Pete Rock
PeteStrumentals

Fresh off the heels of producing for other New Orleans West Bank artists such as Bust Down and Mobo Records,  “True 2 Da Game!” is the first full-length album from legendary New Orleans hip-hop pioneer Ice Mike.  The follow-up to his 1991 debut as a solo artist is almost entirely self-produced (except for some co-production with DJ Lowdown & 8-ball The DJ). The writing, production, scratching, mixing, concepts, vocal and edit arrangements, piano and drum overdubs, and performances were all done by one man - Ice Mike. This feat is more impressive considering Ice Mike arranged and spliced the studio masters by hand with a razor blade and splicing tape, resulting in a level of mixing and editing that most couldn’t achieve until digital software was invented for computers.The tracklist has been re-arranged and improved. An extra track has been added and the last 2 tracks of the original tracklist have been replaced. The love song "Good 2 U" and the shoutout outro "Atdasamtyme!" have been cut. Here's what Ice Mike had to say about "Good 2 U": "We were experimenting. I was the wrong artist to record it. Good song but, at the time I was recording all my ideas and back then i was trying to fill up the tape minutes as much as possible for the people with music in their mitsubishi trucks and somehow chose that one."The Album also introduces Jr. Mack, Da Playa Bum & Kock Desil as "The Disturbed Young Hustlaz" on the the hard hitting "Still A WestBank Thang". This track received radio play back in the days and was used at live shows but never actually made it to an album due to street beef. "I Got Game" which originally was the B-Side of the "Doin' My Thang" 12" was added as well and then we have another previously unreleased gem called "Bad Attitude" which will surely please everyone.From the raw raps on ‘Flow Down’ and ‘Bring Da Heat’, to the Pimptations-esque precursors ‘Fnalluslipnikkashoes’ and ‘Da Mack Game’, to the lyrically literal dope rhymes in ‘Man-N-Da-Hole’, “True 2 Da Game!” is an album packing a variety of concepts presented with polished analog production. For the first time on vinyl, this edition will come housed in a beautiful gatefold edition and will be limited to only 250 copies. There will be 100 copies on transparent yellow vinyl and 150 copies on black vinyl.

Eight years after their self-titled debut on Stones Throw, Quakers are back with Quakers II: The Next Wave. 50 minutes, 33 tracks, 31 rappers, 3 producers, one album. Quakers is an evolving collective consisting of music makers: Supa K (Katalyst), 7STU7 and Fuzzface (Geoff Barrow) as executive producer, along with an ever-expanding cast of MCs they invite along on the adventure.Since the 2012 release of Quakers’ debut LP, “Katalyst has evolved into Supa K, 7STU7 has taken up intergalactic smuggling, and Fuzzface only communicates telepathically, silently overseeing the Quakers operation from afar.” True to the group’s collaborative spirit, the three producers invite over thirty rappers from the Stones Throw stable and beyond to contribute to Quakers II: The Next Wave.The new wave of Quakers MCs includes The Koreatown Oddity, Guilty Simpson, Sampa the Great,  Jonwayne, Jeremiah Jae, Chester Watson, Boog Brown, and many more.  All adding their weight to the sonic arsenal.Much like Quakers’ self-titled debut, The Next Wave is loud, unapologetic and blunted. It’s also more explicitly political, with songs that speak directly to systemic corruption, racism, and the climate crisis. The artwork for The Next Wave, created by graphic novel artist Joe Currie, reflects this renewed focus on “interplanetary eco battles.”“The project has evolved organically, similar to last time,” explains Supa K, but “the world has changed and the music reflects that. We’ve all had enough of the global corruption and all those profiting from it.”Quakers leave us with this quote from the late, great Left Rev McD: “We have killed the very earth beneath our feet, yet we still kill each other and talk of the future.” The time for change is now.

Black Milk's sixth solo rap album, and his first since 2014's If There's a Hell Below, FEVER combines pointed and topical lyrics and brilliant musicianship, including percussion from all-star musicians Chris “Daddy” Dave (D'Angelo, Adele, Justin Bieber) and Daru Jones (Jack White), bass by long-time collaborator Malik Hunter, and keys and guitar/bass from newcomers Ian Fink and Sasha Kashperko, respectively. Black Milk evolves his production style of fusing electronic, soul, rock and other soundscapes with electronic programming and live music, a method he began experimenting with on his 2010 release Album of the Year. A cohesive 12-track project, listening to FEVER evokes the feeling of scrolling through an endless news feed, finding Black Milk reporting and commenting on the world's problems with empathy, clarity, and wit. Additional vocals from Dwele, Aaron "Ab" Abernathy, and Sudie (a producer / vocalist signed to Black Milk’s Computer Ugly label) serve to juxtapose Black’s heavy lyrical content with airy vibes.