Instrumentalists Blue Sky Black Death team with Seattle emcee Nacho Picasso once again for the Stoned & Dethroned mixtape.

BSBD says: “This is not an official album. It is an instrumental compilation of unreleased tracks and songs that previously featured vocalists. Enjoy.” New/old music from Blue Sky Black Death, with help from Nacho Picasso, Deniro Farrar, Skull & Bones, and more.

Here goes the Blue Sky Black Death remix of Run The Jewels’ “36″ Chain”, which appears on Big Dada’s UK release of the LP.

The second volume in BSBD’s The Euphoric Tape compilation series, a stripped down collection of instrumentals of previous works and rarities that served as backdrops to Cam’ron, The 1975, NORE, Gucci Mane, Kimbra, Gunplay, Deniro Farrar, Mr. MFN EXquire and more.

1. Can’t Take It With Me When I Die – (Deniro Farrar)
2. Angles Of Light – (Unreleased)
3. Mind Fuck – (Avatar Darko)
4. Intro/Set (Remix) – (The 1975)
5. Tree Tops – (Nacho Picasso)
6. Valley Of Kings – (SAS feat. Cam’ron and NORE)
7. This Is It – (Deniro Farrar feat. Child Actor)
8. Joey Gallo – (Nacho Picasso)
9. Keys – (Gucci Mane, Deniro Farrar, Nacho Picasso and Mack Shine)
10. Emptiness – (Nacho Picasso and Avatar Darko)
11. One Deep (Thuggin In The Abyss) – (Skull & Bones)
12. Closer – (100s feat. Mondre Man and Nacho Picasso)
13. Frownin (Remix) – (Isaiah Toothtaker feat. Gunplay)
14. Plain Gold Ring (Remix) – (Kimbra) — [stream only]

Bonus Track:
15. The Message Part 2 – (Mr. MFN eXquire)

“Bizzaro rap world collide on BSBD’s glacial menace. Artwork by renowed 7 year old rap portraitist, Yung Lenox.”

From Cliff Of Death, available now. Directed by Guy.

From the forthcoming collaborative album, Celestial, by UK’s SAS and BSBD.

Today, Seattle rapper Sadistik is releasing his first solo record since 2008, Flowers For My Father, via Fake Four, Inc. To celebrate the release of the album, Sadistik is also unveiling the video for the latest single from Flowers, “Russian Roulette,” which features Cage and Yes Alexander.

The video, premiered this afternoon by VIBE, is a direct reflection of the subject matter in “Russian Roulette.” “Both Cage and myself have a lot of material dealing with bitter breakups and unstable women, so I wanted the video to reflect that,” says Sadistik. “I wanted to show a vulnerability and fear towards women hurting a man.”

When writing the treatment, Sadistik wanted the video to show a dark take on a revenge story, a nod to some of the genres and films that have inspired him throughout his life. The video was also co-directed by Terrence Santos, who also directed the “City In Amber” video, and the two again gelled well with a shared vision for the video “Terrence is well-aware of my appreciation and knowledge of film so it was easy to work together and achieve the style we wanted,” notes Sadistik, name-dropping directors like Stanley Kubrick and others as inspiration. ” I wanted this to have a heavy Grindhouse /Exploitation film feel.”

Produced by God’s Paparazzi and Blue Sky Black Death. This single is out now on ITunes. Catch Donnis on tour with A-Trak and the Fool’s Gold posse.

Produced by acclaimed indie hip-hop phenomenons Blue Sky Black Death, “Propaganda” is an exemplary example of Virtuoso’s fierce lyrical abilities and extensive political knowledge. “Propaganda” will appear on Virtuoso’s forthcoming LP The Final Conflict on Big Bang Records.

Produced by acclaimed indie hip-hop phenomenons Blue Sky Black Death, Propaganda is an exemplary example of Virtuosos fierce lyrical abilities and extensive political knowledge. Propaganda will appear on Virtuoso’s forthcoming LP The Final Conflict on Big Bang Records.

