Hieroglyphics co-founder, who is considered to be one of your favorite rappers’ most respected rappers, Casual, is kicking off the 20-year celebration of his formidable and influential album Fear Itself by announcing a commemorative tour where he will perform the original album in its entirety. He is also releasing a digitally remastered version of the instrumentals. Respected and recognized as one of the most skilled and versatile rappers, his Fear Itself debut was responsible not only for introducing Casual’s dizzying rhyme styles to the world-at-large, but also for strengthening the foothold of his crew in an age when few equated lyrical hip-hop with the West Coast.

Fear Itself is also widely-recognized for its richly-layered and jazzy beats, many of which were produced by Casual himself. The sample selection and arrangement led to the album being cited as one of the “Top 20-plus Hip Hop Albums of All Time from a Beat Fanatics Perspective” in a 1995 column in Rap Pages, which was one of the few hip hop magazines with nationwide distribution during that pre-internet era. Even with a coveted 4-mic rating in The Source and a strong debut at #104 on Billboard’s Pop Album Charts, the label (Jive Records) never quite gave the album the boost it deserved to catapult Casual to the success many had predicted. Still, Fear Itself quickly gained a cult status to a wide range of hip hop enthusiasts, and was later ranked at #15 of The Most Slept-On Albums of All-Time in The Source in 2011. Casual’s lyrical stylings kept listeners on edge with his never-predictable internal rhyme schemes, and many eventually associated the album with a freestyle battle on KMEL’s “The Wake Up Show” against Saafir that is often mentioned among the most memorable battles in rap history.

Not long after finishing high school in 1992, Casual was able to showcase his already-polished talent to several label execs and A&Rs, and a bidding war ensued. Bypassing Elektra (where his co-hort Del Tha Funkee Homosapien was signed), he eventually chose Jive Records, which was not only where his Hiero crewmates Souls Of Mischief had signed, but was also home to Too $hort, KRS-ONE, and A Tribe Called Quest. The album was finished by February 1993, and the anticipation of the album would swell nationwide thanks to the lead single “That’s How It Is,” widely-traded freestyle recordings from Stretch and Bobbito’s WKCR radio show in New York, and his appearances both rapping and producing on Del’s No Need for Alarm and Souls of Mischief’s 93 Til Infinity albums. Despite a tepid promotional campaign by Jive and numerous delays, Fear Itself would finally be released in June 1994.

In commemoration of the anniversary, Casual, joined by the rest of the Hieroglyphics crew, will host an official celebration in San Francisco at Brick & Mortar, Saturday April 19. A tour throughout the U.S. performing the album will follow in May and June, with a European tour coming in Fall 2014.

Fear Itself 20 Year Anniversary Tour Dates:

April 20th – @Brooktrails Lodge – Willits, CA
April 26 – @19th Broadway – Fairfax, CA
May 2nd – @Chrome Lotus – Santa Rosa, CA
May 3rd – @The Back Bar – San Jose, CA
May 4th – @The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA
May 11th – @Crocodile Cafe – Seattle, WA
May 15th – @The Palace Lounge – Missoula, MT
May 17th – @Cervantes Masterpiece – Denver, CO
May 21st – @Pub Rock – Scottsdale, AZ
May 22nd – @Green Room – Flagstaff, AZ
May 23rd – @Plush – Tucson, AZ
June 13th – @Coopers – Nevada City, CA
August 9th – @Shambhala Music Festival – Salmo, Canada

Purchase Tickets here: http://www.hieroglyphics.com/events

Buy the Instrumental Album here: http://casual1.bandcamp.com/album/fear-itself-instrumentals

New music from Casual, including the single “Santa Claus”, plus four other new tracks are now available online.

“There’s no beef” explains Casual of the legendary Hieroglyhpics crew, while unleashing a storm of clever wordplay and hilarious jabs at Eminem for claiming the #RapGod moniker when one already exists. “But I been #Rapgod” he says in response to Em’s latest single, titled “Rap God.” Casual responds with “He Still Think He #Rapgod,” a track that reminds hip hop fans that it was him who first claimed that title. The Hiero rapper released his album He Think He #RapGod back in 2011.

