When looking back at the Underground scene in the last few years , some huge names have arose from the ashes of hand to hand distribution. We’ve seen artists like Eminem and Atmostphere, transform the magnifying glass of hip hop ,to kids that have a fan base usually as big as their graduating class in high school. None the less, they’re making waves in the industry, and it’s comforting to know we have some more “up and comers” rising to the occasion. One of the next groundbreaking groups , will be Hand Held Aspects. They’re name created by the group’s literal “hand to hand distribution”, and their independent efforts shows their true intentions and motivation for their lifelong love of hip hop. Members, Losaka, Eibol, StayInSane and Hippo, created H2A years back but never really got the attention they deserved. In the last few years, H2A has released EPs which were not chart toppers, but each one still maintains a sense of head nodding quality. This year they created their own label, Fingerprint Records which already has artists signed that are shining their way through the circuit, one of those being Nobs. Their latest release, From Point A to H takes the underground by storm as listeners embark through their journey as hip hop artists.
The opening track, “Sing Sing” draws listeners to the album with curiosity and excitement for the tracks to follow. The beat is up tempo and instantly makes you feel electricity. The boys display their lyrical talent openly, as the track is braggadocios, it’s never redundant , but precise. This track is shaped from the boys’ hometown of Ossining, NY where the world famous Sing Sing Prison resides. “Sing Sing” was released on vinyl b/w of “Shorelines”, the second track on the album that features a reggae sample in the beat , by Hippo, which makes you fiend for the instrumental.
Progressing into the album makes it known that the Hand Held Aspects aren’t just here to make you like their songs. They’re here to explain themselves, and as you get further into the tracks, listeners get a real feel for what each MC is about. “One’s Perspective” does exactly this. It projects views of the boys without being too “in your face” or exhausting, while supporting a smooth beat to keep you on your toes. “Note to Self” features Eibol and StayInSane as their older selves, rhyming about what they could have done differently ,in a fatherly manner, to their present self. The concept is different than from what you would expect from this group, but it makes the album diverse and adds depth. “Living Room” is another solid track to introduce H2A’s audience to their beliefs in media submersion and how people handle it. The beat again matches the mood of the lyrics and the delivery compliments each beat, as if exactly placed.
By creating such a professional sounding album, Hand Held Aspects is beginning to put their name on the map. Eibol, Losaka, Hippo, and StayInSane have such a lyrical quality about them that it makes the album an actual PLEASURE to listen to. The beats are done with a definite jazz, funk, soul influence, just as the past greats have sampled. H2A reminds me of what old school hip hop sounds like, but they transitioned that old school flavor, into today’s hip hop era. The album, while lyrically and sonically complete receives two thumbs up in flavor, production and content.
Check them out at :
www.fingerprint-records.com
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Track Listing
1. Sing Sing
2. Shorelines
3. One’s Perspective
4. Expressions
5. The Usual Maneuvers
6. Note to Self
7. Exhibited
8. Looking For Freshness
9. Inertia’s Lament
10. Ice the Pain
11. Living Room
12. Trenchmouth
13. The 12 Gauge
14. Praise
15. Privilege
16. What it Seems
17. Outro
