Various ArtistsI respect Sassbologna, they do their own thing and help spread the art of music. I thought the label would limit itself to only releasing grind/thrash type bands, so when I got this hip hop mixtape I was pleasantly surprised.
There are 11 artists featured and 13 total tracks total. Most of the artists are spread out across the US and one from the UK. Some are better than others, some are actually quite enjoyable (check the songs worthy of replay) and some are downright dookie but their isn't many mixtapes out there that aren't like this. But I will say this, their isn't any stupid bravado shit on any of the tracks, all of the MC's seem to keep it legit without talking about fake gangster shit. This definitely has an indie feel to it, which I appreciate. I will say, the Broken Sound Blvd is easily the best shit, they got a real feel good vibe, new school beats with old school flows.
The production on this obviously varies from track to track because each artist had to handle their own recording. It's too arduous of a task for me to through each track individually but for the most part the quality is low budget. Some are worse than others but I've heard much worse.
The packaging comes in a nice DIY-handmade cassette package. The cover has three dudes listening to a boom-box that are simply outlined in black over a white background. Pretty basic, didn't really do it for me. The inside has very little information about the artists, just a simple tracklist and myspace addresses. The cassette was professionally pressed on a white cassette with red ink, with a number stamped on the top.
Rating: 2.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Smash Moody-Damnesia, Broken Sound Blvd-Follow These Directions and Afterthought-Building Blocks, Amable-Jolt (instrumental)
Thesis: I don't know how essential these tracks are, because some are pretty whack, straight up but they are some tracks that have piqued my interest. Like the above tracks mentioned, and the instrumental beats by Repercussion (no relation to the band). Check out Sassbologna.com for more info and some Mp3's.