Godforbid & Thirtyseven - "Fear of Death and the Need for Reproduction"

Back when Wombaticus Rex was still a new thing, the NEK was bumping Alaskan Fishermen pretty heavy. It's not exactly a famous name but it does fit every requirement for a "cult classic," a Lo-Life concept album on Skillionaire Enterprises back when Thirstin Howl the 3rd was getting introduced to a whole new global audience by his Lyricist Lounge appearances. What all that boils down to is a bunch of people doing illegal things on back roads and learning every word off Fire & Ice, the first Alaskan Fishermen album. Back then, Godforbid was one of my favorite rappers.

Ten years later and we're releasing an album. An inspirational story, heart-warming & saccharine sweet stuff, I know. This was recorded at Vault 46 in Boston, who are sadly shutting down later this year, and mixed / mastered by the General Walter Westinghouse at NEKtones Studio in beautiful Burlington, VT. The results are rather massive.



Update: The EU/UK hip hop site The Word is Bond have concluded this was "a gorgeous slice of Americana tinged hip hop." BAM.

Waka Flocka @ Arts Riot Commemorative Video

I was hoping for a Worldstar-ready highlight reel of all the fights and fuckery that went down that night, but this woozy and beautifully shot short clip does great justice to the absurdity of the whole experience. Enjoy.

Es-K x Wombaticus Rex - "Math"

Just something fresh we cooked up. There will be more of these sneak attacks in 2014.

Check out Spontaneous Grooves for more of Es-K's work.

No, Really: Waka Flocka Flame at Arts Riot

Already sold out. Seen a few tickets on Craigslist, though: keep hope alive.

2013 had some beautifully weird rap shows -- especially Dice Raw rocking Das Bierhaus -- but clearly 2014 is going to change our conception of precisely what the fuck "Vermont Hip Hop" even means. Case in point would be the advent of Waka Flocka Flame selling out Arts Riot at $30+ per ticket. This is good news for anyone making rap music here in the 802. The past year has seen more hip hop shows in Vermont for a very simple reason: a majority of those shows are making money.

Big ups to Arts Riot for booking this in the first place. Big ups to Waka Flocka Flame for openly admitting he is named after The Muppet Show. Big ups to Argonaut & Wasp for their early entry into Burlington's annual "Most WTF Opening Act Possible" competition -- they're already a strong contender...at least until Lynguistic Civilians opens for Waylon Speed.