LISTEN: Virtuoso – “Propaganda” (prod. Blue Sky Black Death) (MP3)

Virtuoso – “Propaganda” (prod. Blue Sky Black Death) (MP3)

La Coka Nostra meets Slaughterhouse, as Ill Bill and Crooked I go in over heavy, murky beat by Blue Sky, Black Death.

Ill Bill + Crooked I + Blue Sky Black Death – “Murdered” (MP3)

The album begins with two long tracks, the 6 minute “The Era When We Sang” followed by the almost 7 minute “Lord of Our Voice”.  The first track kicks off the album as a dark, rain soaked evening, as the song continually evolves with a pulsating horn sample and some arching strings.  It’s easily an album highlight, however “Lord of Our Voice” follows with what sounds like an almost endlessly looping number.  Not that the song is bad, but it goes on for what feels like almost twice as long as necessarily and doesn’t have the input as the first song.

Late Night Cinema continues with slow and long dirges, but does begin to add a few voices to the proceedings.  “Shoot You Dead” features the peaceful singing of a female vocalist over the part of the song that gives the song an addition of emotion. But once again, the song seems to go on without any real direction.

Towards the end of the album, it begins to pull you back in starting with “Different Hours”. This song starts slow and begins to add layers – everything from some mild tempo piano to some strings, to what sounds like the ever so brief electric guitar.  Eventually some folk harmonica begins to emerge and it really shows what Blue Sky Black Death are capable of. This song was one of the few that seemed to have almost more left in it before it was over.

Where most albums get slower and darker towards the end, Late Night Cinema almost sounds as though as the album progresses, the clouds clear and sun begins to shine.  With a title like “All The News Is Bad Again”, you would assume it to be a dark song, but it picks up and becomes relaxing and yet uplifting as once again they build and lift to a cohesive picture of instruments fighting it out amongst themselves.

One could take “Legacy to Fuel” with its solid downbeat on the opening of every measure as their signoff to continue to build - more beats, more albums - whatever they have on their plates.  While Late Night Cinema isn’t perfect, it shows the continued promise of some of the best virtually unknown beatmakers around right now and its likely that more dope collaborative LP’s will come out of this. – Dane Johnson

Kingston: Good, thanks.

Young God: Yeah

Now, you aren’t exactly rookies, but your not exactly veterans either. Introduce yourselves and explain what you have done thus far in your careers.

Kingston: Blue Sky Black Death is Kingston & Young God. We released our debut album “A Heap Of Broken Images” a little over three months ago. The Holocaust record is our second project. Before we became Blue Sky Black Death I did a few tracks on Jus Allah’s “All Fates Have Changed”, and began working on Virtuoso’s next record almost two years ago. Y.G. : a heap of broken images is really my first thing…but I also did a little bit on virt’s next album, though not as much as Kingston. I’ve been making beats for a long time though.

Which of you rhymes and which produce or are you both a jack of both trades?

K: We both strictly produce.

We know you worked on the “Bobby Digital” album with Rza, how did you guys meet Rza?

K: Holocaust worked on the Bobby Digital album, as well as “The Swarm”, “The Sting”, and Killarmy’s “Dirty Weaponry”. He met RZA at a Wu Tang show, and was personally invited by RZA to meet up at a radio station at a later date, which led up to the signing of Black Knights and a tour with RZA.

You also worked with Guru, what project was that on?

K: Blue Sky Black Death “A Heap Of Broken Images” its a double album, one half instrumental stuff, the other half is all mc collaborations.

How was it working with Guru?

Y.G: Although we worked closely with most of the guests on that project, Guru is someone we didn’t have the pleasure of dealing directly with.

So the album “Blue Sky Black Death presents: The Holocaust” is on Babygrande and what’s the exact release date?

K: September 5th

Give us a rundown of what we can expect from the album.

