It’s very easy for me to say that El-P has re-invented the wheel twice in the Hip-Hop game. The first time he did it was with Fantastic Damage (One of the best debuts ever?), and without a question he did it again on I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. Don’t get me wrong, I love both albums as much as you possibly could, I just think Fantastic Damage has a slight edge on ISWYD. The dark, hard hitting, brain hemorrhaging beats on this album are some of the most crazy concoctions my ear drums have ever had the pleasure of discovering. To me it’s no wonder that people were waiting for I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead with such anticipation… they new it was going to be a classic because of Fantastic Damage. Continue reading
Archive for Cage
Wild Style Wednesday Review: El-P, Fantastic Damage
Posted in Music Reviews, Wildstyle Wednesdays with tags Cage, Camu Tao, Def Jux, El-P, Fantastic Damage, I'll Sleep When You're Dead, Star Wars, Vast Aire on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 by Tim AlthausShia LaBeouf Talks About Directing for Cage
Posted in Media, Video with tags Cage, I Never Knew You, Shia LaBeouf on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 by Tim AlthausMan when the fuck is that Cage biopic piece coming out? I really want to see what Shia can do. I caught this one on Cage’s Twitter just a little bit ago. This is a nice video interview with Shia LaBeouf discussing why he directed for Cage on the video for “I Never Knew You”, and why he thinks it’s special. These guys definitely chose an interesting setting for the interview (a gun range?), and it almost (to me) adds a little bit of humor.
Vast Aire Wages the “Battle of the Planets”
Posted in Audio, Downloads with tags Beef, Cage, Camu Tao, Def Jux, El-P, Genisis, Vast Aire on Monday, August 10, 2009 by Tim Althaus
If you haven’t been paying attention to the beef-radar lately, Vast Aire released a diss track towards Cage and the rest of Def Jux. All of this rivalry going on has to do with the unfortunate passing of Camu Tao. Cage outed Vast very harshly about how his relations really stood with Camu, and this track apparently was Vast’s response. It really saddens me to see all this bullshit beef going on in the Hip-Hop community, it’s really the last thing that we need right now.
On a related side note, I got an e-mail on my Blackberry last night about El-P’s newest blog post on MySpace. It is pretty much all about Vast and the whole Camu situation, and if you have a moment to spare I would highly recommend you check it out here.
Download: Vast Aire, “Battle of the Planets” (Feat. Genisis)
Spotted @ 2DopeBoyz
Cage Asks You To “Look at What You Did”
Posted in Audio, Downloads with tags Cage, Carboard City, Depart From Me, Look at What You Did, Nothing Left To Say, Sean Martin on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 by Tim Althaus
I was excited to jump on my Twitter account and discover that Cage leaked another track off of Depart From Me. This track is called “Look at What You Did” and it is produced by Sean Martin of the Carboard City crew. The production is very heavy and sound similar to “Nothing Left To Say” when it kicks in. The synth in this track may cave your chest in if you play it too loud (literally) and the guitar strums make for a very nice touch. As usual, Palko spits his eerie flow very well over this beat, and makes me anticipate his new album even more.
