Cinemetropolis

So I've been into the Blue Scholars for about a year now.  My friend Keith turned me onto them and described them to me as "smart hip hop". Dead on. Blue Scholars are 2 guys from Seattle, and this is their 3rd lp. 

I didnt know what to expect when I checked them out. I'm not too big into hiphop save for the classics (Nas, Tribe, BIG, Gangstarr) so I normally cant tell what the difference in hip hop is from one artist to another. The second I started listening to this record I knew it was something special.  I had never heard anything like it. The mc has amazing flow, the beats are great and they dont talk about stupid shit like bitches and money. None of that here, their lyrics focus on being educated, struggles of people in low income areas, police injustices, and of course having fun.  I actually learned things from listening to this record.

Come last November Keith and I saw them play the Bowery ballroom and it was fucking fantastic. They have such great energy on stage and they get everyone in the room into it. They played for about 2 hours(til 1 am, i was exhausted) and pretty much did the whole lp plus some early stuff. When I realized Cinemetropolis had come out on LP I had already missed out.  They had started a kickstarter to fund the project, everyone who donated had gotten an lp and that seemed like the only way to get one.  And by the time I started listening to them the project was over, the lp was pressed and already gone.

About 3 months ago I was checking their webstore and saw that the LP was back up for purchase. I was super excited about it, til i saw it was $30. Im used to paying hardcore prices for records straight from the band, and even though it is a double lp, the price still detered me.  That only lasted about 2 months as I finally broke down in mid July and bought the damn thing. Clearly it was totally worth it.

I dont know if this is a second press or leftovers from the first press, but it is definitely self released as i cannot find a record label name or logo anywhere on the packaging. The packacking itself is top notch, heavy cardstock was used which makes it feel great.  Its a gatefold double lp and the vinyl itself feels like its close to being 180gram, but im not sure about that. The dust sleeves are also heavy cardstock and double as inserts, i love it when bands do this. Anyway I am seriously stoked about this record, both the physical copy and the music itself. I hope they play NYC again soon, otherwise I'm going to have to fly to Seattle to see them as I cant wait that much longer