Three dots underlined in a circle drop off this Halloween treat.

Pep Love, a member of the legendary Hieroglyphics crew, best known for his critically acclaimed 2001 album Acension, fronts a one-man-band on his latest single, “Evergreen”. With eloquent rhyming prose, Pep shows why he remains a staple of the Oakland collective. Heavy guitar stabs and precise rock drumming play the background, while the lyrically-proficient MC finds his pocket and shows why he’s built to last as one of the tallest pines in the hip-hop forest.

The first single from Pep’s forthcoming Dolla Daily EP, which releases August 19th, is full of quoatables. “I’m trying to get my money up in a dump truck/ my lyricism like I hit em’ with a nun-chuck,” he raps, “pimp slap the track/ with a pack of zigzags and a big bag of that/ kick back relax.” The Hieroglyphics Imperium / General Organic Sound release focuses itself on the daily grind of acquisition and the pursuit of happiness through physical pleasure topped with an allegory of spiritual enlightenment with Pep as both MC and producer.

Following up his highly acclaimed, marijuana-inspired Legrowlize It! instrumental album released in 2011, A-Plus (Hieroglyphics / Souls of Mischief / C7) is back with Legrowlize It! Vol. II, premiered by URB Magazine. With more audio Kush for your mind, body and soul presented by Arnette Eyewear, the album is another set of never before heard classic instrumentals from A-Plus’ personal vaults, made on an ASX-Pro in the late ’90′s and early ’00′s. Produced under the influence and inspired by marijuana and its culture, this is the perfect project to crank up and zone out to. The album is available for free download.

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

Legendary Hieroglyphics producer and head sits down with Fuse Crate Diggers and shows off his vinyl collection.

Hieroglyphics’/Souls Of Mischief’s A-Plus returns with a new instrumental LP, returning him to his roots after his EDM experiment LP, Molly’s Dirty Water, last month.

Today, A-Plus and AAGEE are proud to release their album, Molly’s Dirty Water. Known for producing the seminal track “93 ’til Infinity,” A-Plus branches out from his traditional hip-hop sound and showcases the evolution of his production by unleashing his electronic side. A-Plus here offers unique insight into the world of “Molly” through reflective narrative about experimentation, social issues, and temptation. In addition to the album, A-Plus gives us something else to be excited about: a music video for “Blue Tear Drops,” the third track off MDW.

Explaining his musical transition, A-Plus stated,”The project started off as hip-hop, but as we pushed our creative boundaries [it] uncontrollably morphed into a Hip Hop/Electronic hybrid. The process was gradual, recording over 30 songs and fine-tuning the sound by testing songs at our favorite after-hour spots. I am very excited for people to hear this new production, as it is a true reflection of my creative freedom as an artist.”

Also, check out the video for “Blue Tear Drops”, released today.

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

Things come along, present themselves, and then in certain cases, resonate directly with the culture. The climate is right, the window of opportunity is open, the right person seizes it, and the perfect storm takes place. Case in point might be something like Star Wars in the 80′s or Arrested Development in the Bush era, both of which are deemed classics by their respective audiences. Nostalgia makes us wish we could return to those eras, corporate America picks up on this, so we get modern sequels (or prequels) and they are never able to capture the magic of the originals. 90′s Oakland hip-hop crew, Hieroglyphics, reform after a long hiatus for The Kitchen, which unfortunately begs a “too many cooks” pun.

On one hand, it’s nice to see the crew back together, as it shows a true love for their craft. However notably absent is long-time producer Domino, who is the unsung hero of the Hieroglyphics crew, responsible for shaping the sound on virtually all of their classics, whether in solo or group efforts. Taking the load instead is Opio, who keeps the spirit of Hiero alive on songs like “Wshores Galore” or “Highway Five”, both cuts which find them painting pictures of the respective Bay Area scene, with feel good, groovy production. However it doesn’t always fare so well. “Indonesia” inexplicably includes an off-beat bell-ringing sound that clutters the track, making it borderline unlistenable. Worse yet, the beat is revisited four tracks later on “Indonesia Interlude” for a turntablist routine, that irritates like a painful ringing in the ear.

The choice to include turntablism on the album is respectful of DJ culture, however does not fit here. Rather than simply having a DJ cut up some hooks, many of the tracks, such as “It’s Partly Me” and “Nano Salt” are disrupted by beat-juggling routines that really throw the listener off. While this is technical feat that might impress us at a DMC competition, it has no place on an album you’re trying to bob your head to.

Despite some of these faults, The Kitchen is not a bad album, it’s just very middle of the road. While Hiero has had a series of hits and misses throughout their long, storied career, when they come together as whole, especially this late in the game, fans deserve a better product.

From The Kitchen, hitting July 16th. With the upcoming LP’s from Deltron 3030 and Soul Of Mischief + Adrian Younge, sounds like Hiero’s coming back with a vengeance.

Ever since the early 1990′s rap music collective Hieroglyphics have laid the groundwork for the evolution of hip-hop to become one of the most influential aspects of popular American and international culture. Thrust back into the spotlight with their recent single “Gun Fever,” a commentary on our culture’s ongoing obsession with guns and violence, they are now set to release a new album on July 16th entitled The Kitchen, featuring 17 tracks woven together by the cutting, mixing and beat chopping skills of Sacramento DJs/producer crew The Sleeprockers.

Scratches, grooving bass lines and brass samples abound on the predominantly up-tempo record that fluidly combines archival audio, new productions and DJ skills with Hieroglyphics’ compelling flows. Drawing its title from The Sleeprockers’ practice of setting up their production equipment in their kitchen, as well as referencing the creative process of assembling the album’s disparate ingredients into one cohesive record, The Kitchen promises to be an authentic presentation of Hieroglyphics’ signature lyrical prowess.

New Single off the upcoming project, The Kitchen.

In the midst of a nationwide highly controversial debate about gun control the Hiero Crew chimes in with their unique perspective. Known as pioneers of the underground Hieroglyphics continues to push the envelope with this stunning visual directed in house by Casual.

“We are not promoting guns or violence,” explains Tajai (Hieroglyphics / Souls Of Mischief), “but simply expressing our thoughts on the issue and encouraging further dialogue.”

FLuD is proud to announce a very special collaboration with legendary Bay Area Hip Hop collective, Hieroglyphics, responsible for paving the way for independent Hip Hop worldwide while spawning solo careers from Del The Funky Homosapien, Souls of Mischief, Pep Love and Casual. It was Souls of Mischief that created the classic hit “From 93 Till Infinity” and the Hieroglyphics’ logo is one of the most recognized logos in hip hop history, featuring the ubiquitous third eye, invented by Del The Funky Homosapien.

Available now for the Holiday Season, the limited edition watch showcases Hiero’s timeless third eye logo that is black, 44mm in size, water resistant to 3ATM, PVC bands, and packaged in a Polycarbonate case with additional logo hits.

If you’re still unfamiliar with the crew, FLuD sat down with individual members of Hiero for their “Meet The Crew” series. Pt. 1 focuses on Phesto, Del The Funky Homosapien and Tajai. Stay tuned for more episodes to come soon…