Dig, Sample, Chop, Sequence
Tracklist
The full-length continues Rawlss characteristic blend of hip hop grooves and jazzy textures; after recent releases on Javotti like The Confidence of Knowing featuring Talib Kweli, Midnight Angel with Solene Velvet, and The Optimists Son with Niko IS, he returns to his roots. The album is conceived as an ode to the craft of production itself: digging, sampling, chopping, and sequencing are at the center of every composition.As a professor of Hip Hop Studies at Ohio State University, Rawls reflects on Dig, Sample, Chop, Sequence about the emotional drive behind digging through record crates and the decision to sample certain sounds. While the tracks are often labeled as lo-fi, Rawls puts it simply: We just call it Hip Hop. The arrangements lean on stripped-down, sometimes warm loops and targeted drum work that leave plenty of space for subtle details.The album is additionally framed by interludes from the last recorded conversation with Rawlss longtime friend DJ Buka; the voices and anecdotes form narrative bridges between tracks and trace the parallel paths of two lives shaped by hip hop. With this LP, Polar Entertainment presents a deeply personal instrumental work by J. Rawls