Download: Cage, “Look at What You Did” (Prod. By Sean Martin)
Yak Ballz On Tour With Cage, Releasing New EP
Posted in Audio, Concert Dates, Music News with tags Cage, Carboard City, Def Jux, Depart From Me, Gas Galaxy EP, Yak Ballz on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 by Tim Althaus
Brooklyn emcee and Carboard City native Yak Ballz will be releasing a new EP entitled Gas Galaxy EP later this year. Gas Galaxy EP will be Yak’s first offering on the Def Jux record label. He is also going on a 25 city tour with fellow Def Jux native Cage who also has a new album, Depart From Me, coming out on July 7th. They will be hitting up 25 cities on the tour starting in Brooklyn & ending in Providence, Rhode Island. You can listen to the title track from Gas Galaxy EP here, and follow me after the jump for the tour dates coming to a city near you. Continue reading
Wild Style Wednesday Review: Cage, Hell’s Winter
Posted in Wildstyle Wednesdays with tags Cage, Darryl Palumbo, Def Jux, El-P, hell's winter, Movies For The Blind, Rjd2, The Weathermen on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 by Tim Althaus
Hell’s Winter might be one of the best label debuts I’ve ever heard. Hell’s Winter is Cage’s sophomore album, and it saw him coming into a different light than Movies For The Blind, and all I can say is that this album is really fucking impressive. Cage rhymes about some of the most insane shit that I’ve ever heard, but the crazy part is that he has actually lived most of it. Def Jux as a label has put out a lot of really good material, but this album might be the best. This album makes for one hell of a violently vicious view inside of Cage’s mind. Continue reading
Download Cage’s Free EP, I Never Knew You
Posted in Downloads, Media with tags Cage, Depart From Me, I Never Knew You EP on Monday, May 18, 2009 by Tim Althaus
I finally got the download link for this album when I checked my MySpace for the first time in about two weeks. It’s over at the MTV2 Subterranean Blog, and unfortunately you have to download each track individually, not as a whole album. Although I feel as though the individual track download is kind of bogus, I don’t think that the EP is going to be the same. Make sure you download this FREE EP, and also go out and get Depart From Me when it drops in July.
Download: I Never Knew You EP
Cage Talks With Hip Hop Official
Posted in Media, Video with tags Cage, Depart From Me, hell's winter, Hip-Hop Official on Monday, May 18, 2009 by Tim AlthausVodpod videos no longer available.
Hip Hop Official had the chance to sit down and interview Cage after the Paid Dues Festival last month. The topics that are discussed in this video are awesome. Cage is one of the most interesting guys on the Indie Hip Hop scene and this interview totally shows it. He talks about what Depart From Me is going to be about as far as concept, as well as what the production is going to sound like. He talks about Hell’s Winter album a lot and how Depart From Me is going to be different. Check this one out guys, Cage is one hell of an interesting guy.
Cage, “I Never Knew You” (Video)
Posted in Media, Video with tags Cage, Depart From Me, I Never Knew You, Shia LaBeouf on Monday, May 18, 2009 by Tim AlthausVodpod videos no longer available.
Here is Cage’s newest video off his I Never Knew You EP which is supposedly due out today (Monday). I discovered this video today thanks to the homie Shake over @ 2Dopeboyz. The video is directed by the one and only Shia LaBeouf who also makes a cameo in the video. I will have Cage’s free EP up for you guys when it comes out later today.
Cage to Offer a Slew of Material
Posted in Music News with tags Cage, Def Jux, Depart From Me, El-P, I Never Knew You, Shia LaBeouf on Friday, February 20, 2009 by Tim Althaus
Cage standing in front of the very Mental Hospital he was once incarcerated in.
It appears as though your favorite wierdo indie Hip-Hop emcee, Cage, is going to be dropping a wealth of material in the months to come. His follow up to 2005’s classic Hell’s Winter, Depart From Me is dropping on June 30th via Def Jux. You may say, “Wow Tim… That’s a hell of a long time to wait for another album from Cage.” My answer to that statement is, “Well thank god for all of us, he is going to be dropping an EP this spring.”
The EP is going to be called I Never Knew You and it is going to contain seven tracks. Of course, Shia LaBeouf will be directing the video for the EP’s title track. As some of you may recall, Shia & Cage are supposed to be working on a biopic of Cage’s life. I’ve been looking all over for updates on the movie because Cage has had one of the craziest lives that you could ever imagine.
I can personally tell you that Depart From Me is a release that I have been itching for the last couple of years. Hell’s Winter was an instant classic and I think Cage is one of the most talented individuals on the Def Jux roster. By the way things look, Cage could dominate 2009. Make sure you watch out for this material because it is sure to please, and of course watch for the review at Mind Inversion once the material is out. Also, if you didn’t already check my man Erik’s post of the lead single “Nothing Left To Say”, which was produced by El-Producto, here.
MIND INVERSION 