ROUNDUP: Bandcamp 802

After a long hiatus in 2023, there is a ton of music to catch up on, so we’ll be doing ROUNDUP drops all week. First, though, let’s cruise through some gems available on Bandcamp, one of the best tools independent musicians have in our modern shitshow. Some of these are brand new; some of these dropped last year and simply never got the respect they deserved.

Kinetic Fource - This Is Dedicated (Feat. DJ Kanga)

Kinetic Fource was a wild moment in time, a legitimate 802 supergroup consisting of Learic, Rico James, and the Boomslang team of Sed One and JL (Forever!). This was the closing track on their eponymous project and it’s one of the finest hip hop tributes anyone from Vermont has ever given us. Bringing in DJ Kanga was the right damn move, too.

Es-K & Type Raw - Yin & Yang (feat. VVS Verbal, Jarv, & Konflik)

Es-K teamed up with long-time co-conspirator Type.Raw to deliver Raw Essentials, a killer compilation of boom bap purism with a world-class cast of rappers. This cut just happens to feature two of Vermont’s finest, Jarv and Konflik, alongside NYC true school torchbearer VVS Verbal. (If you dig this, be sure to check out his LP with Es-K, Rebirth of the Slickest.)

FOZ. - never complicated

The latest single from FOZ. was a surprise: not only is this a straight-up pop song, it’s also … extremely smooth and well-produced. Dude could easily muster a second career arc of material like this. He does a great job bringing his intricate bar game to bear on simpler fare — the rhymes remain intricate but there’s a newfound clarity and simplicity. All in all, one of his most accessable tracks so far and a very interesting left turn.

Danny James - Time ft. Maari

I thought the Danny James debut album Heatwave was one of the best 802 releases of the year in any genre. That moniker is pseudonym for keyboardist and vocalist Danny Whitney, who is hardly a stranger to the Vermont Hip Hop scene, having been gigging with killer bands and laying down tracks with producers like Loupo and Es-K for years now. “Time” brings 99 Neighbors alumni Maari through for a typically show-stealing guest verse. If you’re feeling the flavor here, buy the album. I know I still have it in regular rotation almost a year later.

FNTN Tollbooth - Excursion 10

This marks the final chapter in an incredible saga from producer FNTM Tollbooth, a/k/a South Burlington’s own Freddie Losambe. For fans of psychedelic hip hop and classic beat tapes, I couldn’t give this series a stronger recommendation. This is an extremely polished, consistent body of work. Looking forward to the double CD set so I can bump it all in the whip this summer…

Pleasant Boys - ASH ft. DJ Lucas

Pleasant Boys dropped their debut LP, PSTREETBANDITS, right at the end of 2023. With another couple weeks to push it and play shows, it definitely would have made the ballot for Best Album. Especially since it’s a real evolution of their sound, a big step up from their singles. Even on such a strong tracklist, “ASH” was a standout, capturing their chemistry over a killer beat. Props to the 2023 Vermont Hip Hop Awards Best Group; their 2024 promises to be a wild ride.

Freddie Losambe - Stardust

Speaking of Best Album nominees: check out this scorching heater off Freddie Losambe’s stunning album The Leaves Still Dance. A self-produced tour de force, the LP is Losambe’s best work yet, which his really saying something given how strong, deep and diverse his catalog is.

Rico James & JL - Opportunity Knocks

Finally, let’s bring things full circle with another dynamite beat tape project, this time from the Kinetic Fource team of Rico James & JL. “Opportunity Knocks” documents 33 minutes of heaters created during the Kinetic Fource sessions, but this is hardly warmed-up leftovers. This is a selection of raw heat rocks that urgently needed to see the light of day.