Hiero meets Fight Club. All of the crew makes an appearance, but only A-Plus, Casual and Pep Love drop verses. Dude, Casual’s looking rocked up in this one. Looks like he’s been doing a lot of cardio.
Directed by Paul Trillo and Andrew Georgopoulos of The No Problem. From the mixtape compilation Marvel vs. Capcom 2.
It’s been a little over ten years since Del, Souls of Mischief, Casual and producer Domino launched Hiero Imperium. So this summer, the crew will celebrate with the Freshly Dipped Tour, a summer-long trek through North America.
Oddly, at the moment, it looks like Del the Funky Homosapien, perhaps the best known Hiero member, will not be on the tour. However, everyone else will be there, including Pep Love (who joined the crew in 1998). In addition, they’ll bring along their new Hiero Imperium label mates, all whom dropped albums last year: Musab (former member of Atmosphere, who dropped the controversial The Slicks Box), Knobody (who issued Tha Clean Up) and Prince Ali (author of Curb Side Service). A non-affiliated group, critically-acclaimed Seattle duo Blue Scholars, will finish the bill. (June 17 update: Tanya Morgan has just been added to the show.)
Other treats to look out for include a new album from Souls of Mischief’s Opio, Vulture’s Wisdom, Vol. 1, set for release in July; a commemorative seven-inch single featuring Hiero and Blue Scholars; and the premiere of the collective’s new Hiero Jeans.
“We are putting this tour together to thank our fans for their years of loyal support, expose them to our new projects including our brand-new lifestyle line, Hiero Jeans, and to celebrate the ways that hip-hop style has influenced the fashion world,” says Tajai from Souls. He replaced Domino as Hiero Imperium’s CEO in 2006.
The Freshly Dipped Tour promises lots of good hip-hop, but Del will be missed. Hopefully he’ll make it out to some of the dates. In the meantime, check out the current itinerary; as usual, I’ll update when more information becomes available.
It’s been a decade since the Hieroglyphics crew, quickly recovering from a series of failed major label deals, regrouped to form one of the most lasting and influential imprints in hip-hop. You can’t talk about the West Coast without mentioning Hiero and its crew of ace MCs — Del the Funky Homosapien, Souls of Mischief (A-Plus, Phesto, Opio and Tajai), Casual and Pep Love. (And you can’t forget producer and label manager Domino, either.)
To celebrate 10 years in the game, the mighty Hiero family have lined up a series of special projects. First comes Over Time, a compilation of B-sides and rarities. It actually dropped last Tues., March 20. Next up comes a spring jaunt featuring Souls of Mischief. The quartet will hit several East Coast and Canadian cities, wind through spring music festivals such as Signal Fest and A3C 2007, and pair up with underground vets Zeph & Azeem and Icon the Mic King, and Bukue One on select dates.
A-Plus will drop his solo debut My Last Good Deed on May 1. Finally, this may be the year when we finally get a new Del album.
But first, A-Plus‘ solo debut. In a press release, the Oakland rapper and producer says his solo debut marks the first time he’s been able to freely express himself. “I’ve never said anything this personal on a Souls of Mischief album before… ever,” he says. “When writing songs in a group, you have to keep everyone’s messages in a cohesive manner and that doesn’t always allow for each of our personalities to stand out.” In addition to his beats, A-Plus sought out J-Zone, Q-Tones and Jake One to add tracks.
In related news, Hieroglyphics recently signed a metal group, A Band Called Pain. The group’s album, Broken Dreams, drops on July 3.
Here’s the tour dates:
4/13-5/05: w/Bukue One
4/13, 4/18-4/24, 4/28, 4/30-5/04: w/Icon the Mic King
4/14: A3C Festival w/Collective Efforts, Black Milk, Binkis Recs, Kaze, Simple Complexity, Kenn Starr, Proton, Transistor Fist
4/18-4/22: w/Zeph & Azeem
4/28: Signal Fest w/Masta Ace, Wordsworth, DJ Flo Fader, Black Milk
www.hieroglyphics.com
www.myspace.com/hieroglyphics
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