Rhymesayers Archives

Listen To Aesop Rock’s Next Album While Watching A Shot-For-Shot Remake Of “The Shining”

Since the late 1990s, Aesop Rock has been an artist in every since of the word. The Long Island, New York MC, poet, and visual artist has tackled multiple mediums in a career that includes six solo albums, as well as work with the Weathermen, The Uncluded, and Hail Mary... Read more

April 25, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Atmosphere Heat Up An 8-Year Old Album Cut With Solar-Powered Technology (Video)

Atmosphere released "Sunshine" back in 2007, but the Minneapolis duo have proven there is no expiration date for innovation. Slug and Ant have released a music video for their popular Sad Clown Bad Summer 9 single, eight years after its release. The reason? The always forward-thinking Rhymesayers apparently saw an... Read more

August 7, 2015 Video

Brother Ali Makes An Incredibly Soulful Song About Love, Life & Suffering (Audio)

Brother Ali is a bull in the booth. From his government indictments to good ol' battle-rap bravado, the Twin Cities Rhymesayer can move the crowd through shock and awe with the microphone. However, the independent mainstay can also show a ton of vulnerability in his songs, and make the kind... Read more

July 1, 2015 Audio

Murs Evocatively Honors The Life Of A Late, Fellow Rhymesayer (Video)

With the release of Have A Nice A Life, Murs took a moment to remember Eyedea. While they were not frequent collaborators, Murray and Eyedea were label-mates throughout much of the 2000s at Rhymesayers Entertainment. While it's been almost five years since the man born Michael Larsen passed away, Murray uses... Read more

May 18, 2015 Video

Blueprint’s Writing & His Range Are Why He Is A King Without A Crown (Video)

Columbus, Ohio MC/producer Blueprint just released King, No Crown on his own Weightless label. The Soul Position/Greenhouse member is one of the enduring figures of the late '90s, early 2000s Underground Hip-Hop glory days. Still, while some of 'Print's close associates (RJD2, Slug) have garnered mainstream recognition and strong commercial... Read more

May 10, 2015 Video

Finding The GOAT (Round 4): Mos Def vs. MF DOOM…Who You Got?

We have now reached the critical Round 4 in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). With 21 MCs remaining (with the largest winning margin, Rakim receives a bye for the round), things are really coming down to 10 match-ups, leading AFH’s bracket-style series towards... Read more

April 16, 2015 Fresh

Blueprint Gives a Heartfelt Tribute to Eyedea (Video)

Blueprint is gearing up to release his fourth studio album, King No Crown on April 28 through Weightless Recordings. As a single off the album, he released a music video for the song "Great Eyedeas Never Die", a tribute to the late Eyedea who had passed away in 2010. Eyedea... Read more

April 15, 2015 Video

Blueprint Honors The Breakers While Kickin’ A Flow That Windmills On Its Own (Video)

"I may not ever see more cheddar than you, but I bet you I can windmill better than you." - 'Printmatic. MC/producer Blueprint gives props to the B-boys and B-girls of the world in "Just Move." Built around a charged jam that makes breakers want to build momentum, 'Print salutes... Read more

April 3, 2015 Video

Finding The GOAT (Round 3): Jay-Z vs. MF DOOM…Who You Got?

We have reached the third round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). With 42 MCs remaining, we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into... Read more

March 19, 2015 Fresh

Murs & Slug Serve Up a Reminder That They Wrote the Book For This Generation of MCs (Audio)

In addition to his many solo albums, Murs has released several noteworthy collaborative projects over the years. He's worked with 9th Wonder, Terrace Martin, Fashawn and, more recently, ¡Mayday!. However, one of his most frequent collaborators is Atmosphere's Slug. Together, Murs and Slug form Felt, and they've three albums with... Read more

March 5, 2015 Audio

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): MF DOOM vs. Elzhi…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

February 16, 2015 Fresh

Atmosphere Releases The 1995 Video That Got The Rhymesayers Goin’ & It’s Still Relevant (Video)

Now a chart-topping independent Hip-Hop juggernaut, Atmosphere had less glamorous beginnings. The Minneapolis, Minnesota crew centered around MC Slug and producer Ant had a lot of "Headshots" leading up to their studio debut, Overcast! In a benchmark year for Rhymesayers Entertainment, some of those rarely-discussed songs, tapes, and moments are... Read more

February 1, 2015 Throwback

Rhymesayers Is An Indie Juggernaut. 20 Years Deep, Atmosphere Looks Back (Video)

