"I will never become a slave, I just break the chains and fight to be free…"

the Life of Agony Depression Demo

by Becky Miller

Life of Agony has enjoyed a surge in popularity over the last 4-5 years, especially among younger hardcore kids. There are probably half a dozen bands right now that cover the title track from River Runs Red, as well as a handful who take a stab at the Plexiglass Gate intro (I dare someone to attempt the whole song.) But LOA had a long and interesting history leading up to their classic albums and comp track. They have more demos than most bands I can think of, besides Dmize, who had 3 demos that saw the light of day via their unauthorized Lost & Found release, plus "about seven other demos" as described by Beto in an interview by my dude Christoph of Cheap Thrills (coming soon in Double Rabies Zine).

What interests me most about the LOA demos is the evidence of their evolution as a band, both musically and lyrically. Out of their four demos, only the third (the Depression Demo) and fourth (the Stain Remains demo) are widely available. I am most curious to hear the first demo, because it's the one I know the least about, and in my mind it's connected to the era when they used to be called Capital Punishment and changed their name to Life of Agony when it came to Alan in a dream. If anyone out there has a dub or mp3's, feel free to pass them along. (While we're at it, I'm also actively seeking a copy of the first Minus Merauder demo, the one with Extreme Fallacy and maybe Take by Force.)

A few tracks from the second demo (Step Aside and Colorblind) are available on that 1989-1999 CD, but from that small sample I'm not dying (on the inside, or otherwise) to hear the rest of it. I was already thoroughly in love with the third demo recording of Step Aside when I heard the second demo version, and the latter comes off as too hurried. Usually songs are slower in their original incarnation, and become slightly faster in their later recordings (kind of how songs always seem faster live than recorded, except for when Leeway plays Marathon live), but this one breaks the mold. Colorblind is pretty much the same story, but I'm less attached to it than I am to Step Aside, so it doesn't bother me as much. I would be curious to hear the rest of the demo if there were other songs I had never heard before, rather than just undeveloped versions of Depression Demo tunes, but I'm not holding my breath to get ahold of a copy.

So that this doesn't turn out like the '89 Demos article in IQNM #1, where I was about to extol the virtues of the 1989 Integrity demo when I realized that I actually liked the 1987 demo better, for the rest of this article I am going to limit myself to the description of the Depression Demo. Out of their four demos, this one is probably my favorite. It's 8 songs, so you get the most for your listen. And it has more of a distinct sound than the fourth demo, which is a demo in a more literal sense, in that three of the five songs ended up on RRR. Instead of foreshadowing the later LOA sound, the Depression Demo is sparer and less melodic than their other material. It sounds more like a cross between early Biohazard and Sheer Terror, with a little bit of the distortion on the title track of The Vanishing Point thrown in. The only thing I like more about the fourth demo is the epic radio intro at the beginning of Depression because it sets the mood so well. I also love the opening track, Here I Am, Here I Stay, which is the highlight of the demo and doesn't appear on any other releases (besides that aforementioned '89-'99 CD.) This song is so good, so I kind of regret presenting it as an afterthought, but if I need to praise it further, I guess I can save that for the pages of my own zines, rather than wasting more space here.

Another reason I have such a soft spot for the Depression demo is because I listened to it over and over during one of the worst times in my life. Luckily my outlook on a lot of stuff has changed, but it was the perfect soundtrack to that time (along with District 9, the second Conviction 7", and both Nobody's Perfect demos.) There's a lot going on in these 8 songs, but I will try to do each of them justice (here is justice, here is punishment) in the following synopsis:

No Sympathy is a great four minute opener, full of venomous and incisive phrasing. Between the LOA version and the Brawl Park tune of the same name, I'm going with LOA by a narrow margin. It contains some great chains of rhymes, especially in the second verse. (Bear with me on the lyrical approximation here; I've never had the pleasure of seeing a lyrics sheet. I tried to write out the complete lyrics for the demo in 2006, but I've never gotten anyone to correct or confirm them … yet.) "You created a wall of hate, I'll say it straight to your face, inject your veins with deepest pain (BETTER YOU THAN ME)…" Although Killing Time came up with Wall of Hate first, it sounds damn good in the LOA version too. The "you brought this on yourself" part makes me want to yell "KARMA!" Next Step Up style. But the highlight of the second verse is probably the end. "Just smoke in my eyes, my rage intensifies, never will you be, my priority. Maybe you will realize, there's no chance to compromise, you must be skinned alive." See why I want confirmation on some of these lyrics? If Keith Caputo really does speculate about skinning someone alive, that fucking rules, but I need to know for sure.

