One of hip-hop’s most respected – and underrated – acts has a date for their first new album in eight years. LA outfit Dilated Peoples are ready to release Directors of Photography on August 12.
Some bands just can’t catch a break. The talent has always been there for Dilated Peoples, but mainstream success has always seemed barely out of reach. Formed in 1992, the trio of DJ Babu, Evidence, and Rakaa Iriscience quickly amassed a formidable reputation in the underground hip-hop community, and eventually made it to the studio, releasing four albums between 2000 and 2006.
And now they’re making it five. The three have spent several years exploring personal projects, but they’re reunited, and have a new label to boot. The album name was apparently selected as an affirmation of the band’s control over their own music, to quote DJ Babu:
“I think the statement we made this time around is that the three of us are still here standing making quality Hip Hop from our hearts. We never chased trends and we always stayed true to ourselves. Even with the changes in the music industry and the world, we still managed to stay cutting edge, classic and, in many ways, independent.”
Check out the first track released off the upcoming album, the unapologetically old-school “Good as Gone”.
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