Today, Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Rhymesayers Entertainment has not only become a tall-standing music beacon within the Twin Cities, the label has recruited notable outsiders such as MF DOOM, Freeway, Jake One, Aesop Rock, Abstract Rude and Blueprint for releases. These days, RSE—like Strange Music, Rostrum, or TDE, knows how to rock... Read more

January 21, 2015 Video

Aesop Rock Unleashes Two Sinister New Songs Filled With Cynicism & Wordplay (Audio)

Aesop Rock's solo interests have been largely quieted since 2012's Skelethon album (which marked a charting pinnacle for the veteran). Focused on his Hail Mary Mallon crew, and other artistic interests, the Def Jukie-turned-Rhymesayer spent most of 2013 and 2014 in such a mind-frame. 2015 returns to form, directionally as... Read more

January 5, 2015 Audio, Fresh

Atmosphere Release a Visually-Arresting New Video for January on Lake Street (Video)

For a group that did not always have videos at their disposal in the '90s and early 2000s, Atmosphere's made up for lost time. The Rhymesayers Entertainment duo—which now includes a full band—released another Top 10 debut in 2015 in Southsiders. Slug and Ant are still working the LP. "January... Read more

January 2, 2015 Fresh, Video

Finding The GOAT: Murs vs. Ras Kass…Who You Got?

As we continue the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups in a sequence not... Read more

December 9, 2014 Fresh

It’s A Day In The Life For Dilated Peoples, Who Show Us The Way (Video)

The Dilated Peoples have shared their visual to the second single from the heralded Directors Of Photography album, the Aloe Blacc-assisted "Show The Way." The record follows the artists through a day-in-the-life, in search of the greater purpose. For the Evidence co-directed video, that idea is still at play. Ev,... Read more

November 4, 2014 Fresh, Video

After 15 Years Of Dope Tracks, A Jake One Beat Tape Beckons The Listen (Audio)

In addition to albums with Freeway, Brother Ali, and his own acclaimed White Van Music, Jake One's production discography extends back to the '90s, with heat alongside the likes of G-Unit, Evidence, Ghostface Killah, T.I., and Rick Ross. The veteran Seattle, Washington producer (once represented by Sha Money XL) has... Read more

October 27, 2014 Audio, Fresh, Mixes

Brother Ali’s Second Home Is The Road, Alongside Bambu & MaLLy (Audio)

If anybody can truly make songs about the road, it's a Rhymesayer. From Slug, to Murs, to Brother Ali, the collective of artists who work with the Minneapolis-based label know that playing to the fans is paramount. In sync with his new Home Away From Home Tour, Brother Ali links... Read more

September 15, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Is Atmosphere’s Slug The Ultimate Rap Dad? Check Out Southsiders (Video)

Released back in May, Atmosphere's seventh studio album Southsiders is the latest work from Slug and Ant's band. The Minneapolis, Minnesota duo's sound has greatly changed since their late 1990s Soul-sampling introduction, but Slug's witty wordplay, and constant homages to late '80s and early '90s Hip-Hop stay strong. The title... Read more

August 13, 2014 Fresh, Video

Blueprint Drops The Visual For One Of 2014’s Most Awakening Rap Songs, Perspective (Video)

If you're not up on Blueprint, now's as good of a time as any to familiarize yourself with the Columbus, Ohio veteran. The front-man for the Greenhouse crew, this MC/producer is also RJD2's partner in Soul Position, and a veteran artist down with the Rhymesayers collective. After conceptual works like... Read more

June 24, 2014 Fresh, Video

The Stepbrothers (Alchemist & Evidence) Have The Ultimate Showdown In Step Masters (Video)

Video director Jason Goldwatch worked with both Evidence and Alchemist separately at Decon, where both California natives dropped solo projects in recent years. Carrying that connection to Rhymesayers Entertainment, where as The Stepbrothers, the longtime homies and collaborators kept Jason in their arsenal for the captivating visual to "Step Masters."... Read more

November 19, 2013 Fresh, Video

Alchemist & Evidence Pay A Step Brothers Homage To Ron Carter (Audio)

“The beat kinda reminded me of 'We Are The World'—especially the drums. If you listen to 2:12 of 'We Are The World,' you will hear what I'm talking about. The rap style was inspired by a group called Big Fortune that recorded a classic album in 1987, but unfortunately had... Read more

October 30, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Brother Ali – Left In The Deck (Free Album)

Brother Ali's had a lot of opportunities at his disposal over the last decade. His 2003 album Shadows On The Sun was said to be made with four-track beats by Ant (of Atmosphere), and it goes down in history as one of my favorite albums of the 2000s. Revealing, vulnerable,... Read more

September 5, 2013 Fresh, Mixes