Dying on the Inside is maybe the hardest and definitely the saddest track on the demo. It's got its share of wild lyrics too (I'm pretty sure that one line goes "for this my dear there's no excuse, a great day to die for being loose") and a bunch of heavy parts. I've always been curious about the exact wording at 2:58, although as a running nerd I tend to sing it as "if love doesn't work, I'll wear Brooks Adrenalines," even though I'm more of an Ariel/Addiction lady myself. The saddest part is probably the spoken "it's all I, it's all I had" at the end. Which is a perfect bridge to Caputo's ruminations on depression in the next track…

As stated before, the radio intro on the fourth demo recording of Depression gives that version the edge, but as the title track of the third demo, it's still a great song. "Well they say that every dog has his day, but the obituaries never print my name." There is also a great rhyme about procrastination and hesitation, and I love songs that discuss procrastination (see also Rag Men - Insomnia.) The riff immediately following the verses is one of the hardest parts of the demo, and I totally want to steal it. Skinny Joey Z, kick it to me! I was listening to this demo a ton right around the time I graduated from college, so when my ex gave me a plastic tiger (aka my college's mascot) as a little graduation gift, I promptly named it Skinny Joey Z, SJZ for short. After a brief interlude, there is one last hard part in the vein of East Coast Assault vol. 1 style mosh.

For Those Who Hate Me starts off in the same vein musically, but is much shorter and more melodic than many of the tracks on this demo. "What is wrong with the life I lead?" There's nothing wrong with a 2 minute tune on a demo where three songs exceed six minutes, but it's not one of the most important songs either.

THIS IS MY HOME THIS IS THE HOME OF THE BRAVE … Break the Chains is sort of unique in its self righteousness and lyrical content as compared to the rest of the demo, but not as unique as Method of Groove is (what up Henry Apel's new record label!) compared to the rest of RRR, because RRR is more definitely a concept album than this demo. (While we are talking concept albums, may I interject that I always considered Train Yard Blues to be an unofficial concept album, not about graffiti as the sound clips would suggest, but a concept album about the brain.) Lyrically it advocates education and breaking the chains (kind of like in Turning Point-Insecurity, and a great Wisdom in Chains shirt design which I should have bought.) Some serious mosh parts, serious echo effect, and it clocks in at just about four minutes.

Next up is Colorblind; as I mentioned earlier, a faster original version appears on the second demo. "I'm not trying to preach to you or tell you how to live your life…" While taking a stand against racism is a nice sentiment, musically this song does not measure up to some of the other tracks on the demo.

In My Youth: I originally thought this was one of the weakest songs on the demo, but I eventually gained an appreciation for it. Caputo gets points for using "hijinks", just as Pledge of Resistance did a decade later. "The world will still spin, with or without me." Although it does have a decent mosh part at the end, overall it's a shorter song and merely a prelude to another, more epic track … in this case STEP A-SIIIIIIIIDE!

On the scale of egregious dubbing errors, whoever cut off the opening "STEP A-" from its companion "SIIIIIIIDE" and ensuing mosh part is right up there with my BFF Stefan P accidentally eradicating the echoey BEACH BEACH BEACH part between the Howard Beach Reprise and Skinny Song Outro. But the mp3 quality matters little for the mosh part that follows. Like the tempo changes that cemented my love for Biohazard, the early mosh is the perfect slow-fast-slow setup. Step Aside is the longest and most vindictive song on the demo; LOA has saved the best for last. The first logical place you'd think the song would be over, there's actually over 4 minutes left. I CAN DO MUCH BETTER THAN YOOOUUUUU … this is seriously the ultimate breakup song. I wonder if it's about the same girl that inspired Dying on the Inside; either way, some young lady has grievously wronged Mr. Caputo. This song is begging to be covered, even if no one would know it. I once purchased a 7" by Step Aside the band (as featured on the A Change for the Better Comp, which I didn't figure out til later), hoping that they were named after the song and played hardcore in that vein, but the record didn't measure up.