Casual has released an official statement regarding the song and his feelings toward Eminem:

“There are many Rapgods but I am #Rapgod, The Divine Manifestation, The Supreme Incarnation Of Lyrical Divinity. #Rapgod in the flesh. A True And Living #Rapgod. It’s about receiving your deification and your veneration before your expiration. The Council Of The Rapgods was informed that Eminem was self-declared to be amongst the ranks of the Rapgods, rightfully so might I add…except Casual is The True And Living #Rapgod, afterwhich it has been canonized by The Highest Hierarchy Of Angels, by The Neteru, by The Highest Hip Hop Dignitaries and Rap Seminarians, that others shall go the entire professional duration and not be adorned with this Holy Epithet.”

DJ Touré, the venerated DJ/producer for the Hieroglyphics crew, has had a very busy 2012; between running his Bay Area-based production company, 101% Music and producing songs for the likes of E-40, Dolla Will, and Erk Tha Jerk, it’s amazing that he had time to perfect his long-awaited new album, Touré’s Theory: Session One. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what he did, and is now announcing that Session One be released on February 19th via Hiero Imperium.

Touré’s project features a plethora of both Bay Area newcomers and rap veterans like Too $hort, Mistah FAB, and The Jacka. Also appearing on Session One is a number of his Hiero brethren, including long-time friend and collaborator Casual. The two recently teamed up for Touré’s latest video, a hazy, nebulous visual for the song “Streets Love It.” Directed by Dylan Freitas-D’Louhy, the video looks like something ripped off a broken VHS tape with revolving frames and grainy footage, and shows both Touré and Casual rhyming in front of glow-in-the-dark hieroglyphic paintings and fine females.

The Hieroglyphics (Pep Love, Casual, Domino, Opio, Tajai, APlus) break down Bay Area Hip-Hop, talk new projects, explain their influencers, legacy of Hieroglyphics.

Casual and J Rawls’ highly-anticipated collaborative album Respect Game Or Expect Flames is now in stores everywhere. To celebrate, we’ve got the official video for the title track, on which Casual is joined by fellow Hieroglyphics member Del The Funky Homosapien for a certified Hiero anthem. Video directed by Casual. Respect Game Or Expect Flames also features appearances from Souls Of Mischief, Kurious, Pep Love, Copywrite, and more.

With only a week left before the release of the collabortive album Respect Game Or Expect Flames, Casual and J Rawls are giving fans one more taste before the main course. The title track features Casual trading lines with Hieroglyphics cohort Del The Funky Homosapien over thumping J Rawls production. Respect Game Or Expect Flames hits stores on August 28th, and features apperances from Del, Souls Of Mischief, Pep Love, Copywrite, Kurious, and more.

Off Casual and J Rawls’ upcoming album Respect Game Or Expect Flames, available August 28th 2012.

With their new album Respect Game Or Expect Flames set to hit stores on August 28th, Casual and J Rawls are now revealing the artwork and tracklist for the project. As Casual explains, the striking cover image has a deep symbolic meaning. “The burning Ankh represents new life rising from Nu, the primordial waters, the perfect darkness. We see the winged disk superimposed on the Ankh (life). Here Heru-Behutet (the winged disk) symbolizes protection. This cover represents the manifestation of life through divine process, wherein the being manifested is protected.”

