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The title makes it plain: coming quickly after 2003's muddled, unfocused Self Titled, Rebirth is AWOL One's hitting of the reset button. It's a much stronger collection of songs overall, and the album's high points are among the best things AWOL One has ever done. The creepy "Flying Spiders" has a woozy, almost psychedelic feel akin to early De La Soul filtered through a bongload of cheap weed, and "Sum Times" puts a hypnotic sung hook and laid-back rhythm against some of the most im   [ read more ]

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Canadian underground rappers Josh Martinez and AWOL One don't really collaborate on Splitsville: aside from shared verses on the title track, each rapper sticks to his own tracks. (The press kit for the album calls it a "double EP" for this reason.) The point of commonality is DJ Moves, who provides the beats for all 14 songs, but even with a producer in common, this is definitely an album of two halves. Martinez's six songs are self-described "emo rap," featuring light, almost pastoral   [ read more ]

CD $15.18

A full-length collaboration between Bay Area underground rapper AWOL One and producer Factor, Only Death Can Kill You is that rarity, a hip-hop album that has a consistent mood and sound throughout instead of having to make a virtue of the jigsaw-puzzle quality that comes from the sound of too many collaborators and guest stars. Only Death Can Kill You is as moody as its title, but AWOL One is far too clever a lyricist to dip into the usual inner-city-strife tales. Instead, he sets the sce   [ read more ]

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Anthony Martin, who raps under the name Awol One, formed a partnership with DJ and producer Factor shortly after the two met while the former was on tour in Canada, and the two have forged a strange and borderline-unique brand of progressive hip-hop. Owl Hours features a large number of guest musicians and rappers including Xzibit (who shines particularly on the brilliant but nasty "Brains Out"), Tash, E-swift, and Sunspot Jonz, among others. At its best, the album blends rock and   [ read more ]

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CD $13.28

California-based rapper, producer, and DJ AWOL One (aka Tony Martin) can't be pinned down to a specific sound or vision, which is a good thing. His ninth album (including collaborations), The War of Art, is an almost defiantly underground statement, featuring a mix that's so muddy and lo-fi that it has to have been a deliberate artistic choice. For most of the album, the beats are similarly low-key, with the distorted faux-Middle Eastern whine of "The Drums" being the primary standout simply    [ read more ]

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Named one of the "Next Big Things" by Spin and one of the "Top Ten Rappers From Hip Hop's Bleeding Edge" by Urb, AWOL One justified neither of those plaudits with Self Titled. Possessing a low, cracking voice that he can occasionally raise into a tuneless croon, he makes a fair bid as a hip-hop underachiever who doesn't need tight rhymes, beefy productions, or an epic sound to make it -- though rap fans could easily debate whether an artist lacking all of these qualities can still succeed.   [ read more ]

CD $13.28