Before I had an Ipod, I listened to these demos so many times on a burned CD that had an Icemen live set at the end, so after the final "NEXT … IN … LINE" I still expect to hear "right … this one's called … IT'LL BE YOUR GRAVE." Which is a fitting transition from Life of Agony subject matter, after all.

Although I love the later, more melodic direction that Life of Agony took (including Ugly), I also love their Depression Demo era sound, to which they never subsequently returned. That's my favorite thing about demos and live sets: that they capture songs and styles that would otherwise never have been preserved. Thanks to the internet, a lot more people have probably heard and loved this demo in the last few years. Maybe this article will provide the impetus for a few more of you to seek it out.

For those who already know and love the Depression Demo …as I mentioned earlier, I've been trying to reconstruct the lyrics in my notebook for some time. I'm not going to waste space by posting the whole thing here, but if you want to get in on this project, email me at rebeccamiller06@gmail.com and I can send you what I have so far. I'm still looking for help with the Eddie Sutton Merauder Demo lyrics too, so if you're down to decipher some lines about supernatural cycles and "of course I'd rather not make a cadaver," just look my way.

DEREK KITAGAWA

What's up, Derek? How's things on the West Coast?

Yo! Things are great on the west coast right now. I'm just chilling at school right now, working all the time, trying to keep busy. Trying to play and attend as many shows as possible here and there. We got a little west coast tour coming up in November with Trash Talk & Alpha and Omega so that's something to look forward to.

How did you get yourself involved in music in the first place? How did you come across Punk/Metal/Hardcore? Which bands were responsible for this?
I guess I would say music has always been part of my life, starting I suppose when I would just listen to whatever records my parents would throw on in the living room. Apparently I was an Eagles fan as a child? I first started getting into playing music with Nathan, the guitarist of Violation/every other band I've been in. We would just hang out at his house in like 7th grade, and one day he had his guitar and shitty amp and I set up this wild kit of a clothes hamper and some other shit, and we would just jam whatever. I was always into just rock stuff I guess, the local radio station in Santa Barbara had a lot to do with that. I first got into punk and hardcore probably from my Dad. I distinctly remember him showing me Black Flag "Police Story". He wasn't like an old hardcore dude, but I think he heard what I was listening to and knew of older bands like Black Flag so he showed me that. He's also a HUGE metallica fan haha, so I got a lot of that early on. From there, I started going to shows at this spot called The Living Room in Goleta, CA, and of course Warped tours and stuff like that... Pennywise, Rancid, all the old Fat and Epitaph bands. From this point the transition into harder music was just sort of natural I guess. Going to see hardcore bands live is probably what really attracted me the most, just the energy of the whole scene and what not. I remember my parents driving a minivan full of me and like 5 other friends (Nate and Chris of Violation included) like 3 hours up north to go see 7 Seconds when we were in 8th grade or something. It was before they put out that new record on Sideonedummy, and I just remember the energy, all the stage dives and what not, it definitely had an impact.


What are your favorite Hardcore & Metal albums? Tell us why those bands are so important to you.

Alright, off the top.
Sepultura – Chaos AD
Madball – Hold it Down
Merauder – Master Killer
Metallica – fuck… Justice? Black? Lightning?
Cro- Mags – Age of Q
Suicidal Tendencies – How will I laugh…
7 Seconds, Circle Jerks, Black Flag, all that

Just a few off the top of my head. Albums like Age of Quarrel and How will I laugh were both big transition albums that really got me into hardcore. Those were both bands that my friends and I discovered or got into somehow from punk. Metallica is definitely important just because they're one of those bands that I got a lot of early on. I remember going surfing with my Dad, and me being in the back of his cargo van with all the boards and shit and he would blast "Battery" or some shit haha, they've just kind of stuck with me.

