Sankofa
The Tortoise Hustle
© 2007 Sankofa (634479594533)
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
The latest release from one of URB's Next 100.
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notes
CRITICS SAY:
"Great content wrapped in a great shape, it’ll make the talent scouts at Rhymesayers nervous that they looked over this Fort Wayne warrior." -Platform8470
"Worth every penny." -ohword.com
"...as long as the underground is producing work as funky, innovative, and intelligent as "The Tortoise Hustle," I have no problem with both Curtis AND Kanye retiring." -Rapreviews
"Sankofa is simply making music that he and his friends are proud of and will still listen to in five years; the fact that it's better than most hip-hop out there is a bonus, but hardly the point" -Whatzup
THE PACKAGING:
I hand-stamped and numbered 250 CD tins and enclosed goodies (a booklet detailing artwork sketches and the process of making the disc, a sticker, and either a Fort Wayne Fury card/YO! MTV Raps card/Religious tract in another language) in each. Each tin is sealed with a cigar box type band which is held together with a Sankofa sticker. The tin's front is stamped "SANKOFA" on the bottom right and the back is stamped "4/250, 5/250" etc. The inside of the tin's lid features a tracklisting sticker and the disc inside is hand numbered (I had the design as such where I could fill in the ___/250 blank).
The reason the cdbaby graphic is just a disc is because I didn't want one of the 250 tins I spent so much time on to be taken apart by someone other than a person wanting to hear the music. If you look closely, you'll notice an "X" filling in the "___/250" blank, as that CD was enclosed by its lonesome for ripping/scanning purposes.
THE MUSIC:
El Keter handled the majority of production. Other beats came from ognihs (White Collar Criminals, SA-2), Dagger (PRHYMEMATES), FANGFACE (Self-Taught Music), and myself.
THE VOCALS:
Guest verses from RhymeWise37 (Sub-Surface, Fort Wayne), iCON the Mic King (Philly), AthenA (C-arson), Ryan Officer (Chi-town), Nick Sweepah (Awakenings Crew, Melbourne), ADRU THE MISPHIT (Kansas City), and JON?DOE (Society of NIMH, Cali).
THE BIO:
An Australian-born, Whammy-award winning vagabond who finally found his home in Fort Wayne Indiana. A dedicated wordsmith whose latest effort The Tortoise Hustle marks his 4th Fort Wayne release. His words heard in works from Australia, Sweden, Japan, Switzerland, England, stateside, and perhaps even Guam. An oddball with a freakish ability to both grow beards at the drop of a hat and make music with friends.
Dope. