Knobody 'Tha Clean Up' album

For those of you who don’t know, The Hiero Imperium Triple i League is Hiero’s version of a Major League Baseball farm team. With the goal of providing a kick start for fresh talent, the guys at Hiero are bringing their A&R expertise to the table and scouting the best undiscovered talent in the Bay and beyond. New recruits are put through a rigorous regimen of trials and exercises in the Hiero Imperium Compound in East Oakland before being formally accepted as first team members of the Triple i League. Hiero is proud to announce the first signing of the Triple i League: Knobody.

Since the age of 16, Knobody has been busy developing his unique blend of rhyme and spoken word (coined as "Rappetry") to become one of the most recognized young emcees in the Bay Area hip-hop scene. Knobody began his career selling EPs of his rhymes on the streets of his hometown of Oakland for two bucks a pop. He showed his passion and dedication to the craft a few years later, when what began as a joint effort between several area rappers became his 2001 release Tha Book of Mathieu.

With a great deal of underground buzz and success for the album and subsequent street mixtapes, in 2006 Knobody took his talents across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco. Knobody became the undefeated champion of Philip Drummond’s monthly Beats, Rhymes & Life Song Competition at the Elements Lounge. Don't mistake him for a battle rapper though; the point of the contest was to craft the best complete song, not to freestyle or diss the other emcees. His reign as champion only stopped when he was asked to step down from the competition to give other rappers a chance.

From there, Knobody's career began to gain serious momentum. In late 2006, Hieroglyphics emcee and resident A&R man, Casual, happened to be at a show that Knobody was performing at. Casual couldn't stop listening to the CD that Knobody gave him, and within weeks Knobody was signed to Hiero Imperium as the first member of their new Triple i League crew. Casual has high praise for him - “Knobody’s well of rhymes runs deep. The only other emcee I’ve heard who can consistently flow on the same subject throughout a song without having to switch up is Eminem.” Anyone who is familiar with Casual’s formidable skills knows that this is not praise to be taken lightly. Knobody is set to release his new album Tha Clean Up on September 18, 2007.

With Tha Lead-Off mixtape already burning up the streets, Tha Clean Up is a heavy hitting, fully realized album that aims to do what a clean-up hitter does on a baseball team: smack some balls out of the park. Starting off with a voicemail from Knobody’s cousin assuring the listener that the following tracks are “hella tight,” the album is Knobody’s declaration that he will do what he wants whether you like it or not. With tight lyrics and the production savvy of Da Beathoven, (Scion/Roland 2007 King of the Beats Champion, Federation, Wu-Tang, Sik Wid It Records) the first single “What U Think” is a take-noprisoners anthem for staying true to yourself and doing your own thing. With about ¾ of the album produced by Da Beathoven, the album has a cohesive feel that can be felt on the next single “Supa.” This track has a vibe that Knobody can only describe as “pure expression.” Once again, Knobody assures us that he’s cutting the crap and telling it like it is. Although many of the tracks maintain the upbeat feel of the first two singles, there are a few tracks that hit a bit deeper. Among these is the pensive “Granted.” Written after the death of a good friend’s father, Knobody takes a moment to step back and remind us to “cherish the day y’all / like it’s your last one / cuz you never know when it could be your last one.”

Knobody is fresh out of Hiero’s spring training camp and is swinging for the fences. Better get your glove ready.

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Knobody - Tha Clean Up