beamer] drive right by you nig*as like I was kinda fat / with a paint job that's flatter than Miley Cyrus...