Who did the artwork on Possessed and Devoured? Do you know if they did work on anything else? Who designed the logo? Where'd the name come from?

The artwork on Possessed and Devoured was done by Andrei Bouzikov. He's fucking awesome! Everything he's done for us has been all sketched and hand painted, we've been blown away every time we've worked with him. We first found out about his art when he did the cover for Lights Out's Overload. From there we saw some of this other stuff (which is all awesome, check it out) and started talking ideas about covers. I'm pretty sure he did the new Municipal Waste "Art of Partying" record cover as well as some others. You can always check his gallery online, just search his name. The logo was done by a friend of ours, Mr. Aaron Belchere. Aaron was pretty much responsible for keeping music alive in Santa Barbara county for awhile I think, booking shows at places like Casa De La Raza, where we still have shows today and what not. He helped us out a lot, giving us some of our first shows. I don't know how exactly he came up with the logo, but he made it for our demo and we've used it ever since. Thanks!
The name came from the Metallica song "Blackened". We also recently made a shirt with the lyrics of that song on it, just a side note.


How do you guys set the writting sessions? Who writes the lyrics? What are the topics that the new album deals with? How's the relationship with 1917?
Well, it's kind of been different every time around. The demo was written and recorded in about a week I feel like, really no time at all. All the writing for Possessed and Devoured took place in this old packing house at my parents' flower nursery. It looks like a meth lab and sounds horrible, but it's very secluded and we're able to practice late and for free, so it works. Writing for violation has always been a cool process, because everything is very collaborative, compared to some other bands where one person writes the majority of everything. People will throw out ideas, we'll toy with them, change them, flip them, and the end product is always the result of a group effort, which I think is something very satisfying to be a part of. The lyrics are kind of the same, no one person writes all the lyrics for the record. On Devoured, each person in the band wrote at least one if not several songs (lyrics). All topics are dreamt up by our singer Mike Jenson in his sleep HA. 1917 is cool, we worked with Riley when we put out Possessed, and so the jump to 1917 just seemed very natural. We just got all our vinyl/cds/posters not too long ago and we're very pleased.


How was the '07 summer tour? Any good/bad memories about it? Why did you cancel the tour this summer? When you guys are going back on the road?

The summer 07 tour was good. We flew out and did a string of dates up the East Coast with our good friends in Bitter End and The Mongoloids. Bitter End is a band that we played with and met on their first trip to California, and we've been close ever since. Since then we've kept in touch and played together a bunch. Big thanks to Daniel Rosen for helping us out on that tour and letting us tag along. The shows were pretty well received, shout outs to all the friends we made on that tour in NYC, Long Island, RVA, etc… We were also fortunate enough to play This is Hardcore Fest (for two years now) and that was an awesome experience. It's awesome to go across the country and play that fest, which has been awesome every time, after having Sound and Fury in your backyard. Memories from the 07 tour, definitely this wild backyard show in Long Island we played with Trash Talk and Mind Piece. The cops came before Bitter End got to play, but it went off hard. Outburst cover. We cancelled the tour this past summer mainly because some of the dudes couldn't make it for the whole thing. I was pretty pissed/bummed about it, but we did end up flying out and playing TIHC again, as well as another wild Long Island backyard show haha. Pool stage dives, it was wild. As far as future tours go, we've got dates up and down California coming up with a bunch of different bands. Some with Trash Talk, some with another band called Take Offense from Chula Vista, check them out they fucking rule.


How was the reaction at Sound & Fury? How's the reaction for the new LP? What's next for you guys? Do you guys plan on releasing something in '09?
Sound and Fury this year was awesome! Easily one of the wildest sets we've ever played. It was awesome because we had a lot of good friends from around the country there as well as all of our hometown boys, so it was a great time. Ambulances after the set, shit's wild. The reaction for the LP has been awesome, thanks for the good review, glad you liked it! I feel it's a natural progression of where possessed was heading. I've heard people say its "too metal", but I suppose the majority of the influences on that album were, and it shows. We haven't been writing any new material as of yet, but hopefully we'll have something new to put out sometime soon. Touring is my personal priority at the moment.


