Today, as MHz Legacy continues to celebrate the release of their self-titled debut album, they’re taking part in the tradition of Throwback Thursday with one of the rarest songs from their vaults, “The Only Weathermen Song.” The song, accompanied here by new, exclusive artwork, stands apart as a classic from the early 2000s era of hip-hop and marks one of the only times that Copywrite, El-P, Camu Tao, Tage Future, Cannibal Ox, Jakki Da Motamouth, and Yak Ballz (otherwise known as The Weathermen) were all in one studio at the same time.

Reminiscing on the song, Copywrite says:

“Back in 2001, 2002, Camu and I where living in Middletown, New York. Cage lived there too, which is why I moved out there. We where supposed to go on a tour with all of the Eastern Conference Records artists, but Mad Skillz pulled out to vacation, so the tour fell through. Cage wasn’t too fond of Camu back then but ‘Mu expressed to me how bad he wanted to go to pursue music with me and I told him to come along. In those days, we would always drive my Ford Explorer from Middletown to Manhattan to record at DJ Mighty Mi’s spot on Lexington, and then we’d go visit El-P in Brooklyn and crash for several nights at a time. Vast Aire and Vordul Mega, of Cannibal Ox, had their own room downstairs and El’s studio was right next door, so there was always music going on.”

“This song was recorded around the time I was working on my debut album, The High Exhaulted, and Cannibal Ox was working on their album, The Cold Vein. It was a rare occasion to have Tage Future, Camu Tao, Jakki Da Motamouth, Cage, Cannibal Ox, El-P, and myself all in the same room at once, so I told them we needed to seize the moment and record something. El started pulling up beats and we all instantly agreed on this one. The beat played and we wrote – whoever had their verse first hit the mic booth, which, at that time, was El-P’s closet, and the rest is history. Camu was probably smokin’ a blunt with Vordul, so neither of them is on the song; I don’t know why El didn’t drop a verse. Back then we titled it “The Only Weathermen Song,” since it was so tough to get all of us together at the same time.”

The history of Columbus, Ohio’s MHz is perhaps one of the most intriguing stories in underground hip-hop lore. They first stepped on the scene in 1998, via a handful of vinyl only singles on Bobbito’s legendary Fondle ‘Em Records imprint. While these 12-inches hardly made them a household name, they did catch the ears of a few important figures of the time – Definitive Jux’s El-P and Eastern Conference’s DJ Mighty Mi. Friendly competition between the two pioneering indie hip-hop imprints would see the signing of solo deals for both RJD2 and Camu Tao on Jux, while Copywrite would sign with E.C. Both RJD2 and Copywrite would deliver debut solo LP’s in 2002 – both critically acclaimed – with other MHz members Jakki, and Tage Proto waiting in the wings. Camu teamed with both Cage and Metro for a pair of collaborative projects, Nighthawks and S.A. Smash, respectively; and the fusion of MHz, with many of the other Def Jux and E.C. artists, would form an ultimate supergroup called The Weathermen, who released one mixtape before disappearing forever.

During a time where crew albums were all the rage (here’s looking at you, Terror Squad) and with all of these projects happening concurrently, it seemed like the reuniting of the MHz crew was inevitable. The Ohio collective had already produced each RJD2, Copywrite, and Camu Tao, so getting everyone back together for a crew-defining LP seemed like a no-brainer. Except it never happened. Rumors of in-fighting, falling-outs, and on-again-off-again friendships between various members of the crew always seemed to keep the reunion from happening. And then something happened in 2008 that sealed MHz’s fate for good: the early death of Camu Tao.

It’s 2012, and both Def Jux and Eastern Conference Records are defunct. RJD2 has moved beyond standard hip-hop production, Copywrite has struggled with broken relationships and backlash from fair-weather fans, while Camu rests in peace after succumbing to cancer. The idea of an MHz album at this point almost seems like a bad idea… but somehow they have pulled it off.

Copywrite leads the pack on MHz Legacy, while Tage has finally moved beyond “Proto” type status, and moved into a “Future” version of himself, finally ready to stand front-and-center with his more established peers. The MHz Legacy album largely revolves around these two emcees – quite easily the best of the camp – with minor contributions from Jakki and a posthumous Camu. The album begins with “Accidentally On Purpose”, which sums up the project in one line: “This is the album that wasn’t even supposed to happen / even after mastering, we couldn’t believe the rappin’ / a story about moving out the house / from a crew with a name nobody knew how to pronounce”. (It’s “megahertz”, in case you were wondering).

The chemistry between the crew on MHz Legacy doesn’t sound forced, even with Cam’s verses delivered from beyond the grave, such as on “Spaceship”, which finds Copy and Camu sharing rhymes, alongside guest Danny Brown, who seems like he would have been a natural collaborator with Cam. There are plenty of great posse cuts in the classic E.C. / Def Jux fashion, such as a pair of RJD2 produced heaters, “Hindsight” and “Four Player Mode”, or later on “Columbus Diss Patch”, each with a sound that suggests the Fat Beats 12″ era never died out. On the solo tip, Tage gets his time to shine on the RJD2 produced “Outta Room”, while Copywrite gets his on “Obituaries”. There are a number of notable guest collabos as well, such as “Yellow & Blue”, which features guest verses from Blu over a ridiculous track by Surock, or the drug-addled “Addicitionary”, where each Copywrite, Ill Bill, and Slaine recount their personal narcotic experiences. The album takes a more serious turn on tracks like “Mass Temple” and “Y’all Don’t Know”, both of which suggest that these cats are more than just witty punchlines, and also proves they aren’t always dependent on RJD2 for the album’s more meaty, musical moments.

While some of the fat could have been trimmed from the album’s 17 tracks, MHZ Legacy is a very solid, surprising effort, one that we thought would never happen. Posthumous albums never seem to work, and crew albums even less so. But in a rare occurrence, Copywrite, RJD2, and Tage have pooled their efforts into pulling this thing together, and it is nothing short of spectacular. Despite the indie hip-hop movement having it’s best days behind it, and the idea of this album being way past expiration, the end result shows that the Columbus crew has prevailed, and the MHz Legacy will live on.

Collectively and individually, MHz has been one of the most influential underground rap crews of the past 15 years. Comprised of producer RJD2 and rappers Copywrite, Camu Tao, Jakki Da Motamouth, and Tage Future, the collective first came together in Columbus, Ohio, a loose group of basement freestylers talented enough to garner the attention of folks like Bobbito Garcia, releasing two now-classic 12″ singles, “World Premier” and “Rocket Science,” on Garcia’s iconic indie label, Fondle ‘Em Records. Since then, though, the members of MHz have spent the past decade-plus pursuing solo endeavors – RJ as a genre-bending producer; Copywrite as a boundary-pushing lyricist who spent the 2000s being courted by the likes of Roc-A-Fella Records; Camu Tao as a close companion and collaborator with El-P – and influencing a new generation. The one thing they’ve never done – release an official album.

Until now; on October 30th, MHz Legacy – the name change is in honor of Camu Tao, who passed away following a battle with lung cancer in 2008; he will appear on the album still with a number of never-before-heard verses – will release what amounts to their official debut album, a self-titled effort, via Man Bites Dog Records. The album will feature the likes of Danny Brown, Oh No, ILL BILL, Slaine, Blu, Slug, along with some outside production from Harry Fraud, !llmind, Stu Bangas and Marco Polo. Today, MHz Legacy is releasing the debut single and video from that album, for the Surock-produced track “Gone” which was premiered this afternoon by Billboard.

“Gone,” according to the crew, is a testament to the fact that the group, as a collective unit, has been off the scene for some time now — and also a testament to the fact that, in those years away, they haven’t lost a step musically or lyrically. “We’ve been ‘gone,’ as in off the scene,” says Tage Future, “but we’ve always been crafty writers. Now that we’re coming back out, we’re showing that our skills are ‘gone,’ as high level, as in outta here.”

The video is directed by R.M.L. and features Copy and Tage trading bars while showing off the lighter side of their personalities, letting loose as they speed around on go-karts and catch air on a local moon bounce. “I think everyone loves Go-Karts – I know I do,” says R.M.L. on the concept behind the video. “Rappers are usually trying to look so hard that they would never rock a Go-Kart in a video. We took it a step further and threw in the Moon Bounce too.” To top it all off, the video features Copy and Tage zipping around on “people movers of the future,” as R.M.L. put it, more commonly known as Segways. It wasn’t all fun and games, though. “The most challenging part,” recalls Copywrite, “was definitely the bounce. It’s easy to run out of breath when you’re bouncing as high as you can.”

The band gets back together for one last tour…. Legendary Fondle ‘Em supergroup MHz was just a bunch of nobodies when they first stepped on the scene. It wouldn’t be until they all went solo, that we would know names like RJD2, Copywrite, Camu Tao, Jakki, and Tage. Although the group previously has only had the compilation album, Table Scraps, to their name, they finally reunite after the death of Camu Tao. Due October 30th on Man Bites Dog Records.

