Slept on Rappers

Edo G is the Godfather of Boston hip-hop. In 1991, his "I Gotta Have it" hit number one on Billboard and the YO! MTV Raps countdown. His debut, Life of a Kid in the Ghetto, sold north of 600,000 units on the strength of Edo's flawless portraits of inequalities in Roxbury, and became his city's first and only rap release to ever go gold. In the 15 years since, Edo's dropped four heralded LPs and two EPs, toured the world extensively, and collaborated with the likes of Pete Rock, DJ Premier, KRS One, Common, Black Thought and Masta Ace.

Jaysaun reps Dorchester. The former front man for The Kreators, Jay sold close to 10,000 copies of the Boston classic "Home" (featuring Guru, Big Shug, Akrobatik (of the Perceptionists), Krumbsnatcha, and Edo), was nominated for three Boston Music Awards, and even garnered significant MTV rotation. One of Boston's most respected wordsmiths, Jay has worked with Pete Rock, Cappadonna, and DJ Premier, and has been an instrumental component in Edo's recent solo releases.

While Slaine lacks his rhyme partners' credentials, the Southie gunner has overnight become Boston's force to be reckoned with. He dropped his infamous mixtape; The White Man is the Devil Volume 1 in 2005, moving more than 7,000 units without distribution. Recently he followed up with its sequel Citizen Caine, which is his first release to hit stores. Slaine's controversial tales of cocaine abuse, pharmacy robberies, violence, politics, racism and departed friends, combined with his brutal imagery, have earned him the respect of collaborators such as Royce da 5'9", Krumbsnatcha, Danny Diablo, Hatebreed, DJ Premier, DJ Muggs, B Real, Everlast, DJ Lethal and Ill Bill, the latter three of whom he moonlights with as La Coka Nostra.

To complement their collection of Boston's best emcees, Special Teamz enlisted turntable ringer Jayceeoh to mix last year's self-titled mixtape, which sold more than 8,000 units internationally. Without intentionally posturing as a multicultural experiment, Jay, Slaine and Edo introduced the underground to a proper representation of Boston's full potential.

For Stereotypez, the stakes are higher. With production from legends like Pete Rock and Premo, as well as rising stars like Marco Polo, Special Teamz's Duck Down debut proves what their international fanbase already knows: that no matter what preconceived notions people have about their city, Boston's top guns deliver some of the most socio-politically relevant boom bap in recent memory. And while their rhymes are the sound of race lines being crossed and barriers being broken, it's really just the sound of rewind-worthy rap music, and that's all that really matters.

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Single: One Call