Album Notes

Hand'Solo Records has had successful past runs with some of the first slices of vinyl for Moka Only and Sixtoo (their Crystal Senate split-12"), as well as Buck 65 (The Wildlife Trilogy 12") and Tachichi & Moves (Suicidal Soul EP), plus a compilation of "sensual Canadian hip hop" entitled Cock Dynamiks. But it all began in 1996 with the original Bassments of Badmen compilation, now a Canadian hip hop classic. It introduced the burgeoning Halifax, Nova Scotia hip hop scene to the rest of the world with an original cast of Halifax heroes like Buck 65, Sixtoo, Hip Club Groove, Gordski (of The Goods), Classified and Witchdoc Jorun.

Like the first volume, Bassments of Badmen: Volume 2 will once again open up the bassment and introduce a whole new batch of bad men. As always with Hand'Solo Records, the focus is strongly Canadian with appearances from many of the best up-and-coming Canuck emcees, DJs and producer (b-boys sold separately!): Mindbender, Epic, Noah 23, Tooshed, Fritz the Cat, Wordburglar and more. Also found in the bassment this tiime around were a few Americans (Restiform Bodies, Exempt Specimenz, Megalynk 3 and The IF?) and one Japanese group (Spiritual Juice) fighting to bring their music to the light of day. The scope of the Bassments of Badmen has widened. But then again, the Evil Record Empire and the Dark Side it serves have never been as powerful as it is now, what with the building of the second Death Star and all that. Rescue from Jabba is only the beginning. There are still a lot of traps (and cute and cuddly Ewoks) before victory can be declared. And Hand'Solo Records will be in the frontlines fighting the good fight with the Bassments of Badmen series.

"... the spoken word is sharp and the flow is wicked." - The Spill Magazine, May 2003

"These cuts all share a like-minded avant-garde vibe, filled with DJ Shadow-style cinematic soundscapes and esoteric musings." - Exclaim Magazine, June 2003

"An album well deserving of your immediate attention and a permanent spot in your collection." - HipHopHotSpot.com, July 2003