1. Reign (feat. Pep Love & Allana Reign)
2. Respect Game or Expect Flames (feat. Del The Funky Homosapien)
3. La Danse Du Fessie
4. Craziest Story
5. The Authority (feat. The Mystery School)
6. Surely, I’m Right
7. Fly (feat. Allana Reign)
8. Nota Problem Part II
9. Hier-O-Dot (feat. Copywrite, Phesto, Tage, Tajai, Opio, and Jakki Da Motamouth)
10. Aint Tryna Hear
11. Find a New Remix (feat. Rene Dion)
12. Emergency (feat. Kurious)
13. Give Respect
14. Upper Echelon
15. We Servin’ Y’all (feat. The Liquid Crystal Project)

Nearly 20 years after his classic debut album Fear Itself, Hieroglyphics emcee Casual is a certified Bay Area hip-hop legend. Now, he’s joining forces with veteran beatsmith J Rawls (producer for Black Star, J-Live, Stalley, Count Bass D, John Robinson, and more) for a brand new album, Respect Game Or Expect Flames. The project will be released physically and digitally on August 28th via Nature Sounds.

Both Rawls and Casual agree that the album came about organically. “He had a lot of beats that moved my pen,” explains Casual. “We worked on a couple tracks together and decided that our chemistry warranted an album’s worth of material.” On the production, J Rawls wasn’t afraid to test his limits. “I changed my style a lot for this album,” he says. “I’m known for having a jazzy sound, but some of these tracks are more edgy. It fits Casual’s style and attitude.” The result is an album that stands out in Casual’s already impressive catalog. “This project is different because of the production. J gave me a more universal sound than I’ve had on any of my past albums,” says Casual. “I think it’s my best work to date,” adds Rawls.

Today, Hieroglyphics’ own Casual is excited to release his latest album, He Still Think He Raw, available via the crew’s long-running label, Hiero Imperium. The album is produced entirely by DJ Fresh & The Whole Shabang, and today, to celebrate the album release, Casual is excited to release a video for recent single, “Sushi” featuring Mr. Town.

In addition to being one of the most heralded lyricists within the Hiero crew, Casual has become a burgeoning director, with his Wetfoot Filmworks directing music videos for rappers throughout the Bay Area. Casual also self-directs a number of his own videos, including the video for this new single, which features seductive, colorful shots as Casual and Mr. Town are surrounded by women in traditional garb as they smoke hookah and eat sushi. “The inspiration for this video was Eastern culture and color schemes,” explains Casual. “The song is elegant and seductive, and so are the visuals.”

Next week, on May 22nd, Hieroglyphics rapper Casual will release his latest album, He Still Think He Raw. The album, which will be released through Hiero Imperium, is produced entirely by DJ Fresh & The Whole Shabang, and today, following a string of previous video and single leaks, Casual is excited to release a brand new track from the album, “Sushi” featuring Mr. Town.

“This song was inspired by the production,” says Casual, pointing out the beat’s loose, heavy drums and slickly chopped sample. “DJ Fresh’s beat did it all.” Atop that beat, Casual, with the help of Mr. Town, unwinds a series of stroies, each one a sly, salacious tale. “I sip wine, with this chick of mine/ When I see a little fine mama, with a behind on her,” raps Casual. “See, mama didn’t know that I was sushi/ ‘Till she seen other baby trying to seduce me/ No she’s choosing/ And I’m her top pick/ That’s what she get/ For thinking she was hot shit.”

Last month, Hieroglyphics rapper Casual announced that his new album, He Still Think He Raw, will be released on May 22nd. The album is produced entirely by DJ Fresh & The Whole Shabang, and is a sequel of sorts to Casual’s 2001 album, He Think He Raw. To go along with that announcement, Casual released the first single and visual for HSTHR, “Tears.” Today, Casual is excited to release the second single off the project, “Rock My Shit.”

“Rock My Shit” serves as the opening track from He Still Think He Raw, and for an album with such a bold title, the song offers an equally powerful mission statement. DJ Fresh delivers an assorted collection of plucked and washed out synths, each raining down atop 808 claps and thundering kicks, for a beat that, according to Casual, inspired the Hiero rapper’s direction on the song. “It was DJ Fresh’s beat,” says Casual, “that inspired the ‘mean mug’ style on this song.”

New album “He Still Think HE Raw” coming May 22nd!! Produced by DJ Fresh & The Whole Shabang.