Look for the upcoming album release from Braille and Humble Beast, available now for pre-sale at SphereofhiphopStore.com.
Formats available: CD, Download
“Native Lungs” is the 7th solo album from Portland, OR bred emcee Braille. Mostly known for his passionate lyricism and strong beat selection – Braille has remained very active over the last 12 years. Although his career has many highlights he’s spent most of it off the radar. He’s worked with a plethora of producers including Ohmega Watts, S1, Celph Titled, 9th Wonder, Kno, DJ Spinna, OhNo, Marco Polo, 88 Keys and many more. He’s toured the world performing in Japan, Europe, Australia, Canada and Brazil and has opened for legendary acts such as James Brown (20 times), De La Soul and Snoop Dogg. His sound is heavily influenced by boom-bap style production and his Christian faith is evident in his lyrics. Growing up on early 90’s Hip-hop, Braille was always attracted to authentic artistry. Rather than chasing trends or watering down his music – he’s remained diligent, writing honest lyrics that reflect his thoughts, emotions and experiences.
The title “Native Lungs” is an ode’ to everything Braille has “breathed in” during his lifetime, as well as a flip on the name of the classic hip-hop crew “Native Tongues”. It was groups like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul that inspired Braille to pursue doing music. The intensity and hunger Braille displays on “Native Lungs” serves as a re-introduction to his style. His previous album “Weapon Aid” was a bit darker then the rest of his catalog because it was collection of songs he wrote during a difficult season of life. On “Native Lungs” it’s almost as if Braille sounds brand new. The entire album was recorded at Side3 Studios in Denver, CO. Most of his lyrics were written spontaneously while big beats blasted out of big speakers (see the “making of” videos below). The production on “Native Lungs” is primarily handled by beat-makers residing in his home town. A few exceptions were made to include contributions from Evidence, S1 and DJ Official. In partnership with his new label Humble Beast, no corners were cut in the making of “Native Lungs”. With a successful IndieGoGo campaign they were able to get engineers Frank Azzaro, Eddie Sancho and Tony Dawsey involved in the mixing and mastering process. This is indeed Braille’s biggest album and marks a new chapter in his career.
Track list
1. Native Lungs
2. Feel It (feat. DJ Revolution)
3. Death In Me (feat. Theory Hazit and Odd Thomas)
4. We Will Remember
5. Storm Trooper
6. Spell It Out (feat. DJ Cassidy)
7. The New Raw (feat. DJ Rob Swift)
8. Nightmare Walking
9. Too Many Tomorrows
10. Step Up
11. 48 Prisons
12. DeepRest
13. Finally Arrive
Production by
1. Odd Thomas and Xperiment
2. Evidence (additional production by Khysis)
3, 10 DaveNotti
4. Braille
5. Theory Hazit
6. DJ Official
7. Ohmega Watts
8. Trox
9. Calvin Valentine
11. Xperiment
12. S1
13. Odd Thomas & Xperiment (additional production by DJ Cassidy)
Recorded and Mixed by Frank Azzaro at Side3 Studios in Denver, CO
Except “48 Prisons” recorded by Odd Thomas at Humble Beast Studios in Portland, OR
And “Feel It”, “The New Raw” and “Nightmare Walking” mixed by Eddie Sancho in NY
Mastered by Tony Dawsey at MasterDisk in NYC
Release Date: August 30, 2011
Label: Humble Beast
Similar Artists: Lightheaded, Othello, Ohmega Watts, Propaganda, Odd Thomas, Alert
