“Somewhere,” one of six songs on MHz Legacy produced by long-time in-house producer RJD2, is a song that Copywrite describes as “unpredictable and fun,” a vibe that he credits to RJ’s beat. “This is a funky and real different beat from RJ,” says Copywrite.

The video, directed by Dan Gotti, and premiered today by Okayplayer, follows in that same vibe, as the camera catches Copywrite and Tage spending time with their girls. “‘Somewhere’ is about taking that special lady somewhere,” says Copywrite, and Tage agrees, taking the concept a step further. “It’s about going somewhere and enjoying it,” says Tage, “whether it’s physically going somewhere, or mentally.”

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.

Last week, MHz Legacy released their long-awaited album, MHz Legacy, via Man Bites Dog Records. Already the accolades have been rolling in, including a XL-rated review from XXL Magazine, and today, following the release of last week’s Blu-featuring “Yellow + Blue,” MHz Legacy is excited to release a new video, this one for the album’s latest single, “Mechanical Me.” The song is produced by Jason Rose, who also provides the track’s sung chorus, and, as the album closer on MHz Legacy, is one of the most adventurous, ambitious tracks the Columbus crew has released to-date, an up-tempo affair with clear, well-executed pop sensibilities.

The video, directed by R.M.L., and premiered today by PrefixMag, is equally ambitious. Shot in a tormented medical lab, the clip features Jason Rose as a mad scientist, working on his captured victims — Copywrite, chips implanted on the operating table; Tage Future caged awaiting his own transformation — alongside his own Frankenstein creation and tight-clothed nurse.

On October 30th, Ohio’s legendary MHz Legacy will release their new self-titled album. The album will be their first new offering in over a decade, following their previously released compilation of rarities and b-sides, Table Scraps. MHz Legacy, which will be released via Man Bites Dogs Records, includes features from Danny Brown, Blu, Slug (of Atmosphere), ILL BILL, Slaine, and Oh No, and joining in-house producer RJD2 behind the boards will be Harry Fraud, Marco Polo, Stu Bangas, Illmind, and others. Today, MHz Legacy is excited to release the official album cover artwork and track list.

MHz Legacy consists of members Copywrite, RJD2, Jakki Da Motamouth, and Tage Future. The group originally went by the name Megahertz, shortened to MHz, but after influential member Camu Tao passed away in 2008, the group decided to add Legacy to their name in his honor. Further honoring the group’s fallen member, MHz Legacy is excited to announce that a number of never-before-heard Camu Tao verses will be featured on the album.

Track List:

1. Accidentally On Purpose (Prod. By Rob Stern)
2. Hindsight (1998) Ft. Playdough (Prod. By RJD2)
3. Four Player Mode (Prod. By RJD2)
4. Out Of Room (Prod. By RJD2)
5. Spaceship Ft. Danny Brown (Prod. By Harry Fraud)
6. Soul Train (Of Thought) Ft. Oh No The Disrupt (Of Gangrene) (Prod. By !llmind)
7. Addictionary Ft. ILL BILL & Slaine (Of La Coka Nostra) (Prod. By Stu Bangas)
8. Gone! (Prod. By Surock)
9. Obituaries (Prod. By Marco Polo)
10. Columbus Diss Patch Ft. Dom (Prod. By J Rawls)
11. Mass Temple Ft. Steve From Middle Distance Runner (Prod. By Jason Rose)
12. Y’all Don’t Know (Prod. By D1)
13. Yellow & Blue Ft. Blu (Prod. By Surock)
14. Satisfaction Ft. Slug (Of Atmosphere) (Prod. By RJD2)
15. Tero Smith Ft. Aaron Livingston (Of Icebird) (Prod. By RJD2)
16. Somewhere (2099) (Prod. By RJD2)
17. Mechanical Me (Prod. By Jason Rose)

On October 30th, MHz Legacy will release their new, self-titled album via Man Bites Dog Records. The album will be the first cohesive offering from MHz Legacy in over a decade – but it’s not because the crew hasn’t been busy. Quite the contrary: RJD2 has become one of music’s most rangy and talented producers; Copywrite, who spent the aughts being courted by Roc-A-Fella Records, remains, along with Jakki Da Motamouth and Tage Future, among rap’s most talented lyricists; and Camu Tao, before his untimely passing in 2008 following a bout with lung cancer, was a flagship artist on the now-defunct Def Jux label, forming the duo Central Services with El-P, and serving, with his unique style and delivery, as an influence to many. Two of those people that call Camu influences are Danny Brown and Harry Fraud, both of whom appear on this latest single from MHz Legacy, “Spaceship”.

From its inception, “Spaceship,” premiered today by FADER, served as homage to Camu, who appears throughout MHz Legacy with a number of never-before-heard verses. The song’s catchy, topsy-turvy chorus (“You don’t know how to drive a spaceship/ You don’t know how to fly a car”) pulls from a Camu vocal, and his off-kilter delivery – he’s also responsible for the first verse on “Spaceship” – is just as powerful today as it was over 10 years ago. And most excitingly, Camu’s verse sounds right at home next to Danny Brown, who’s own pitchy, unorthodox delivery makes for the perfect Odd Couple pairing.

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.