Who you would like to tour with the most?

Tough question. Personally, rather than creating some wild dream band tour I think I'd prefer to just tour with friends' bands. Those have been the funnest shows/tours. Awhile back we did a little California tour with Down to Nothing, Cruel Hand, Violation & The Mongoloids. The shows were awesome, good friends good times. I'd still love to tour with some good friends of ours from California, most notable DOWNPRESSER and TAKE OFFENSE. Both awesome bands, both have new records coming out very soon, be on the look out! On the dream tour note, we did just get a chance to play with the "Cro Mags Jam" though, and that shit was unreal. Cro Mags and Violation only at this PACKED theater in downtown Hollywood, it was insane.


Take 5 NYHC records and tell me why they change the sound of hardcore today.

Not a top 5 list, no particular order…
1- Madball – Hold it Down, you could argue for other Madball albums, this is my personal favorite. Solid from start to finish.
2- Cro-Mags – Age of Quarrel, the obvious classic.
3- Merauder – Master Killer, this record is unparalleled in my opinion. The style, guitar tone, drumming, and everything about it has influenced tons of bands, including Violation.
4- Leeway – Desperate Measures, another matter of preference I suppose. I find there's always a divide, some say Born to Expire, some Desperate Measures. In any case, both solid albums. Unique and complicated strumming patterns come into mind from this record. The matching of the drums to the guitar is awesome. Very well written.
5- Biohazard – Urban Discipline, monumental in the sound and vocal patterns/deliveries. Definitely a very influential record that you hear a lot from today.

The list of course could go on and on, I feel these particular records have played key roles in shaping the sound of "NYHC" influenced HC today, and the sound of Violation without question. I think you can hear a lot of influences from these albums in this style of hardcore today. More so than some obvious other classics, Breakdown, Agnostic Front, etc…


Sepultura - "Arise" or "Chaos AD"? Why? What do you think about the latest stuff?

Chaos AD, hands down. Arise is still a great record, a little more thrashy obviously, but Chaos AD has some serious bangers. NOMAD. Even the sepultribe techno remix songs are hard haha. Maybe I'm partial, I did smash my ipod, and Chaos AD is one of the few CDs laying around my car at the moment, so it's been on rotation a lot lately. We actually went on this wild sepultura safari vibe during the recording of Devoured. It involved me sampling like 10 different bongos/tribal drums for the "Devoured" instrumental track, but we decided to cut it at the end haha. Maybe we'll unleash it on the world some day ha

New Sepultura, that "A-Lex" shit? Wack lineup. I back Cavalera Conspiracy over some new Sepultura shit. Inflikted haha, that album is real hard, I dig it.


Best surfing spot?

I haven't been surfing all too much as of late, just because I've been going to school/working away from the beach most of the time. But I was a beach lifeguard over the summer along with Chris from Vio and a bunch of other friends, it was awesome. We surfed Carp Point and got paid to do it. Shout outs to Pete Abordi, Courtnay and the Brick kids for paddling out with us this summer. If you really wanna talk surf spots, you'd have to talk to our bassist Chris though ha, but I'd have to translate the slang... Tar Pitz shoal scared.


Metallica - "Ride The Lighting," "...And Justice For All" or "Master Of Puppets"? Favorite songs?

Oh man. Favorites, I'll just go with one off of each. Ride the Lightening – Ride the lightening, hard. Master of Puppets – Battery, probably for sentimental reasons aside from the fact that the song is good. …And Justice – Blackened, aside from the "Violation" note, the break is still insane. Lars drumming style matches the riff perfectly here, so hard. The Black album is unreal, sad but true, don't be fooled.


Any last comments?

Listen to DOWNPRESSER, listen to TAKE OFFENSE. Shout outs to SB/Ventura county, Chula Vista, NYC, Long Island, Richmond, Texas – we'll be there soon. Anyone who's supported us along the way, thanks. And thanks to you for the interview!

