I was eleven then
Blueprint is most well known for his highly acclaimed RJD2 collab, Soul Position, with numerous releases on Rhymesayers. he's one week away from the release date of his first full length, self-produced LP, 1988 on the same label. the LP is dripping with a dark, heavy sound, splattered with guitars, slow and growling bass lines, and Blueprint's steady, cool-headed flow.
the LP's title is indicative of its subject matter: the narratives (and he doesn't spend his time flipping mic tricks, dude is straight up storyteller) are brought to you straight from the era in question. I'm talking literally here - he spends an entire track bragging on not his ride, not his girl, not his crib... but on his boom box. that's right, a whole track giving an ode to the ghettoblaster craze of the 80's. he rhymes about figuring out the money game growing up, getting his rap game to where he's at now, and gives the diss track a retro treatment (all you ugly rappers need to go home and comb your face) along with Aesop Rock. all in all, the songs may come off sounding misplaced among the other 2005 releases after the first listen, but that's his intent; this is hip-hop from a different era, refined and brought back to us.
the album comes out a week from today on Rhymesayers [more info here].