HomeboySandman_2015

Three Albums That Changed My Life: Homeboy Sandman

The countdown is on for the release of Homeboy Sandman‘s third official full length album- a record which is shaping up to be one of the best yet from the Queens native. Titled Kindness for Weakness, Homeboy Sandman builds on his thought that “mistaking kindness for weakness is a weakness I need to have more kindness for.”

If you’re unfamiliar with his work, let his latest single be the perfect introduction for you. Sounding like he took a straight up 90s funk tune and flung it into the future with all its bleeps and bloops above a bass line that makes you weak at the knees. Talking (Bleep) sees Homeboy rapping a beat many would stay far away from- and making it sound damn easy while he’s at it.

Painting an exciting picture of things to come, we asked Homeboy Sandman which three albums have influenced him the most. With such a vast array of styles and genres that he works with, it was exciting to get inside that head just a little to see what makes him tick. Check out his answers below and put May 6th down in your diary as the day Kindness for Weakness is unleashed on the masses. You know it’s gonna be good!

Busta Rhymes, Extinction Level Event

This album is a classic. My favourite Busta. Great energy, great charisma, super duper knocking beats, having mad fun. Busta is the creator of his rapid fire brand of delivery (obviously he’s not the only rapid fire rapper, but the Busta cadence is absolutely unique). I think this album influenced me a lot both stylistically, looking to craft new and unique flows, as well as attitude-wise, with how Busta was putting together all these amazing songs keeping everything fun, upbeat, high energy, and comedic. Just mad cool. There wasn’t really any violence or criminality taking place. Just a bunch of super raps to get me hyped up any time of day. Party Over Here has one of my favourite beats ever (we have Nottz to thank for that), plus every single song on this album was hot.

Jeru the Damaja, The Sun Rises in the East

Another classic without a single whack song on it. A couple of things about this album really influenced me. Firstly, it was how bizarre the beats were while still being very boom bap. Preemo was the genius, and beats like D Original and Come Clean were mad experimental that most cats would never have been able to even find pockets to rhyme on- let alone make classic records. Secondly, it was the wisdom and intelligence on songs like Ain’t The Devil Happy and You Can’t Stop the Prophet that explained to me why Jeru wasn’t the most famous rapper in the world at that time despite, in my opinion, easily having the hottest records out at the time.

Camp Lo, Uptown Saturday Night

This album influenced me primarily stylistically. Not only as an artist but also as a listener. Some of my favourite artists, like DOOM, Aesop Rock, and Ghostface, often use unconventional symbolism and imagery to convey ideas. Sometimes it can be a challenge to decipher but “eureka!” moments make it all worth it. Camp Lo has always been masters of that and this album completely blew me away. Not only that but the musicality of their deliveries and the seamlessness of their back and forth transitions is also something that I took a lot away from. There were a couple of beats on the album that I didn’t gravitate too personally, but all in all it’s an undeniable achievement. So cool. (Listen to the second one in headphones or through good speakers- very subtle tones)

Image: Clutre.org