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"Subterranean." “Submerged underwater." “Lo-fi." All of these words have been used at some point during the last 12 months to describe the sound of Oakland’s 21st century street rappers, Main Attrakionz. But what happens when the enigmatic duo gets a chance to step beyond bedroom studios, and brings their lo-fi aesthetic into high definition? The answer is 808s & Dark Grapes II. While the first installment in the 808s series (2009) was more accurately described as a playlist of Main Attrkaionz best work at the time, 808s II finds Squadda B and MondreM.A.N. growing as earnest storytellers of their daily struggle.

808s & Dark Grapes II is a focused effort that employs production work from some of the most talented and unheralded underground producers from the Bay Area and beyond. Marlee B, NoaBoa, AHYVE, FriendZone and Keyboard Kid all contribute to the sonic blueprint of the release, and of course Squadda laced the project with a few instrumentals of his own. Plus, we have to mention Clams Casino's ODB-sampling opium trip ‘Take 1”, featuring Harlem’s A$AP Rocky.

Full of inventive beats, ethereal vocal samples and the sort of original, left-field take on hip hop that has captured a small, but dedicated fanbase, 808s & Dark Grapes II is presented to you here as a free download. We at Мишка can only hope that our involvement with this project enables the work of Main Attrakionz to reach an entirely new audience looking for rap music like they’ve never heard it before. These guys are the future of Hip Hop plain and simple. Get this, bump this; we know you’re gonna enjoy it.

A New York City fixture since 2003, Мишка (“Mishka,” or “bear cub” in Russian) clawed their own path through the often homogenous streetwear world, beginning humbly as a small t-shirt upstart and maturing into a full blown cut & sew powerhouse.

1. mishkanyc.com
2. SoundCloud