Stop Sleeping #26: Typical Cats - Self Titled

What Is "Stop Sleeping"?
Basically I'm just going to reccomend artists or albums that you might not have checked out. Most of these will be Hip-Hop recommendations, as that's the genre I mostly listen to, but I'll try to keep them appealing to a broader public.

Typical Cats, the rap group made of rappers and producers Denizen Kane, DJ Natural, Kid Knish, Qwazaar, and Qwel.They come together to make a very sophisticated and elaborate album. They're have great rhymes and rhythms, and come together to make a great cohesive sound. The beats are really well produced with great loops and samples. After this, the group all split up and made their own little albums, most notably, Qwel. Check out his album So Be It with producer Maker.  

Stop Sleeping #25: Gift of Gab/Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow

What Is "Stop Sleeping"?
Basically I'm just going to reccomend artists or albums that you might not have checked out. Most of these will be Hip-Hop recommendations, as that's the genre I mostly listen to, but I'll try to keep them appealing to a broader public.

Gift of Gab definitely possesses a gift that may have you questioning the talents of your favorite emcee. He has endless capabilities as far as his impressive jaw gymnastics are concerned. His rhymes are jam-packed with metaphors, varying tones and rhythms, impeccable precision, and of course lightning quick speed. Like label-mate Lyrics Born, Gift of Gab redefines breath control. The production on this album is very deftly sampled and just sounds fantastic under GoG's impeccable delivery. A must-listen. 

Stop Sleeping #24: Busdriver - Imaginary Places

What Is "Stop Sleeping"?
Basically I'm just going to reccomend artists or albums that you might not have checked out. Most of these will be Hip-Hop recommendations, as that's the genre I mostly listen to, but I'll try to keep them appealing to a broader public.

If I had to describe Busdriver in one word, it would be different.He's an odd MC to say the least. His style is really peculiar, and for this reason, he's kind of inaccessible at the first listen. However, after a few listens, you start to enjoy his wacky, fast paced flow, and it turns into a fun album. It's by no means a traditional hip hop album with his out-of-left-field delivery and flow, but definitely worth a listen.  The title track is one of my favorite songs.

Stop Sleeping #23: Haiku D'etat - Coup de Theatre

What Is "Stop Sleeping"?
Basically I'm just going to reccomend artists or albums that you might not have checked out. Most of these will be Hip-Hop recommendations, as that's the genre I mostly listen to, but I'll try to keep them appealing to a broader public.

Coup De Theatre feels tight and focused, a high quality album. The pure lyrical talent in this record is astounding, but for my taste, the beats/rhythms were a little synth and sampled sounding. I really would liked to have seen Haiku with Roots-esque live instrumentation, but this works very well for what it is. Check out their self titled too!

Stop Sleeping #22: Aceyalone - All Balls Don't Bounce

What Is "Stop Sleeping"?
Basically I'm just going to reccomend artists or albums that you might not have checked out. Most of these will be Hip-Hop recommendations, as that's the genre I mostly listen to, but I'll try to keep them appealing to a broader public.

This album is awesome. It has that old-school appeal while being fresh and unique. Aceyalone's flow is great, and is very well complimented by the smooth, jazzy beats. He can pull of poetic songs and fast paced songs both extremely well, and the whole album flows together as a whole incredibly. Highlights are the comical, staggering "Analilia?", the trippy "Mr. Outsider," thumping anthem "All Balls," old-school "Mic Check", and hard sucker punch of "Arhythmaticulas."

Stop Sleeping #21: Panacea - Ink is my Drink

What Is "Stop Sleeping"?
Basically I'm just going to reccomend artists or albums that you might not have checked out. Most of these will be Hip-Hop recommendations, as that's the genre I mostly listen to, but I'll try to keep them appealing to a broader public.

This is really a very slept on album, but it's straight quality. Classic sounding beats that sound like a fusion of DJ Primo and J. Dilla give it an easily accessible sound. Also very strong lyrically, even with topics that aren't exactly unheard of in the world of conscious rap, such as love and war. He switches up his rhythm a few times, switching from a faster rapid-spitting delivery to a slower flow, but never at the cost of lyricism or thoughtfulness. A very solid album, check it out.