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On Backwoodz Studioz signing Doseone, K-the-iii? and other indie rap alums +reviews of Gabe 'Nandez and Richie Rich
At this point, it's become pretty clear that Backwoodz Studioz is harboring some serious Anticon and Mush Records love. It arguably begins with Blockhead, whose unique production and original compositions touched–and, in some cases, defined–several seminal labels including billy woods' one. 2013's Dour Candy put both New York City-based artists together for a full album, a feat more-or-less repeated for 2017's Known Unknowns. He's also dropped multiple solo albums there, the latest being 2023's The Aux, effectively giving him the Backwoodz equivalent of tenure.
That same year, Aesop Rock appeared as a guest on woods' Kenny Segal-produced Maps LP, a favor returned on the Mush alumnus' own Integrated Tech Solutions for Rhymesayers. That said, it wasn't the first time that those two had worked together. Longtime woods listeners will recall Dour Candy's "Tumbleweed" and Known Unknowns' "Wonderful," but also "U-Boats" on 2015's Today, I Wrote Nothing, an album which also boasted a few choice Blockhead beats.
Still, some more recent releases on Backwoodz help to make a stronger case beyond deep-seated Float fandom. Last year, the label's other dynamic duo ShrapKnel teamed up with Controller 7, a fixture from Anticon's glory days and maybe the only guy that has Buck 65's current phone number, to make Nobody Planning To Leave. That album happened to feature a verse from Open Mike Eagle, who notably released his full-length debut Unapologetic Art Rap via Mush way back in 2010. (Despite not being on the roster, per se, OME popped up on such Backwoodz records as Armand Hammer's Race Music and woods' History Will Absolve Me.)
Next came K-the-i???, with 2024's late entry Genuine Dexterity. Produced by the aforementioned Segal, the album marked the Los-Angeles-by-way-of-Cambridge rapper's most notable release since his Mush era effectively ended with 2008's Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow. Beyond demonstrating his endurance as an emcee, his integration with the Backwoodz family felt natural rather than forced. And just this month, Doseone showed that his own sui generis style also suited this contemporary scene, all but solidifying the Brooklyn label's place within a wider indie hip-hop lineage.
On surprise drop All Portrait, No Chorus, the erstwhile cLOUDDEAD dude and native Intermountain Westerner partners with prolific leftfield producer Steel Tipped Dove, oddly resulting in something altogether unique when measured against either artist's priors. There's always been a grimy poetry to what Doseone does, meted out in phlegmy dollops here from atmospheric opener "That Work" on. But more life means more opportunities to gaze into the abysses, and he does precisely that with "Ta Da" and the unsettlingly animated "Inner Animal." Dove's beats here fall somewhere between Griselda and Kompakt, lushly dissonant on the piano plodder "Restaurant Not" and insatiably minimal on the Bomb Squad cratered "No Cops."
On the guest front, Backwoodz familiar Open Mike Eagle provides ice cold comfort and crisp contrast on "Went Off," while woods half-emerges from the studio shadows like Colonel Kurtz to Captain Willard on the nominally apocalyptic "Wasteland Embrace." Antipop Consortium's M. Sayyid adds another offbeat layer with his part on the existential horrorcore jam "Dial Up," his unexpected feature opening a potential door to his very own Backwoodz entry... maybe.
Richie Rich, Richard
Most people familiar with Richie Rich likely best know the Oakland rapper for his features on 2Pac's All Eyez On Me. Nearly three decades since his major label solo debut Seasoned Veteran, the emcee's voice has since changed, deepened really, into a gratifyingly grizzled baritone for his latest album Richard. In line with the regional sound of his city, the ten track effort bounces with intent, a platform for the local doyen's hustle tales and knowledge bombs. He swiftly establishes his street bonafides on opening pair "Squirrel" and "Tie The Game In A Knot," the latter a litany of rude brags and finger wags. Reasserting his role in the culture, he summarizes his automotive prowess on "Wires N Vogues" and broadens the imposing scope of his rep on the gospel-tinged "Prolific." Demonstrating restraint and grace in aging, longtime peer E-40 and Delinquents rapper V. White join him in extolling healthier lifestyles, shrewder moves, and superior smoke on "We Different." On "Back From Aspen," guests Larry June and Curren$y–two artists who benefit from Rich's righteous legacy–express mutual admiration all around.
Gabe 'Nandez, The Skirmish Compilation
New York's current rap underground sometimes feels packed to the point of (over)crowding, yet the ever-consistent Gabe 'Nandez always ensures that his projects are a proverbial cut above. While not a proper album, The Skirmish Compilation lives up to its title and then some, with nine songs from a half dozen producers offering him diverse foundations to rhyme upon. He spits with confidence in his cleverness on "Semtex" and "Templar," the latter's references so densely packed that you'll be digging up your copy of Ghostface's Pretty Toney Album just to see what track 17 was. (It's "Run" with Jadakiss, FYI.) "Snake Oil" invokes a revolutionary spirit, slashing and burning through the facade of an absent American dream. Awful Records refugee Archibald Slim joins his POW Recordings labelmate on two cuts, "Howl" and the cunning "Seance."
Three new tracks to snack on...
Niambi, "No Budget"
John Glacier, "Ocean Steppin (feat. Sampha)"
FearDorian & POLO PERKS, "Floor Tom"
