I have to admit I slept on Sleep. Alright, alright, that was corny as all hell, but yes, I did the Rip Van Winkle on Sleep's critically acclaimed 2005 album, Christopher. Even though he is from my own neck of the woods of the Pacific Northwest, for some reason I never checked it out, even though I saw Old Dominion (the group he is apart of) back in '01 (or it could have been '00) when they were on tour with Binary Star and Boom Bap Project. I finally got around to listening to that album this week and I'm sorry I missed out and get the four year late pass. Sleep is back in '09 and on a label that should help push him to the forefront of the underground hip hop scene in Strange Famous.
Today, we have an EXCLUSIVE, meaning you won't see this anywhere else....yet. It's a track from the upcoming Sleep album, Hesitation Wounds, which will be dropping next month. It features the newly insurgent Del the Funkee Homosapian that has been making noise as late himself. The track is in the same vein of the music found on Christopher, so fans of that release won't be disappointed, and if you didn't check out that album, this is the time to check out Sleep and not make that mistake again. Also on the album, is Strange Famous artist Reanimator, who was part of the Prolyphic and Reanimator release that got a lot of attention on this blog and others. - Trav
DEL THA FUNKEE HOMOSAPIEN & SLEEP of Oldominion team up on "Lothar" from Sleep's new SFR LP! FREE DOWNLOAD!
Sleep's new album "Hesitation Wounds" drops June 30 on Sage Francis' Strange Famous Records!
Rap legend Del Tha Funkee Homosapien (Hieroglyphics, Def Jux) trades verses with underground veteran Sleep on this exclusive leak from "Hesitation Wounds."
You can download the 192kbps mp3 here:
http://www.strangefamousrecords.com/sfr-bin/sleep_lothar_featdel.zip
The first single will be “Talk About It," an old school-style cut displaying a dizzying flow produced by SFR labelmate Reanimator. Lyrically, Sleep takes a battle stance against manufactured artists while refusing to dilute his style or message for the sake of mainstream acceptance.
Hesitation Wounds is a vivid and intense journey through the psyche of one of underground hip hop’s longest tenured and most promising emcees.The follow-up to Sleep’s acclaimed 2005 LP Christopher, the album features guest appearances by Del the Funky Homosapien, Grayskul, and boasts the production credits of Reanimator, Zebulon Dak and Smoke. Constructed from a mix of samples, live instrumentation, and a myriad of styles that all assist in the storytelling of a lifelong hip-hop veteran who has much more to offer the game than brag raps. This is real life in all its complexities, compressed into 13 solid tracks, and delivered in a way that only Sleep could do.
*Features rap legend Del the Funky Homosapien (Hieroglyphics, Def Jux)
*Contributions by Grayskul (Rhymesayers) and Reanimator (SFR)
*Newly signed artist on Sage Francis's label, Strange Famous Records
The complete track listing for Sleep of Oldominion's Hesitation Wounds:
1) Intro (produced by Pale Soul.)
2) Day Dreamer (produced by Zavala, scratches by DJ Z-One, horns by Ross Liquid, additional vocals Toni Hill.)
3) Talk About It (produced by Reanimator.)
4) Who to Point the Finger At (produced by Reanimator.)
5) Ginelli (produced by Samix, scratches DJ Z-One. Horns by Ross Liquid, Lambs Bread and Jamzels. Additional vocals by Toni Hill and Scott Preston.)
6) Spent (produced by Zavala, scratches by DJ Z-One.)
7) Orchestra of Strangers (produced by Leon West, featuring Toni Hill.)
8) Hesitation Wounds (produced by Zavala, featuring Grayskul.)
9) Commercial (produced by Pale Soul.)
10) Lothar (produced by Zavala, scratches by DJ Z-One, featuring Del Tha Funkee Homosapien.)
11) Get It (produced by Smoke, scratches by DJ Z-One.)
12) So Far Away (produced by Samix, scratches by DJ Z-One, additional vocals by Toni Hill.)
13) Roll Call (produced by Zavala.)
