Emcee Sean Boog and producer Khrysis, collectively known as The Away Team, have been making their bones on the underground hip-hop scene for about 10 years. Their 2005 debut album National Anthem and 2007 follow-up Training Day were welcome surprises, with Khrysis on the boards with the heat and Sean Boog on the mic dialing the temperature up with the fire. With their third studio album Scars and Stripes, the duo returns, this time with a slight change to the groups dynamic. With this release the duo sets to show their growth, transformation, and how they’ve earned their “Stripes”.

Upon first glance, Scars and Stripes projects the image of a highly political album. The cover of the album depicts a photo from the 1965 Watts Riot, a large-scale riot which lasted 6 days in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA. As explained by the group in regards to the album cover and title; “During the Watts riots of 1965, racial tension was at an all-time high, due to Desegregation and Police Brutality. The riots were a direct reflection of an angered society. This, however, placed a “Scar” on American history. The riots, although violent and fatal, was a necessary turn of events in order to get where we are as a society today. We observe those monumental events in our country’s history and relate them to hip hop and the changes it has made worldwide.”

In a nutshell, Scars and Stripes relates to the “scars” that Khrysis and Boog have endured as a group, and as individuals. The album is highly introspective, with Boog providing the majority of the rhymes, and getting on his job on tracks such as “Drift” , “Bad News”, “Scars and Stripes” and “Road to Redemtion. Tracks such as and “Happenin’ Today”, while a little more sociopolitical are also enjoyable and are able to get the message across without coming across preachy. In listening to Scars and Stripes, it’s quite evident that Boog has improved as an emcee, both technically and in his writing.

Guest-wise, Scars and Stripes, is pretty heavy, but unlike a lot of other collabo heavy albums, is a success. The standout track, “What Is This” (feat. Evidence) finds Boog and Ev joining together to deliver a dope combination. Talib Kweli, and Rapsody join Boog on the decent “Set It Off”, but the biggest collaboration successes come in the form of “Hot Potato” (feat. Halo and Sundown) and the sick “Paid” (feat. Laws and Big Remo). The downside of the some of the guest appearances is that they seem to push the group into the background. Boog presence is minimized when surrounded by the guests.

As a producer, Khrysis has developed into one of indie hip hop’s most sought after beatsmiths. His sample based production, sprinkled with many works of original composition have put his name on many a liner note and on the tongues of fans, when discussing favorite producers. While he played the background on National Anthem and Training Day, Khrysis steps up on the emcee tip on this go-round. Though not a super emcee, Khrysis (the rapper) helps to break some of the monotony and contributes well to the album. Tracks such as “4 The People”, “Cheers” highlight him as an emcee, but don’t get it twisted, Khrysis still runs things on the production boards. His stout production makes the album and keeps the head nodding constantly.

Overall, Scars and Stripes stacks up to the duos previous releases and easily slides into a first place tie with National Anthem in the groups catalog. While 17 tracks is a little long, Scars and Stripes is worth the listen, as even local fans won’t be able to help cheering for The Away Team.

Music video directed by Kenneth Price. The Away Team Scars & Stripes album is out now. Purchase today at iTunes.
]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/10/13/the-away-team-the-road-to-redemption-video/feed/ 2 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/10/10/the-away-team-what-is-this-feat-evidence/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/10/10/the-away-team-what-is-this-feat-evidence/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:39:03 +0000 http://www.hiphopsite.com/?p=39151

Evidence appears on this joint from The Away Team’s Scars & Stripes, which hits November 11th on Duck Down Records.

