Definitive Jux

March 8, 2025 7:49 AM

"Though it may have felt as if it ended just as soon as it started, Definitive Jux remains relevant even in the modern context of hip-hop through its influence. ...Definitive Jux tried to keep it true to its roots while also developing an alternative lane for artists that is still flourishing today."

Def Jux Records: life and death to backpackerism

... but what really matters:

Def Jux Records Tribute Mixtape: 2000/2004 The Golden Years

posted by Lemkin (2 comments total)

El-P, Aesop and Lif all compressed upcycled despair into darkly radiant gems—worlds built on production that sounded eternal as it did fresh.

I love Stretto Blaster's use of the old Def Jux-style pre-release VO. Some albums still sound wrong without it.
posted by angelplasma at 1:02 PM on March 8 [1 favorite]

After finding Cannibal Ox's "The Cold Vein" I was listening to it every day for weeks. I was around 40, a middle aged midwestern white guy who'd had very little exposure to rap, but this album was a total mind-blender. Sometimes it's weird what reaches people.
posted by at by at 1:18 PM on March 8 [3 favorites]