In the essay Sunmundi & Sasco – Contacting [a late-stage internet memento], we analyze the album Contacting, its dystopian bleak vision woven with postmodern digital skepticism and tears shed over a commodified society. [contacting à communication à community]: finding strength and love through human connection. “A disservice to death’s orbit and a wine-spilling smile aimed at the bright now.”

Whether it’s Mobb Deep, Dead Prez, or OutKast, hip-hop loves a good duo. Hearing two rappers team up, push, and compliment each other on a full-length record is exciting. Just look at what PATHFINDERS are doing. The duo, made up of blackchai and Illohim, released a powerful, socially-relevant self-titled debut in late May, an album that boldly begins with the question: “Are there any great American poets in here?” Over the course of fourteen songs, they set out to answer the question with a loud and resounding ‘yes.’ The great American poets are here, ready to make their mark and we sat down with them on a Sunday morning to discuss the album, their dynamic, and how writing helps them stay sane.

Kanye West at a Slovak music Festival: Can Rap Be Separated from Politics?
Ye as the headliner is not a victory for culture; on the contrary, it denies the very essence of the genre and is a result of its misunderstanding rooted in privilege. True heroism and the defense of free speech should be seen as resisting empires, opposing wars, defending human rights, and promoting social change—these are the radical tendencies we should celebrate in rap.

Amalgama is a producer who has been steadily moving through the underground internet rap scene, gaining more traction with each release. Hailing from Rhode Island, the producer’s sound taps as much the paranoia of Memphis rap as it does into the spaced out sounds of internet cloud rap. Amalgama presents a synthesis made by and through internet culture, proudly wearing his influences on his sleeves. Now, with the release of his collaborative album with MILLENIUM, HOUNDS Vol. 1, it feels like he’s on the cusp of something bigger, establishing himself as a consistent and reliable artist to keep an eye on. We sat down with Amalgama to break down the album, his feelings on the underground, and peeked into what we can expect in the future.

Last November I stumbled upon the tape VAULT CATACOMBS (A.K.A CORTES’ DWELLINGS), instantly drawn to the magnetic black and white Mayan imagery on the cover and the hypnotic, distorted hip-hop beats inside it. The project comes from an Arizona-based producer MILLENIUM, member of the group Absent Call of Response, one of the most exciting voices in the underground right now. I had the pleasure to sit down with MILLENIUM for their first interview ever, just as they are getting ready to release their newest project, the Memphis-inspired collaboration Hounds, Vol. 1 with Amalgama. We talked about Mayan culture, geeked over the new billy woods album and discussed the difference between making beats for yourself and for others.