]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/10/10/the-away-team-what-is-this-feat-evidence/feed/ 0 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/09/21/the-away-team-set-it-off-feat-talib-kweli-rapsody-take-air/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/09/21/the-away-team-set-it-off-feat-talib-kweli-rapsody-take-air/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:11:39 +0000 http://www.hiphopsite.com/?p=38455

A pair of joints from The Away Team’s upcoming Duck Down release, Scars & Stripes, hitting October 11th.
]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/09/21/the-away-team-set-it-off-feat-talib-kweli-rapsody-take-air/feed/ 3 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/08/24/the-away-team-scars-stripes/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/08/24/the-away-team-scars-stripes/#comments Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:11:10 +0000 http://www.hiphopsite.com/?p=37539

The Away Team presents their latest audio leak, “Scars & Stripes,” the title-track off their upcoming album out October 11th through Jamla / It’s A Wonderful World Music Group / Duck Down Music. Fans can pre-order the album now on iTunes.
]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/08/24/the-away-team-scars-stripes/feed/ 1 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/08/20/the-away-team-scars-stripes-album-cover-track-listing/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/08/20/the-away-team-scars-stripes-album-cover-track-listing/#comments Sat, 20 Aug 2011 11:25:37 +0000 http://www.hiphopsite.com/?p=37462 [cont.]]]>

The Away Team (Emcee Sean Boog & producer Khrysis) are set to release their new album ‘Scars & Stripes’ on October 11th through Jamla / It’s A Wonderful World Music Group / Duck Down Music.

The cover of the album depicts a photo from the 1965 Watts Riot, a large-scale riot which lasted 6 days in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA.

The Away Team feel that “during the Watts riots of 1965, racial tension was at an all-time high, due to Desegregation and Police Brutality. The riots were a direct reflection of an angered society. This, however, placed a “Scar” on American history. The riots, although violent and fatal, was a necessary turn of events in order to get where we are as a society today. We observe those monumental events in our country’s history and relate them to hip hop and the changes it has made worldwide. Through our music, we use our own “scars” we’ve endured as a group, and as individuals, to show our growth and transformation, and how we’ve earned our “Stripes”.

Album Track Listing:
1) Intro
2) Bad News feat. King Mez & Blue Raspberry
3) Scars & Stripes
4) 4 The People
5) Cheers (f/ Heather Victoria)
6) What Is This (f/ Evidence)
7) The Road To Redemption
8) Drift
9) Set It Off feat. Talib Kweli & Rapsody
10) Happenin’ Today
11) Hot Potato feat. Halo & Sundown (of Actual Proof)
12) I Ain’t Mad (f/ Jay Rush)
13) Paid feat. Laws & Big Remo
14) Proceed feat. Enigma (of Actual Proof)
15) Get Down feat. GQ
16) Picture This feat. Kelsy Lu
17) See U Later feat. Phonte

The Away Team, a hip-hop duo consisting of emcee Sean Boog and producer Khrysis, is set to release their fourth studio LP ‘Scars & Stripes’ on October 11th through Jamla/It’s A Wonderful World Music Group/ Duck Down Music.

The 15-track album, entirely produced by Khrysis, features appearances from Talib Kweli, Phonte, Evidence, and Rapsody amongst others.

When Khrysis set out to create the beats for the album he “wanted to go back to the basics with the production, yet maintain a more mature sound to display the growth of The Away Team.”

Sean Boog further laments this point by adding “we aren’t the same young kids who came into this game not knowing anything. Not only the rap game but the transition into adulthood. The meaning behind ‘Scars & Stripes’ is going through hard times, ups and downs throughout life and coming out on top. I’ve gotten a lot more introspective on this album lyrically, especially on songs such as “Road to Redemption,” “What Is This” and “Bad News”. People will be able to relate to what we are saying…life isn’t easy for any of us.”

To stay up-to-date with The Away Team make sure to follow @SeanBoog & @Khrysis

Hall of Justus core members team with DJ Eclipse for this mixtape that celebrates the indie hip-hop scene, not necessarily the 4th of July. Guest shots from Evidence, Darien Brockington, Amen, Eclipse, Smif N Wessun, Supastition, Sean Price, 9th Wonder, Black Milk, and more. 26 tracks free via Bandcamp? Fireworks.