VIOLATION

ANOTHER YEAR GOES BY...

What's up! I wish everyone a good year. Take care of yourselves, your friends and families. We had a fucking good way to start the year at a sick party, it was straight up out of a movie, with big black girls dancing in circle and shit.

What was good in 2008?

There was Only Living Witness in Mass (we almost flipped on the highway after the show because of some dumb motherfuckers who threw us a huge cone,) Biohazard and Killing Time the same fucking day in NYC, it was a good one. This Is Hardcore was sick, can't wait for 2009. Sick Of It All, Madball, DBD, WIC and Terror, DBD, Trapped Under Ice tours were both awesome. Also, the Strife reunion. It was like 98 again.


I was also on tour for a month and half in the USA in March and April. This was one of the craziest experiences of my life, I wish I could do this more often. If you are into Death Metal, check my boys in Beneath The Massacre.


We printed the first issue of the Lifers zine, and we are very proud about it. We sold almost 300 copies to date. We've got a few issues left, you can still hit us up if you want a copy. We are still looking for distro overseas. Europe, Japan, Mexico, and Australia, get at us now!

lifersmontreal@gmail.com

Look out for Issue 2 (and maybe 3) in the upcoming year.

The Lifers shirts are coming too. Like we said, we're trying to get them for the end of January, we got lots of crazy ideas. Hugo is a madman for doing designs, so keep your eyes open for more designs soon (if you need him for anything, hit him up hugogee@gmail.com.) We will also do a collaboration with Mission Merch sometime. World moves fast, baby.

Top 3 LPs
Violation - Devoured : It was my favorite LP of the year for sure. Everything about this release is nearly perfect.
Cold World - Dedicated To Babies Who Came Feet First. Good vibe, the entire album flows so well.
Terror - The Damned, The Shamed : They are on some next level shit, always touring the world. Vogel for president.


Top 3 EPs
Trapped Under Ice - Stay Cold/Bitter End - Self Titled : Two of the hardest/most talented bands right now, tied for first.
Reign Supreme - American Violence : I'm pretty sure their next full length will be in my top of '09.
Borrowed Time/Sons of Disgrace : Do yourself a favor and get this as soon as possible.

Tremblay

THE BEST RAP OF 2008

As years passes by, I feel like I have less interest in most current rap releases. Aside from a few exceptions, which should I bother finding some dope new records when I can listen to "4,5,6" or "Ridin' Dirty" on repeat? Well I guess 2008 was kind of a good year for rap cause I listened to a lot 2008 shit this year, even though I slept on tons of stuff as usual. Has anybody listened to Q-Tip's album? I sure didn't. I also remembered that I didn't even listened to the new Scarface more than 2 times. Even though there were some serious deceptions (Nas' "Untitled" fiasco and GZA's weak "Pro Tools"), some of our favorite artists helped us gain some confidence on the current state of rap.

This year we saw some crazy rap shows, most notably KRS-One, Public Enemy, GZA and Smif n Wessun. The only downsides: I missed Sean Price's set because I took a late nap, and we learned that the Big Daddy Kane show was cancelled the day before. One thing is for sure, rap shows in Montreal are great.

There was also a lot of bullshit released this year, like every year. Kanye West became the biggest joke. If I hear one more tune with people singing in "auto-tune" I will go insane. One thing I don't get though is the incredible Lil Wayne hype. I mean, even my bosses 14 years old daughter is a huge Lil Wayne fan. Who would have thought that one day he would become the #1 favorite rapper amongst hipster-art-fags and 14 years-old teenagers? He's probably going to die of a coke overdose soon so who gives a fuck. It also looks like 2009 should be a promising year, especially because of that Slaughterhouse supergroup. Looking forward to hear that... But for now, here are some of our picks for the best rap releases of 2008.

