Press
HiphopDX.com | 3.5 / 5
“If you love Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique chances are you’ll find something to like in the new record from Ill Mondo and Neal Rames. It’s a thrill to hear extremely skilled musicians create a track from spare parts and emcees that are having fun playing with words with little care for current trends. This record is thoroughly enjoyable and worth your time.”
Treblezine.com |
“Rames’ confident flows come from an old school approach, while Ill Mondo drops some outrageously funky production. Ill Mondo steals the show with their organic, crackly, bass-heavy beats. This is, quite simply, one of the funkiest things I’ve heard all year, and that makes it pretty fantastic.”
MP3 featured on TGIFJams.com |
Ill Mondo / Neal Rames – I Know Right is featured on TGIFJams’ Thanksgiving playlist as “The Cranberry Sauce: a perfect addition to any musical meal.”
Impose Mag - Best of 2009 | #26
"Neal Rames / Ill Mondo's self-titled joint on Circle Into Square was the indie hip-hop surprise debut of the year, for "Gold Rush" and "Natalie Moore" alone. "
Self-titled
By Ill Mondo
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#1 The Jump Off
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#2 Rock 10
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#3 2 Fold Featuring Percee P
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#4 Freezer Burns
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#5 Scriptures Featuring Prince Po
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#6 Natalie Moore
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#7 Sound Sharp!
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#8 Gold Rush
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#9 Suicide Doors Featuring Sean Price
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#10 No Knot Never
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#11 I Know Right Featuring Stranjah 1
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#12 $#!+ Out Of Luck
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#13 Enterlude
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#14 Pops Past
Ill Mondo is a bay area production team, dedicated to bringing a classic sound to modern hip-hop. Influenced equally by hip-hop legends like DJ Shadow and Mobb Deep, and also by classic 70’s producers like David Axelrod, they record and mix on all vintage gear which gives their music a unique timeless quality, rare in modern hip-hop.
Their upcoming debut release is a split album with LA rapper Neal Rames. The album features legendary guests like Percee P, Prince Po, Sean Price and mix of local professional musicians including Mike Rinta of Tower of Power. Dusty drum breaks are coupled with blazing live Hammond organ and distorted wah-pedal guitar, supported by string sections and funky horn arrangements.
The self-titled album showcases Ill Mondo's unique production style and Neal Rames' intricate but accessible rhyme style. Both the music and the lyrics share similar qualities; both looking back and respecting the past, while also moving forward to elevate the genre. Ill Mondo draws inspiration from 60's and 70's funk, soul, and psych rock. Live guitars, bass, horns and strings are featured heavily on songs like Jump Off and 2 Fold, giving the tracks an undeniably funky feel. Rames' lyrical inspiration is drawn from old school rap and early 90's golden era classics, but he injects his own unique flavor, having honed his own style over years of live performance and recording.
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