Album Notes

In the wake of the chaotic impact of the hyphy movement and a steadily increasing murder rate, jaded residents in the Bay Area painfully await the emergence of an all-encompassing rap super group to spearhead the next major musical statement. And they are now just beginning to become aware that this mystery artist has already been here for years, destroying stages and breaking boundaries in Oakland’s underworld- The Delinquent Monastery. The Delinquent Monastery (or Delmon as they are know to their fans) are the missing piece to the rap game, combining a distinctly west coast street savvy modern sound with a strong understanding of the roots and foundation of hip-hop. They stand out as considerably edgier then most of their contemporaries, but this intensity is presented in an often humorous and always entertaining manner. Having shared the stage with the elite talent of the indie rap world, Delmon has often blown the competition off the stage in a cloud of purple smoke. All 3 of the groups emcees- Ajaxx, Plex Rock, and Lush One- are very unique personalities who all manage to gel with a seamless cohesion. Delmon is the name on the tip of the mainstream’s tongue thriving within the underworld as ‘Oakland’s finest hardcore hip-hop’. In essence, they are street rap itself, and all the passion it spawns.
On their well-crafted precocious debut ‘Streets of Rage’, Delmon are able to flaunt both style and substance in a way that the Bay Area has never seen before, allowing them to gain respect close to home as well as appeal to markets on the East Coast which usually shy away from West Coast artists. Notable songs include the title track ‘Streets of Rage’ produced by Bay Area mixtape titans the Demoltion Men, the hilarious crunk anthem ‘Stomp dat Metermaid’ (which was featured on a recent Mistah F.A.B. mixtape), ‘Mutant Conglomerate’ (featuring Hieroglypic’s Pep Love), and ‘No Respect’ (featuring Sean Price of Boot Camp Click and Heltah Skeltah). The album slaps from start to finnish, with a variety of different issues addressed (forced labor on ‘Sweat Shops’ and style biting followers making the town look bad on ‘Outtapocket Bitchmades’) and sonic boundaries explored. It is also impressive how they manage to keep a consistent feeling throughout an album with such diverse production and musical contributions. It has been years since an album this original and potentially cathartic has come out of the bay. Notorious for their action packed live sets, this album brings the same energy to your headphones, living room, or car stereo.