Pop & Hiss premiere: The Hellfyre Club's 'Prometheus' mixtape

When music historians look back on the hip-hop landscape of the last few years, one thing they’ll note is the resurgence of the crew formation.

Granted, the Internet’s new favorite sons Odd Future have already had a transformative effect on that perception. But the last two years have seen a gradual reemergence of the taxonomy that undergirded rap’s roots. From recent XXL cover boys Shady Records (now with 25% more battle rap) and L.A.’s own Black Hippy, groups of solo artists are commonly banding together to stand out in a diffuse environment.

Of course, throughout the last decade, crews from G-Unit to Dipset, Young Money and Brick Squad, have continued to fortify ideas about strength in numbers. But recently, it seems like a response to rap world over-saturation.

Graduates of Project Blowed, Hellfyre Club are the latest to rise through the crowded scene. Composed of artists signed to Nocando’s Alpha Pup-distributed imprint, rappers Open Mike Eagle, Intuition, Kail, Verbs and Sahtyre, and producers E Super, are Low End Theory staples and just the sort of MCs you’d expect the scene to breed: open-minded, ideology-averse, and with a wry sense of humor.

The first in a planned-quarterly series of free mixtapes, the DJ Nobody-mixed “Prometheus” offers each rapper a few minutes to shine, with E Super providing rangy science-fiction funk to provide a break from the clever verbiage. Rhyming over beats appropriated from fellow Low Enders Baths, Mono/Polo, Flying Lotus and Ed Banger-affiliate Mr. Oizo, they do an admirable job of extending the Blowed aesthetic—finding a happy middle ground between street and scholastic, political and profane.

For those who once loved subterranean rap but got off the wagon when it veered toward sophists and the sanctimonious, this is for you. Welcome to Hellfyre.

Download: (Pop & Hiss Premiere)
ZIP: Hellfyre Club-"Prometheus"

-- Jeff Weiss

Comments

[anthony massas]

i can't BELIEVE i haven't heard of this project! open mic eagle, intuition, and sahtyre are some of the best underground artists from the west coast. as a fan of all three i'm REALLY excited to see what they can do together. that being said, i'll listen to just about anything sahtyre cranks out as it's ALWAYS quality. he has a way of being lyrical and deep/introspective while not getting "dark" and depressing.

[Ambs]

Sickest mixtape ever!

[clay]

This is the best mixtape of 2011 so far, i know its only the middle of march but i believe it'll hold its ground....for how few songs were on it this will probably still end up top 5 of the year....everybody from hellfyre/projectblowed are doing big things or on the come up....i'm looking forward to more tracks from them, and open mikes new album!