1. Accidentally On Purpose (Producer: Rob Stern)
2. Hindsight (1998) (featuring Playdough, Producer: RJD2)
3. Four Player Mode (Producer: RJD2)
4. Out Of Room (Producer: RJD2)
5. Spaceship (featuring Danny Brown, Producer: Harry Fraud)
6. Soul Train (Of Thought) (featuring Oh No, Producer: Illmind)
7. Addictionary (featuring Ill Bill, Vinnie Paz, & Slaine, Producer: Stu Bangas)
8. Gone! (Producer: Surock)
9. Obituaries (Producer: Marco Polo)
10. Columbus Diss Patch (featuring Dom, Producer: J Rawls)
11. Mass Temple (featuring Steve (of Middle Distance Runner) Producer: Jason Rose)
12. Y’all Don’t Know D1) (Producer: D1)
13. Yellow & Blue (featuring Blu, Producer: Surock)
14. Satisfaction (featuring Slug (of Atmosphere), Producer: RJD2)
15. Tero Smith (featuring Aaron Livingston, Producer: RJD2)
16. Somewhere (2099) (Producer: RJD2)
17. Mechanical Me (Producer: Jason Rose)

Man Bites Dog Records is proud to present the “Mega Mega” video from Copywrite’s “The Life and Times of Peter Nelson” album. This song is produced by Surock. Song features MHz (Copywrite, Camu Tao, Tage, Jakki and Cuts by RJD2) Video directed by Seanie G.

Posthumous albums never seem to pan out. Reason being, is that they are usually made up of songs leftover from the artist’s catalog that either the artist or the label did not feel were strong enough to see release. While we all dream of raiding the vaults of unreleased music from our favorite artists (and sometime the bloggers do it anyway), most of what we find are unfinished tracks or low quality demos, besides the occasional diamond in the rough. When we speak of our fallen rap heroes, we remember Capital Punishment, not Yeeeah Baby; we remember Ready To Die, not Born Again; we remember every Gang Starr album, not whatever leftovers Solar is pitching.

The case of Camu Tao is tragic, as he pretty much had a deal with Definitive Jux from the moment the label launched. The standard set by the label was very high, as guys like Cage, RJD2, and of course founder El-P were all successfully pushing the envelope by creating cross-genre hip-hop music that was good. The label’s mantra seemed to be to always think outside the box, and in most cases, they succeeded in pushing the boundaries of what to expect, while at the same time keeping it independent as fuck. Camu came from the same family as RJD2 and Copywrite – the MHz crew – and despite shake-ups and break-ups, they all found themselves working together in some capacity over the years. While Cam recorded three albums with other artists (S.A. Smash, Nighthawks, and Central Services), he was never able to branch out as a solo artist. After lung-cancer took his life too soon, El-P makes good on his promise to Cam and releases his solo LP, King of Hearts.

King of Hearts is admirable, especially considering that El honored his friend in releasing this album. Camu was no Biggie Smalls, where millions of fans would be begging to hear that final LP, and there’s a chance this album won’t make a dime in today’s fucked up musical climate. And for the record, any dime it does make goes directly to the estate of Camu Tao. It’s very clear why El-P decided to release Cam’s final recordings.

Unfortunately, like every cursed posthumous release before it, King of Hearts suffers from some of the same fates. The one major difference here is that it’s clear that El did not attempt to Afeni Shakur the tracks with Bruce Hornsby samples or guest verses from rappers that never met him. This is the pure uncut shit, as Camu recorded it. The main issue however is that much of it is unfinished, tracks like “Bird Flu” and “Actin’ A Ass” are nothing more than hooks, while many others have a poor, basement like quality that Definitive Jux moved way beyond in it’s later years.

The other issue here is Cam’s apparent identity crisis. We’ve witnessed many of the other Def Jux artists experiment with rock sounds, with positive results, for the most part. Cam attempted to tap into the NYC indie music scene in a series of demo recordings that may have best been left under wraps. There is one crown jewel here, and it’s right up front, Camu’s reworking of Elvis Costello’s “Big Boys” on “Be A Big Girl”. It’s the most fully realized and finished recording, and may have even been a breakthrough hit if released in the heat of the scene some years ago. Many of the other tracks follow this same vein, such as “Get At You” and “King Of Hearts”, find Cam using his Ozzy-esque vocal style to stretch his lyrics into mind-bending styles, but don’t pan out quite as well. There are a few hip-hop tracks mixed in as well (“Major Team”, “When You’re Going Down”), but seem a little strange in a mostly rock influenced album.