Y.G.: hmmm…Dark, Epic, Frantic, medieval…I don’t think it sounds like anything else out there right now….but a few of the songs got that throwback Wu sound to them just to keep the fans healthy. Holocaust is on some literary rap shit. Kids are going to learn a bunch of new fun facts and obscure references from holocaust.

Will there be any unexpected guests?

K: Its Blue Sky Black Death & Holocaust. No filler and no guests.

The Wu have really had quite the resurgence, what do you hope people gain from this album?

Y.G.: hopefully, faith in music and hip hop more specifically…that it’s 2006 and there’s still fresh rap to be heard.

So it’s 5 years from now, where will Blue Sky Death be?

Y.G. : Counting paper in the Caribbean, scoring films, working with people like khadafi, rass kass, and G. Rap and lots of others. Hopefully being able to afford a sit in orchestra and choir to record with.

Thanks a lot for your time fellas, you have any shoutouts?

Kingston: Shouts out to everone who has showed us support from the start. Peace.

Y.G.: Shouts to Mush and Babygrande and and all others who support us.

      San Francisco production duo Blue Sky Black Death might sound like two decidedly dark individuals, but these two look closer to Eminem than Trent Reznor. But the fresh-faced fellas aren’t anywhere near the Interscope roster, with their debut, A Heap Of Broken Images, landing on experimental hip-hop imprint, Mush Records. However the sound of Blue Sky Black Death is indeed as brooding as it sounds like it is, whether that’s your cup of tea or not. 

      Obviously schooled on records like DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing and much of Ninja Tune instrumentalist catalog, disc one of Blue Sky Black Death’s Heap is a heavy hour of melancholy, slowed down trip-hop grooves, built on samples, keyboards, and drum machines, with a few gems sprinkled in at random. It begins with the relaxing “Skies Open”, which sets up the album nicely, evoking the same images of peaceful nothingness that the album cover features. The moody “Days Are Years” follows, keeping in pace with the previous track, and beautifully sampled, hypnotic lyrics from some lost female vocalist from who knows how long ago. 

     The vibe created on these first two tracks is flawlessly kept throughout the entire first disc of the album, ideal for post-sex relaxation or the requisite weekend at Berkeley acid trip. This can be looked at as a positive or a negative, however. On one hand, the unified feeling they’ve created using (an assumed) large collection of weird and obscure records can be applauded. On the other hand, one could argue that this is a long, sleep-inducing hour of meditation music. But maybe that was the point? 

      The second disc doesn’t fare so well however. After hearing the first CD, one is anxious to hear what Blue Sky, Black Death’s heavy beats sound like with emcees on them. However, their almost random selection of backpack rappers does little to compliment their sound. Things sound interesting on the posse cut, “Engage My Words” (feat. Jus Allah, Wise Intelligent, & Sabac Red), but it’s hard to recapture the classic magic of Gang Starr or Hieroglyphics on “Floor Chalk” (feat. Guru and Chief Kamachi) and “Street Legends” (feat. A-Plus and Pep Love), respectively. But today’s generation doesn’t fare much better. Case in point is the aptly titled “Long Division”, featuring wordy NYC indie poets Mike Ladd and Rob Sonic, or the sloppy, Holocaust featured “I Catch Fire”, which doesn’t exactly build up a lot of hype for their upcoming collaborative album. The Virtuoso featured “Brain Cells” is a little better than some of the other songs included here, but the Awol One assisted “Everything” and the Mikah-9 bothered “Grimey Styles” bask in lyrical information overload. Still, there is an audience for this stuff, and the second disc will surely appeal to fans of these artists, but certainly won’t convert any brainwashed followers of mainstream hip-hop. 

      While not brilliant or terribly innovative, it’s nevertheless evident from A Heap of Broken Images that Blue Sky Black Death indeed has talent, and the duo may eventually mature into the super-producers they obviously aspire to be. Sleep on this or sleep to this, the choice is yours.