Siah and Yeshua DapoED - The Visualz Anthology (2008)

New York-based indy-hip hop pioneers. They released their 1996 debut The Visualz EP on Bobbito Garcia’s highly regarded label Fondle ‘Em Records. Most of the beats and rhythms that drive these songs are very rooted in jazz. The duo also pretty much had a hand in the excellent production that was handled by Jon Adler too. The whole thing just oozes with creativity. It has that New York feel to it, but they make then entirety of The Visualz sound like their own. Both MC's have their own distinct style, so there is plenty of variety.

The biggest stand out feature of this album is the song "A Day Like Any Other" that clocks at 11 minutes and changes beats and tempo for a change really making it an adventure. This album is a real gem of an underground Hip-Hop album.

Although it's really a compilation, but shhh.

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Boho Fau & Elevated Soul - Coffee House Swinger (2010)

Free rap album with a lot of soul and jazz influences, produced entirely by Elevated Soul, who provide one of the jazziest hip hop experiences I've ever had. Boho Fau tells tales of chasing girls and drinking tea with a basic but enjoyable style. One of the best parts of the album are the choruses, which are surprisingly catchy, and soulful as well. With a short runtime of under 40 minutes, the cover, and the music itself, the whole thing gives off a vibe like it was released decades ago. As the title would imply, it has a very coffeehouse feel. Extremely mellow and laid back, and Boho Fau complements the mellow jazzy tones of the instrumentals perfectly with his smoothness and "mature black male" personality. He's a little corny on paper, but in the actual music he pulls it off very well and a little humor is added, making him pretty hard to not like.

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