It’s clear from the production style that Cam was attempting to catch the ears of Hot Hot Heat and Hot Chip listeners with King of Hearts, and less concerned with the Def Jux fans that loved The Cold Vein. Props are definitely due to Cam for attempting to push the envelope, but on the same token, it’s tragic that his final words to the fans had to come like this, as we will never know if this is the way he wanted it. While his legacy is only been half-realized here, it still lives on in many of his greater, scattered works that preceded King of Hearts.

(No rating given out of respect for Camu, his family, and friends.)

The Village Voice serves up this exclusive MP3 from Camu Tao’s King Of Hearts LP, dropping next week. It’s not what you expected.

LISTEN: Camu Tao – “Be A Big Girl” (MP3)

Camu Tao – “Be A Big Girl” (MP3) (Right Click & Save)

El-P writes:

Camu Tao’s first and final solo album “KING OF HEARTS” up for pre order HERE. It is being put out by defjux and fat possum records collaboratively. you can check out fat possums amazing roster HERE (they are behind such greats as the Black Keys and many many more). It drops on august 17th.

King Of Hearts is essentially a collection of demos and unfinished songs camu had created for his album. some were recorded professionally, some were not. his sickness prevented him from finishing them all. We felt that the music, even in its raw form, was beautiful and needed to be heard. Camu needs to be heard.

on that same pre order page is a FREE download for the Central Services album “FOREVER FROZEN IN TELEVISION TIME”. CS was a collaborative record between myself (el-p) and Camu Tao. It was created in late 2004, early 2005 but never released. We intended to release it in conjunction with Camus solo record, but sadly due to Camus sickness and eventual passing, everything got delayed. You dont have to pre order KING OF HEARTS to get the download, but we hope that you do.

When you pre order “KOH” you also have the option to buy an “i love camu” t-shirt. ALL proceeds from these t-shirts go directly to charity.

EVERY DIME DEF JUX MAKES FROM KING OF HEARTS GOES DIRECTLY TO THE SMITH FAMILY. we will take NO profit.

i will be in Camus home town of Columbus Ohio to host a celebration of the life of Camu and the release of KING OF HEARTS on august 16th. This event was planned in conjunction with Camus fiance and is free with a $5 suggested donation, all of which goes to the james cancer hospital which is the same hospital that helped camu during his horrible sickness. Thanks for your support of this amazing man and his music.

El-P + Camu Tao – “Central Services” LP (ZIP)

El-P released the following statement in regards to Camu Tao’s King of Hearts LP, which will see release on August 17th on Definitive Jux / Fat Possum. Who said Jux was done? Not us.

Two years ago today  Tero “Camu Tao” Smith died after a grueling battle with cancer.  He was a friend, a son, a brother, a groom to be and last but not least a brilliant producer, singer, rapper and entertainer.  Words can not express the heartache that has been felt in the wake of his passing by those who loved and respected him.

Jaime “EL-P” Meline

PRESS RELEASE:

CAMU TAO “KING OF HEARTS” TO SEE RELEASE ON DEFINITIVE JUX / FAT POSSUM ON AUGUST 17

Camu Tao, the legendary MC, producer, and singer, whose life was tragically cut short on May 25th, 2008 after a protracted battle with lung cancer, will have his debut solo album and final statement, King of Hearts, posthumously released on August 17, 2010 as a collaborative release between Fat Possum Records and Definitive Jux. Described by friends, peers and colleagues as “wild, proud, loving, tough, outspoken, spontaneous, and brilliant,” Tao was a creative powerhouse whose output was as staggering in its scope of influences as it was emotionally evocative. El-P describes King of Hearts as “raw, exciting and unlike anything anyone has heard”. Even newer school rappers feel the impact of Camu’s work, “These songs are so before their time it’s ridiculous” says Kid Cudi. Cage sums up the album as “a masterpiece in the making.”

Camu got his start in the late 90’s alongside RJD2 and Copywrite in Columbus, OH’s seminal hip hop group MHZ whose releases were issued by Bobbito Garcia’s legendary vinyl only label Fondle ‘Em Records. After dropping his cult classic solo debut 12-inch Hold the Floor on Definitive Jux in 2001 he went on to become a central fixture at the label, his distinctive contributions playing a key role in The Weathermen (his crew with Aesop Rock, Cage, El-P, Yak Ballz, Tame One and Breeze Brewin) and as one half of S.A. SMASH (alongside Keith “Metro” Lawson) on their 2003 Def Jux full length album Smashy Trashy. As a producer his brilliant contributions are evidenced on Cage’s seminal album Hell’s Winter, and The Perceptionists’ Black Dialogue, as well as appearances on Aesop Rock’s Danger, Fire & Knives, El-P’s Fantastic Damage and Collecting the Kid, Prefuse 73′s Surrounded By Silence, and many, many others.

