Out of the Shadows: Oh No’s Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms

Stepping out of a big brother’s shadow can be tough to do. And a father’s legacy can even loom larger. But with his newest project, Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms, producer/MC prodigy Oh No shines on his own. Younger brother of producer extraordinaire, Madlib, and son of ‘70’s soul crooner, Otis Jackson, Oh No collaborates with another living legend on this project, Galt MacDermot, a funk composer of the highest stature (composed the Broadway musical Hair) whose been sampled by everyone from Busta (Woo Hah! I Got You All in Check) Rhymes to the Beatnuts and beyond. For Exodus, Oh No got exclusive access to Galt’s vault to cut and chop beats from, sort of like how Madlib got exclusive access to the Blue Note catalogue for his Shades of Blue. But unlike big bro, Oh No looped up the music and passed it on to some of the best MC’s in the game to flow on. Posdnous, AG, Buckshot, Wise Intelligent, Wordsworth, LMNO, Vast Aire, Murs, etc. all lend their unique spit to these 22 tracks. Oh No even gets down lyrically on a few.

Unlike his previous album, The Disrupt, Oh No’s sound seems much more developed (half of the tracks on Disrupt were produced by Madlib…the good half) and he seems more comfortable and confident in his rhymes as well. I also know that he’s done some unreleased work with David Matthews (not to be confused with Dave Matthews, who had that horrible collab with J5 [see the “Slept On: Jurassic 5” post], but the one who was behind the boards on James Brown’s best) that supposedly was an epiphany for Oh No. Damn, I wish I could get my hands on that!

But for the meantime, this will more than do (for you Exclusive Heads, my favorite tracks from the album below + check out more on the Stones Throw site and on his myspace). Make sure you pick it up when it drops Aug. 8! An album that you can listen to from beginning to end (a rarity in today's hip-hop).

[MP3] Oh No feat. AG :: Low Coastin'
{From the legendary DITC crew, AG kills it on this ill beat!}
[MP3] Oh No feat. Vast Aire :: No Aire
[MP3] Oh No :: Basement Interlude
{I know its just an interlude, but damn! I guess if the source is dope, it’s hard to screw it up}

Oh No on Stones Throw
Galt’s site

Keep playin’ those funky keys mang!
:: MISTA HIPPO :