We’ve been waiting for this one for a while, and now it’s here. Today, Black Liquid has dropped mixtape number 17, his first in nearly two years. Title is a 10-song full-length constructed exclusively of Fiona Apple samples, and it’s full of hip hop tracks with the same introspective, emotionally-oriented feel that Apple brings to her music.



We’ve been waiting for this one for a while, and now it’s here. Today, Black Liquid has dropped mixtape number 17, his first in nearly two years. Title is a 10-song full-length constructed exclusively of Fiona Apple samples, and it’s full of hip hop tracks with the same introspective, emotionally-oriented feel that Apple brings to her music. Speaking to Australian hip hop site Make A Circle, Liq explained that the strange, um, title for the release was inspired by Apple herself. “Her first album is called Tidal, and it’s 10 tracks too. This is a new beginning of sorts for me.”

Those who have grown used to Liq’s hard style and heavy beats, as established on his many previous releases, will indeed notice a different vibe here. The lyrical topics are more inwardly focused, from “Misunderstood”‘s tale of a relationship gone wrong to the autobiographical details of “Monster,” in which Liq describes building his rap career as everything else in his life fell apart. He tells Make A Circle “This was the first project I ever went into wanting to talk about myself rather than the way I see things that are happening around me,” and this new lyrical focus is obvious throughout the album.

Sobriety is also a consistent theme throughout, showing up both in unflinching descriptions of the way previous drug and alcohol abuse affected his life and in explanations of how his life has improved since he sobered up two years ago. Some of the introspection here is definitely motivated by the process of getting sober, as Liq explained to Make A Circle. “The AA community would call it serenity; a self inventory was part of the process in finding what I wanted to say and how much of myself I was willing to reveal.”

The lyrical revelations are appropriately soundtracked by beats constructed by some of RVA’s best producers. Sleaze in particular strikes gold when plundering Fiona Apple’s recorded works for samples; his multi-layered production on “For You” mixes mournful piano lines with boom-bap beats to create a musical duality that evokes strong yet ambivalent emotions. Ant The Symbol goes for more of a cinematic feel on “PMPO,” somehow layering Fiona Apple’s music together in such a way to create a soul-funk groove that seems a million miles from anything you’d actually hear one one of her albums. Of course, with production credits on 5 of this album’s 10 songs, Lord Slugg is the backbone of this project, and he shines particularly on “Listen,” which vibrates with ominous piano chords and synth stabs.

Title is well-constructed and does not overstay its welcome, moving through 10 distinct and memorable tracks in less than 40 minutes. In a time of feature-laden singles and remixes, Liq’s voice is the only one you hear on this album–which is appropriate in light of how long it’s been since he released any new rhymes. When combined with samples drawn exclusively from Fiona Apple’s music, the entire album has a very unified feel, which encourages the listener to let it play all the way through. Do so below, and download Title for free from NoiseTrade by clicking on the download button.

The latest in Black Liquid and The New Juice Crew’s regular Face Melt Friday events will take place this Friday at Strange Matter, beginning at 7 PM. Black Liquid will perform, along with many other of the biggest names in RVA hip hop. Tickets are $3 in advance (available from performing artists), and $5 at the door. For more info, click here.