The Away Team – “Independence Day” (Mixtape)

New track from Sean Boog and producer Khrysis (The Away Team) with help from Madlib. On this track the production is left up to Madlib, with Khrysis spitting some rhymes along with Sean Boog.

The Away Team + Madlib – “First Class” (MP3)

Anyone who wants to shoehorn the North Carolina-based duo in with stereotypes of Southern rap or might be scared off by the “too intelligent” label sometimes tossed at Justus League crew-mates Little Brother is in for a surprise. Away Team’s combination of Boog’s rugged rhymes and Khrysis’ loop and sample-based beats give the group the sound of a mid-90s East Coast outfit – and that’s intended as a complement.

Tracks like the come-up tale “The Odds” and “Rockabye,” a harsh warning to fakers that features guest spots from Nervous Reck and Supastition, are prime examples, with high-end loops layered over snares and thick baselines. Khrysis shows some range, too, with “Steppin’ On Toes” driven primarily by guitars and “Chitter Chatter” showing off a full complement of horns.

On the mic, no one is going to mistake Sean Boog for the second coming of Rakim, but the energy and enthusiasm present in his flow help add a little something extra to his “rapping about rapping” lyrics. He’s also capable of some fairly clever wordplay on occasion, as he shows on “Sum of Me” by flipping, ‘Some say someday, something gotta give/someone like me sum it up in a verse, we gotta live/Some will blast first, some will talk about it, won’t do it/Some will run and hide, my question to you is which are you choosing?’

Some songs in the album’s second half drag a little bit, and the group definitely needs a little help in the hook department to advance out of the underground. For proof, check out “Awesome,” with it’s chorus line of, ‘Y’all come around and make shit that sound awful/We come around and make shit that sound awesome,’ or the unimaginative repetition by Sean Price on the otherwise excellent “Psycho Ward.”

Boog suggests that a follow-up is already on the way for 2008, and with this bit of Training under its belts, Away Team stands a good chance to remove any underdog status it might be feeling. Until then, don’t sleep on this one. – Nick Tylwalk

    For The Away Team, this is probably the riskiest task for the Justus League collective to date. Without the trademark 9th Wonder production, one has to wonder what Khysis and Sean Boog have in store. With great risk comes either impressive victory or humiliating defeat, National Anthem falls somewhere in between.

    With this being Khrysis’ opportunity to step out of the hulking shadow that 9th Wonder created, he has the chance to stake his own claim as one of the most intriguing producers to watch. His work behind the boards on National Anthem puts on display his own signature thump. At times Khrysis eclipses many of the expectations put on him. With vibrant works such as “Upnatem”, the haunting vibes of “Come On Down”, and the subsonic groove of “The End of the Day, Khrysis proves that he is far more than 9th Wonder’s understudy. Truth is, Khrysis’ production can easily stand on its own two.

    Sean Boog, on the other hand, isn’t quite the KO punch that one would like to hear. His monotonous delivery pales in comparison to the likes of Phonte’s vicious tongue lashing delivered on “Make it Hot.” When sharing the mic with Joe Scudda, Chaundon and Rapper Big Pooh on “On the Line”, Sean Boog fades to the background as his Justus League cohorts steal the limelight. But even though Boog isn’t an absolute rhyme animal he does make some songs work out.

    When Sean Boog summons the strength to deliver “Always Be Around”, the introspective tales of life without his estranged father, The Away Team catapult from any form of mediocrity to near perfection. Such can be said about songs like “One-N-Only” and “The Shining” where Khrysis’ magnificent production drowns out any missteps Sean Boog could possibly display.

    Does National Anthem slow down any momentum that the Justus League has gained thus far? No. Solid as this album may be, it doesn’t exactly live up to the standards of success made by albums like The Listening, Sleepers, Project Mayhem or Path to Relief EP. National Anthem is still another victory for the Justus League, as bittersweet as it may be.