The Left
While everyone else merges and follows the traffic jam on that nicely
paved 4-lane highway to the right, you'll always have those few who
prefer to follow that narrow, unpaved road to The Left, curious to see
where it leads. In this case, The Left leads you straight to Detroit.
The Left began as a simple phone conversation between
two artists displaying mutual respect for each other's craft. Detroit
staples Apollo Brown (Producer) and Journalist 103 (Emcee) turned the
prospect of a couple random songs into an album considered by many
tastemakers to be the best underground hip hop LP of 2010. Shortly
after starting the album in early 2009, the duo brought in DJ Soko to
provide cuts for the album and act as the official DJ for The Left's
live performances.
Apollo's hard drums and dirty, static-filled sample
chops coupled with Journalist's rugged, politically charged flow and DJ
Soko's raw, timeless cuts led to the creation of what is now The Left's
debut album, Gas Mask.
This highly anticipated album is nothing short of
classic. Coming off the success of his recent release The Reset,
producer Apollo Brown turns in his grimiest production to date,
capturing the streets of Detroit better than almost anyone out there.
Likewise, the album's guest features are as rugged as they come,
featuring Kool G Rap, MarvWon, and Guilty Simpson. The sound is
unmistakable boom bap with political undertones.
Gas Mask is indeed The Left's debut album, but the
rookie producer Apollo Brown has certainly been accumulating accolades
as of late. In 2008 he won the producer showcase at Scribble Jam.
Then, in 2009, Apollo won the Detroit Red Bull Big Tune Championships
and went on to the Atlanta Finals. In 2010 he signed with Mello Music
Group and made waves with his scorching debut album, The Reset.
Meanwhile, The Left's mic master, Journalist 103, is just as seasoned.
Despite this being his first wide public display, he worked with the
legendary Detroit emcee Proof of D12 before his passing.
The Left is getting people's attention, having the full
support of the influential site Bloggerhouse, which stated in its early
review of the album "no fillers, no preservatives, no bullshit, no
disappointments, no wastage...not a single lick of 'fast forward'
material...your jaw is gonna drop when you hear Gas Mask.'