Camu Tao

Resurrecting a MHz Legacy: RJD2 and Tage Future chase inspiration in “Out of Room”

MHz Legacy: s/tMHz Legacy: MHz Legacy (Man Bites Dog, 10/30/12)

MHz was a Columbus, Ohio, hip-hop collective made up of RJD2, Jakki da Motamouth, the late Camu Tao, Tage Future (née Proto), and Copywrite. After the release of Table Scraps in 2001, another record was long rumored but never seemed to come. The 2008 death of Tao seemed to put an end to the idea.

However, last year the group reunited and rebranded as MHz Legacy to release an eponymous debut album to much acclaim. Featuring all the other original members, and guest spots from Slug, Danny Brown, Ill Bill, and more, it proved that the group had more to say.

Interview: Aesop Rock on death, the rap scene, and being “old and weird”

Aesop Rock: Skelethon (Rhymesayers, 7/10/12)

“Zero Dark Thirty”

Aesop Rock: “Zero Dark Thirty”

Rap, understandably, always has placed an emphasis on lyrics, but most rappers are content to find the cleverest way to proclaim their sexual prowess and/or ability to rap well and call it a day. Rapper Aesop Rock (born Ian Bavitz), a veteran of now-defunct label Definitive Jux, doesn’t aim so low, shoving allusions, metaphors, and symbols into a motley band of verbosity that’s unmatched in hip hop. This is rap on hard mode. Don’t expect to understand everything he says on first listen (or tenth), a fact that’s earned him both praise and contempt. Case in point: one of the biggest selling points of a 2005 EP was a fat book of his collected lyrics. He returned this past July on Rhymesayers with Skelethon.

ALARM's 50 Favorite Songs of 2012

ALARM’s 50 (+5) Favorite Songs of 2012

Last month ALARM presented its 50 favorite albums of 2012, an eclectic, rock-heavy selection of discs that were in steady rotation in our downtown-Chicago premises. Now, to give some love to tunes that were left out, we have our 50 (+5) favorite songs of last year — singles, B-sides, EP standouts, soundtrack cuts, and more.