People Under The Stairs: Sincerely, The P (Colored Vinyl) Vinyl 2LP

After more than 20 years of Hip-Hop DIY, the PUTS ride has pulled into their last stop. It's a rare and bittersweet moment when a group can call the shots surrounding the end of their career. More often than not, groups are contractually obligated to release a certain number of albums, sometimes even after the chemistry is gone (industry rule #4080). Thes One and Double K, the duo who make up People Under the Stairs, have been doing things on their own terms since their formation in '96. Maintaining a DIY work ethic, they produce, mix, handle booking and touring, market and promotion all by themselves. Despite the lack of mainstream or chart success throughout the two decades, PUTS have achieved and maintained praise and notoriety throughout their career, regularly selling out shows and maintaining a steady stream of top-tier releases. From their debut album The Next Step (which features the song "San Francisco Knights", which I often describe as being the penultimate hip-hop classic) PUTS has put in the blood, sweat, and tears that'll ensure their artistic legacy lasts for a long time. With Sincerely, the P, the duo stick to their tried-and-true strengths. Quick witted, cool-out lyrics blend seamlessly over the head-nodding tracks, with various callbacks to the group's previous albums. The opening track "Encore" opens with a live recording of "San Francisco Knights" before jumping into a bumping opener. There's the return of the fictitious radio station WRLA that's prominently featured in Question in the Form of an Answer and O.S.T. Then you have the contributors and players, including members of Crown City Rockers providing live instrumentation and Kat Ouno playing keys on the album's final track, as she has on all of their albums since Stepfather. Tunes to check out are the aforementioned "Encore," "Let the Record Show," "The Effects of Climate Change on Densely Populated Areas," "Streetsweeper," "Here, for a Good Time," and "Dream Sequence '88". 15 tracks in all, released on Thes One's own label Piecelock 70. Limited edition pressing on yellow and blue translucent smoke vinyl, included printed inner sleeves, digital download, and a signed photo of the duo! Don't sleep on this one! The end of a hip-hop era.

• 2 LP yellow and blue translucent smoke vinyl
• limited edition
• printed inner sleeve
• comes with signed photo of the duo
• digital download included
• music label: Piecelock 70 2019

reviewed by Ricky Fleece 5/2019