Truly, the heartbeat of Hip-Hop throbs its strongest within the underground. Certainly, one may find pulses in the commercial mainstream; however, the aorta of this culture will invariably be in its unchartered: the fringe purists— as well as experimentalists— vowing never to relinquish the true essence of the art. At least, this is what LUGERLEX’s upcoming long-player, “MONKEY DUST”, communicates, being an eleven-track boom-bap pilgrimage into the catacombs of psychedelic rap. You have never heard the unorthodox and conventional so seamlessly blended as you will on this LP. Masterfully, the San Jose, Californian producer marries trippy and off-kilter samples (as well as melodies) with the dirtiest drum loops imaginable, giving birth to a literal acid trip of sound. The guests on this compilation will not save you from its plateaus, either. They are the harbingering hallucinations phasing in and out of the thirty-five minute trip with haunting, inexorable rhymes. Jak Progresso, Labal-S, Leeroy Destroy, LoDeck, C-Rayz Walz, and Boxguts— every emcee featured on this album makes monsters of their creations. They proffer cuts such as “Little Shermaid”, “Nod Skwad”, “Opium Smoke”, “Cid Vicious”, and “Sapo Scripture”; all supremely dark, yet organic Hip-Hop records that will spiral you further down the psychedelic rabbit hole. “MONKEY DUST” is one of those albums you may not have been searching for, but will surely be glad you found. When it does officially drop, everyone will be helplessly addicted to what LUGERLEX and his palette of guests have to offer.
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