Sleep can be found online at:
www.myspace.com/sleepofoldominion
www.strangefamousrecords.com
5/27/2009
WYDU Exclusive: Sleep & Del - Lothar
9/28/2008
WYDU & Zilla Says EXCLUSIVE: Kooley High - Burn After Listening
Here at WYDU, you now I'm a big fan of the NC group, Kooley High. The love for the music has transformed itself into a WYDU & ZillaSays collaboration.....an Exclusive mixtape brought to you by the two power houses.....
In the not to distant past two bloggers got to talking; as bloggers are apt to do. As they were sharing stories and bouncing ideas off of each other, they found that they had a lot in common but one thing in particular.....an infatuation with a new hip hop collective called Kooley High.
Bloggers are leading the way in this new era of hip hop music. They are an important means of introducing new music to the public and thereby the gatekeepers/taste makers of the game. In their efforts to use their voice to take part in the culture they love, sometimes in becoming a gatekeeper you quit being a fan. Sharing the same sentiment, these two bloggers agreed that Kooley High were one of the few new acts that were making music that gave them the feeling of a fan again. So with this mixtape they decided to use their websites not only to introduce fans to the great music from Kooley High but also to show gratitude to they group as genuine fans of the music.
Zillz (of Zillasays.com) and Travis (of wydublog.com) went hard. Swiping tracks from myspace pages, contacting friends of friends, and requesting the services of an N.C. representative by the name of Ace Jones to make it happen. "Burn After Listening" is a compilation of exclusive and unreleased content from Kooley High. Apart from the 6 group members, the tape features artists such as; Median, Chaundon, & Edgar Allen Floe. With production from 9th Wonder and others. Enjoy! And make sure to check out the websites Kooley High, Zilla Says, WYDU
1. Marching
2. There You Go
3. Burning feat Chaundon & Halo
4. Today
5. Capital Kindred feat Median, Halo, & Lazurus
6. As For You
7. Eye of the Storm feat Halo & Rapsody
8. Closer (Remix)
9. Get It On The Low feat Halo
10. Water feat Lazurus & Edgar Allen Floe
LINK
9/18/2008
WYDU Exclusive: Batsauce of the Smile Rays - The Gypsy Diaries
Good day boys & girls, hopefully everyone is having a great day. We have another WYDU Exclusive, meaning you won't find this on any other blogs or any other sites (yet). My man Batsauce of the Smile Rays, is hooking us up with a treasure trove of instrumental beats. Readers of WYDU should be familiar with Bat and the Smile Rays, we've been a long time fans of the trio and even went so far as having a Smile Rays week back in May. I would have to say, I rank Bat in my top five favorite producers currently in the game right now, dude is one talented mofo behind the boards.
Bat brings the heat this time around in the form of The Gypsy Diaries, a unique collection of instrumental tracks. What's so "unique" about the The Gypsy Diaries? Well, Bat made them using music from different continents, South America, Asia, and Africa. All the sample sources embrace world music. It's something original indeed. I've been jamming these tracks for the better part of the summer, and it's some groovin' music to be sure!
It's not a traditional link, but trust me, it's easy. Click the website and just roll over the countries and download those bad boys. If the site does go down (it has in the past) just hit me up and I'll add some links to this post, but I don't foresee any problems. Don't be afraid to hit up Brother Bat and let him know what you think of his concoction. http://www.myspace.com/batsauce
Batsauce - The Gypsy Diaries 
http://www.spooney.net/gypsy_diaries/
South America
1. Go!
2. Mira
3. Cat & Mouse
4. Stinkin Badges
5. The Boss of Nova
6. Selection
7. More Rum
8. Myth Invention
Asia
9. Train Wreck
10. Pandit Vs. Bandit
11. Bollywood Blues
12. Border Disputes
13. Kurdish Blues
14. Guests of Honor
15. Pidgeon Race
Africa
16. Serengeti Disco
17. Negotiations
18. Language Lessons
19. Harvest
20. Spice Trade
21. Ritual