At the time of his death Camu Tao was working on what his friends and colleagues anticipated to be his breakthrough solo record, King of Hearts, initially scheduled for release on Definitive Jux in 2008, but left incomplete in the wake of his cancer diagnosis. Pieced together from the demos and home recordings he left behind (which have subsequently earned him fans amongst such esteemed peers as Dangermouse, Kid Cudi, and many others), the new release offers a privileged view of a magnum opus in the making by a blossoming visionary who was denied the opportunity to bring his unique masterpiece to fulfillment. The record marks a departure from his former works, most notably as it finds Camu favoring a distinctively playful, semi-soul croon as well as the off-kilter and wild rapping that earned him a reputation among peers and fans as an innovative genius. Musically King of Hearts delves into realms of gritty, electropunk pop, alternately veering between the dark carnival-esque and the sublimely summery. Pleasantly disorienting electronic tones cascade and pulse as dense, propulsive beats build a solid foundation upon which Tao constructs immensely hooky and infectious choruses. Written and produced by Camu himself, King Of Hearts is the last vision of a criminally underrated talent in the midst of a major artistic breakthrough cut short before being fully completed.

Also prior to his death Camu Tao formed production crew and side project Central Services with longtime friend & collaborator El-P, whose long awaited 2004 debut EP Forever Frozen in Television Time has gone unreleased until now. In conjunction with the release of King of Hearts Definitive Jux will be issuing Central Services’ EP as a free digital download.

Thoughts on King of Hearts:

“These songs are so before their time it’s ridiculous. The melodies and
harmonies are very clever, the lyrics are quick witted and his vocal
arrangements are genius. People need to hear this shit and know this
man’s story. Camu was a great future Ohio talent who I’m sure would
have made a huge mark in this mediocre industry.” – Kid Cudi

“It’s a shame he couldn’t fully finish this record and an even bigger
shame we lost him. You can feel the pain in his voice as you get lost
in his words and music. King of Hearts is a masterpiece in the making.” – Cage

“I can’t tell you how exciting it is to be able to finally put our
dear friend Camu Tao’s King Of Hearts record out and to have
partners like the good people at Fat Possum to do it. The music is
raw, exciting and unlike anything anyone has heard. Finally we get to
share the final vision of this very special person with you all.” – El-P

“When i was played the Camu tracks, I thought it was one of the best things I’d ever heard from the Def Jux camp. I’m really anxious and excited to release King of Hearts, and to be working with Def Jux.” – Matthew Johnson (founder Fat Possum)

    While other conceptual hip-hop albums have sounded better on paper than they did inside the headphones (Prince Among Thieves, Black Trash, etc), Cage and Camu’s “bad-cop thrill ride for the entire family” actually surprises, going above and beyond the call of duty. As a matter of fact, it ventures outside of Cage’s usual horror movie steez (a good thing), as well as veering from Camu’s more raw, experimental style, and sticks to the script, as simply 14 tracks of two crooked cops abusing their badges, doing strip searches and sniffing the evidence. While hardly a political statement of any kind, it’s more of what would probably really happen if Cage and Camu went out and jacked a cop car & some uniforms, Grand Theft Auto style.

    The nice thing about this album is that it doesn’t dip right back into the producer’s pool of Movies From the Blind, but instead proposes what Cage and Camu might sound like over some darker, more thugged out NYC beats (think 3rd album Mobb Deep). From the trashy 80′s backdrop of “N.R.A.” into the addicting Alchemist-like pianos of “The Trailor” (with hilarious ad-libs from Cage), it’s immediately evident that this is a different type of album. Following these two excellent appetizers, Cage and Camu deliver a nice cover on Mobb Deep’s obscure Primo track, “Cop Hell”, which works surprisingly well, then straight back into cheesily delicious 80′s soundtrack of “Keep The City Up”. Peaking at “Police Crime”, where these two bad lieutenants join up with private Dick Starbuck for some sleazy Smut Peddling, just as we like it.

    While few of the joints on Nighthawks are stale (“Car Chase”, “Count Crackula”), this album satisfies right down to the last joint (“Street Poly”), especially considering it never strays off course. Chalk up another winner from the ever-improving Eastern Conference Records.