Project Blowed

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Project Blowed is the cultural moniker for a progressive hip hop music movement born in South Los Angeles in the early 1990s. Drawing inspiration from a legendary open-mic night at the now-defunct Good Life Health Food Store on Crenshaw Boulevard, Project Blowed began as a compilation tape in 1994, featuring the most dynamic rappers of the Los Angeles underground at that time.

The landmark recording showcased wildly diverse acts whose common bond was a mandate to expand the musical, thematic, and lyrical horizons of hip-hop. All emcees featured on the original Project Blowed recording were local legends through their weekly performances and freestyles at The Good Life.

The recording was originally distributed independently by the featured rappers and, the limited run was subsequently purchased and traded by fans internationally.

A defiantly low-fi, low-budget compilation, the Project Blowed album makes up for its lack of slickness and big label polish with creativity, originality, and a strong sense of purpose. Project Blowed tracks run the gamut from the pimp rap of Chillin Villain Empire (C.V.E.)'s "Once Upon a Freak" to Figures Of Speech's bluntly feminist and black nationalist "Don't Get It Twisted."

Executive producer Aceyalone makes his presence felt throughout, reuniting with Freestyle Fellowship for the jazzy give and take of "Hot." He also teams with future fellow A-Teamer Abstract Rude for "Maskaraid Part 1 & 2," a conceptual track criticizing hip-hop's propensity for posturing and role-playing.

Legendary crews such as The Nonce, Hip Hop Klan and Funky Trend are prominently featured throughout, as are world-famous artists such as Volume Ten, Medusa, S.I.N., Peace, Self-Jupiter and Mikah Nyne.

PROJECT BLOWED's deliberately abstract aesthetic and willingness to experiment has spawned fans worldwide since its release more than a decade ago. The compilation has given birth to a record label of the same name, as well as many individual tours and music recordings.

The track listing of this famous underground recording is as follows:

1. Jurassick - Aceyalone/Spoon Iodine/C.V.E.

2. Who's There? - Self-Jupiter of Freestyle Fellowship

3. Strength Of A.T.U. - Abstract Rude of ATU

4. What A Pity - C.V.E. featuring Riddlore and Ngafsh

5. Don't Get It Twisted - Jyant and Eve of Figures Of Speech

6. Hot - Freestyle Fellowship/Horace Tapscott/The Underground Railroad

7. Once Upon A Freak - Tray Loc of CVE

8. Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood - Dolla Holla

9. Solo Is So Low - DK Toon/B Cartoon

10. This Evening - (interlude)

11. Heavyweights Round 2 - Peace/T-Love/A.C./Nefertiti/Self-Jupiter/BJ/Ganjah K/Medusa/Ko Ko/Mikah 9/Volume 10