I’ve been thinking about zipping up the stronger cuts from North Oakland’s finest’s sprawling catalog lately, since an overview is such a mission.
Looks like I won’t need to.
Space Age Hustle (the two people in the world who have listened to Main Attrakionz more than me, I suppose) have done a great job at separating immensely fresh from not so memorable tracks.
Space Age Hustle and Dream Collabo Present: Two Man Horror Film, The Main Attrakionz Compilation (Internet, 2011)
Though they’ve been on our radar since around this time last year, and we’ve been proselytizing about their work to anyone that would listen since then (you might remember their heavy presence on our last tape, 3 Years Ahead), Main Attrakionz and the whole Green Ova camp have finally starting turning heads outside of this small rap blog world in 2011. With the release of Squadda B’s I Smoke Because I Don’t Care About Death, Shady Blaze and Squadda’s The Shady Bambino Project, and now Mondre’s Dope Since ‘91 mixtapes, glowing write-ups from Pitchfork, SF Weekly, and The Fader (among others) have followed. A crammed release schedule is coming up, including their full-length debut album Legion of Doom, as well as so many collaborative projects and solo releases from Squadda and Mondre it might make your head spin. This is in addition to a colossal amount of music the duo has already released. It can be overwhelming.
So Space Age Hustle, along with the Berkeley-based Dream Collabo, have put together an introductory compilation to help the uninitiated dive into the beautiful, idiosyncratic, and complex world of MAz. We have probably listened to more Main Attrakionz than anyone in the world, and this tracklist is made up of our favorite tracks, new and old. It’s a great one for those interested in their unique sound. Clipped vocal samples, slapping 808s, hazy atmospherics, and generally top-notch production work from Squadda and frequent collaborators Clams Casino, NoaBoa, and Nem270 (as well as others) combine perfectly with the lyrical work of MCs Squadda and Mondre. And the lyrics: probably the most underrated part of the Main Attrakionz world. Both Squadda and Mondre have a unique ability to combine narrative muscle with creative punchlines at a delirious rate. Oftentimes overlooked (especially in their early work) because of how deep the vocals are in the mix, they’re definitely worth keeping an ear out for. Their most high-profile fan, Danny Brown, calls Mondre his favorite MC out right now.
Get in now or miss out. Main Attrakionz are going to be all over your radar in the next several months, and you all should be paying attention. Tracklist and credits below:
1. Squadda B- Dear America (prod. by Squadda B)
2. Main Attrakionz- Legion of Doom (prod. by Squadda B)
3. Squadda B- Ask Yourself (prod. by Clams Casino)
4. Squadda B- World Domination (feat. Mondre and Dope G) (prod. by Squadda B)
5. Main Attrakionz- Same Game (prod. by Squadda B)
6. Squadda B- Oakland Sunrise (Three 6 Mafia instrumental)
7. Main Attrakionz- Young as Fuck (Edit) (prod. by Squadda B)
8. Squadda B- Fakest Year Ever (prod. by Clams Casino)
9. Squadda Bambino- I’m Official (prod. by Clams Casino)
10. Squadda B- Ice Nites (feat. Mondre) (prod. by Nem270)
11. Main Attrakionz- Death Won’t End Yr Dreams (Edit) (prod. by Squadda B)
12. Main Attrakionz- Blood Money (prod. by Squadda B)
13. Main Attrakionz- Who Am I (prod. by Babe Rainbow)
14. Main Attrakionz- Conversations (prod. by Clams Casino)
15. Main Attrakionz- On Deck (prod. by Squadda B)
16. Main Attrakionz- Illest Alive (prod. by Squadda B)
17. Main Attrakionz- Shining Everytime (prod. by Clams Casino)
18. Main Attrakionz- Finish Line (prod. by NoaBoa)
19. Main Attrakionz- Still the Legion/Bonus Track (prod. by Main Attrakionz and Basshead Beatz)
Cover by Dream Collabo.
-Flex
Since there are some twenty mixtapes of material released during the last two years to choose from, then of course, Underdog, Its All Love, Kissin On My Syrup, One Life, Jumped Out Fly, Greenova Takin Ova, Ridin With G.O., or something from the excellent Loyalty & Royalty mixtape, and so on and so on, could be added… but all in all… carefully chosen compositions indeed.
#MAIN ATTRAKIONZ BEST DUO EVER #GREENOVA TAKIN OVA