Nas & DJ Green Lantern - The Nigger Tape (Unknown 2008)

When this mixtape dropped, our hopes for "Untitled" aka "Nigger" were pushed to the next level. Unfortunately, Nas latest full-lenght was a big pile of shit, especially compared to the quality of "The Nigger Tape." Want Nas rapping over hard beats? Nas rapping like it's 1995 again? This mixtape is for you. Seriously I hadn't been that psyched in a while when I got my hands on this tape. I'm pretty sure most heads were terribly let down by "Untitled", thanks to Green Lantern to give us a little faith in Nas again. "Gangster Rap" remix, "Cops Keep Firing", "N.I.G.G.E.R.", "Esco Let's Go", "Black President"... NY rap at it's finest. What about the remake of "In the Ghetto" featuring Joell Ortiz? Pure dopeness. There isn't much to say to about this tape other than "It's amazing." Get it if you're into Nas rapping over hard beats.

The P Brothers - The Gas (Heavy Bronx Recordings 2008)

Here it is, the rap album of the year. No shit. Who would've thought that the NY rap album of the year would've been produced by an English duo? The P Brothers, DJ Ivory and Paul S, straight out of Nottingham, England, have produced a NY rap masterpiece. With the vocal help from some of NY's finest current rappers, they managed to create the album us heads were waiting for. An album that contains 4 Boss Money featurings? Where do I sign? As the album opens to the words "That's some cold ass shit...", you know the album's gonna be worth your money. Smooth yet hard NY rap, the kind of stuff we're craving for. There isn't an "ok" track on this mother, every song has a vibe of it's own and just flows so well. From the smooth bass line-driven "Outta Control" featuring The UN's Roc Marciano to the old school space rap banger "Digital B-Boy" featuring Milano, the album has beats that will surely please any rap heads. The songs that stick out the most for me are definitely the Boss Money ones. Two of them were released on vinyl before, the amazing "New Religion" and "Blam Blam For Notthingham," which may be one of the hardest rap songs in recent years. The other two, "Cold World" and "Boss Money Gangsters," definitely live up to the dopeness of their previous work with the P Brothers. Buying this album is a no-brainer, period.

Johnson & Jonson - Self-Titled (Tres Records 2008)

Los Angeles' Blu is a rapper I read a lot about in the past years but only decided to check out earlier this year. He released the great "Below The Heavens" LP, which contained some serious bangers and great production by his dj, Exile. Blu is definitely a top-notch lyricist and rapper, not in a Kool G Rap way, but more in a Native Tongues kind of way. Now this album here, "Johnson & Jonson," is the collaboration between Blu and producer Mainframe, and let me tell you something about it: If you like your rap simple and filled with quality breaks (which half of them you probably never heard before), this is your new favorite album. Beat-wise, this album is great. All beats are simple and groovy, no over-the-top production, no sped-up soul samples, no cheap internet 808 wav files, just quality break beats and dusty grooves. Lyrically, Blu is not abstract nor is he basic, he just shows his natural writing skills and flow abilities."You ain't half-man/half-amazin, you half-man/half-RuPaul." Some favorites: "Up All Night," "Get The Name Straight" (which contains a sample previously heard on Tim Dog's "I'll Wax Anybody", Ghostface's "The Grain" and many others,) "The Oath" and the soulful "In The Building."

Pete Rock - NY's Finest (Caroline Records 2008)

Soul Brother #1 newest effort is his first since 2004, and it felt good to get a new PR album. He still has it, no doubt. The album opens with "We Roll" and features none other than Jim Jones and Max B. Honestly, this is my favorite track on the album. The beat is just laid back and makes you feel cool. This is by far the best Dipset/Pete Rock collaboration to date. Pete still has it on the mic too ("The game ain't changed but only the players / Religion ain't changed but only the prayers") and outshines both mc's. The other definitive banger is "914" and features Styles P and Sheek Louch, and will probably make you pump up your volume. I don't care if it's 2008, I still want to hear the "It's A New Day" break and the "UFO" intro in rap songs. Thanks to Pete Rock for keeping it hard. The album has some great featurings (Redman, Royal Flush, Raekwon, Masta Killa, Papoose and Lords of the Underground most notably) and few mediocre tracks. I believe the only track on the album that has been leaked before is the amazing "The PJ's," so if you're in need of some new PR fire, get your hands on this.

