Alaska: Interview

Alaska – he of Hangar 18, Atoms Family and more recently Words Hurt fame – released his new album today. This time he has teamed up with the producer PJ Katz and the pair have concocted a jazz-fuelled journey, with a whole bunch of different guests making their appearances along the way. I last spoke to Alaska back in 2016, when I interviewed him for Grown Up Rap, so I thought now would be a good time to have another chat about a few things, including the new record and reflecting on the past. There is also a new video from the album, which you can watch below.

IT: W.F.A.F.

IT – Cryptic One and Alaska – continue their monthly releases with this new track, W.F.A.F. World Famous Atoms Fam is a big nod to their old crew and the first place a lot of listeners would likely have come across the duo. As usual Cryptic One is on production duties. The track is available to stream below and you can download it here.

IT: The Way the Horn Blows

Another nice track from IT to round off the month. Atoms Family vets, Alaska and Cryptic One, gifted us with the The Way the Horn Blows, which according to Alaska, deals with addiction and modern insanity. Something we can all relate to at the moment, I think. The track also features some nice trumpet playing from Andrew Burgos.

IT: The Interview

Another month, another release from the homies IT – aka Cryptic One and Alaska. This time it’s a track called The Interview, the concept of which isn’t too hard to guess from the name.
Featuring lines like, “Before we get started tell our listeners who you are?/I’m the living embodiment of a coup de grace” and “Don’t you find it draining staying negative in music?/Nah I choose to use it. It’s extremely therapeutic”, this could be my favourite one so far from the duo.

IT ft. Zilla Rocca: Famous Names for $1000

Another quality joint from the combined minds of IT – aka Cryptic One and Alaska – as they bring us Famous Names for $1000. This is the fourth track in the monthly series and features a hefty guest verse from Zilla Rocca, as well as some tight cuts from DJ paWL. You can stream it below and downloads are available here.

IT: Sleeping Giant

Another dope cut from IT – AKA Alaska & Cryptic One – following on from last month’s anti-Trump anthem. This time it’s a return to more typical rap thematics, as the pair trade battle style bars over a Cryptic beat, with DJ paWL on scratch duty. The track is available to stream below and you can get a download over on Bandcamp.

Cryptic One & Alaska: Orange is the New Wack

You’ve gotta look for the silver lining in times like this and one thing we can be thankful for is the amount of rage being poured into music right now. Admittedly protest songs have a chequered past in terms of substance and style, but when they’re done right they work very well.
Take this latest track from IT – aka Cryptic One & Alaska – who have released a response to Trump’s already tumultuous time in office. Needless to say they both kill their verses. You can stream the track below and you can download it over on Cryptic’s Bandcamp.

Atoms Family feat. Cryptic One & Alaska: M.A.B.A.

Huge echoes of Mr Robot on this tight new track from Atoms Family members Cryptic One and Alaska. The title stands for Mind Awake Body Asleep.

Words Hurt: Fuck That Pretty Boy Shit

You may remember me covering a couple of Words Hurt releases recently, well now they are back with a whole album: Fuck That Pretty Boy Shit. As the title indicates, the album is filled with enough bilious outpourings and misanthropic sentiments to make Charles Manson bop his head.

Words Hurt: I Love People

Yesterday saw the release of the next single from Words Hurt’s upcoming album, Fuck That Pretty Boy Shit. I Love People sees rapper Alaska and producer Lang Vo, team up with one of my favourite MCs at the minute, Red Pill. They’ve also thrown in a dope Zilla Rocca remix, with his noir hop style giving a whole new feel to the track. Get yourselves over to Bandcamp to cop the tracks and watch out for the album coming to your ears in the near future.