Kool G Rap - Half A Klip (Chinga Chang 2008)

More than 20 years later, the Godfather is still doing his thing and is still one of the greatest(Top 5) of all-time. While his two last non-mixtape releases were mediocre at best, "Half A Klip" is a little step-up from his last work. I guess I'm used to hear the Don rapping on great beats, and this one has a couple of them. The opening track, "Risin' Up" is definitely one of my favorites this year. The kind of song I could listen to 50 times in a row without getting bored. The other stand-out track is "With A Bullet," which is basically the first verse from "#1 With A Bullet" from "Live and Let Die," on a neat Marley Marl production. I was definitely hoping for Big Daddy Kane to come in but no dice. The only real bad song on this one is "Turn It Out." Unfortunately the album sounds more like it's a compilation, considering the fact that the recording quality really differs from one track to another. The Domingo version of "What's More Realer Than That" is good, but definitely weaker than Premo's. Overall an ok album but still, it's Kool G Rap.

Buckshot & 9th Wonder - The Formula (Duck Down Records 2008)

The second collaboration lp from Bucktown's veteran Buckshot and NC's 9th Wonder sounds exactly like what you think it sounds. While I'm not the biggest fan of 9th Wonder's production, the dude kind of created a sound of his own and I gotta give credits where it's due. I think the album sounds a little "cheesier" than it's predecessor, "Chemistry," but don't get me wrong, it does sound good. If you still dig sped-up Soul samples and hand-claps, you're gonna love the beats on this one. Buckshot is great as usual, his flow is more laid back than ever and just sounds great on 9th's beats. There is few skippable songs but the great ones definitely catch up. "Go All Out," "No Future," "Man Listen" & "Shinin Yall" are my favorites. It's cool that Buckshot is still releasing stuff and touring, but I wish he would just go back and work with the Beatminerz again. If you were into "Chemistry" you should get into this.

Sadat X - Generation X (Affluent Records 2008)

His first album since his little up-north trip, Sadat X is back with a release that sounds a little less "rushed" than his last one, "Black October." I really enjoyed "Black October" but I think this one is definitely more solid. 17 songs, 1 skit and quality almost front to back. The album was all produced by Will Tell, who I haven't really heard about before, and he did a great job. "This Is Your Life" talks about his early days in the rap game and is a great, honest track. Sadat rapping on "It's A Demo"? Awesome. With the exception of the bad "Think Simple", the album is filled with quality beats. Sadat is more comfortable on the mic than ever and old fans will appreciate. There's also a concept track about the making of the album, "Sweat," and it's definitely one of the best songs I've heard this year. The beat for "Make It Happen" easily could have been on "Wild Cowboys," it's good to hear Sadat rhyme on that kind of beats again. That good NY rap we love still exists, this album is a proof.

Jake One - White Van Music (Rhymesayers Ent. 2008)

Here's a release that kind of went unnoticed this year. Producer Jake One teamed up with a bunch of crazy and diverse guests (M.O.P., Posdnuos, MF Doom, Prodigy, Casual, Young Buck and Busta Rhymes to name a few) to release an album I haven't really heard about (not that I'm really digging for new rap albums.) I'm not really familiar with the dude's work and while I can't say that I'm impressed by his production skills, there is no doubt that he's definitely a good one. This album also features tons of talented emcees and has a roster that will please most rap fans. My favorite james on this one are "Home" feat. Vitamin D and some other dudes, "Glow" featuring Elzhi and Royce Da 5'9" and "Get 'Er Done" featuring MF Doom. While I don't blame myself for not jocking this album this year, it's a good one and will probably give it a few spins in the future.

Bangers of 2008:

The P Brothers feat. Boss Money - Cold World


Nas - Esco Let's Go


Statik Selektah feat. Skyzoo, Joell Ortiz and Talib Kweli - Talkin' Bout You (Ladies)


Slaughterhouse - Onlsaught


Buckshot & 9th Wonder - Go All Out


Kool G Rap - Risin' Up


Johnson & Jonson - Up All Night


Sadat X - Sweat


-Hugo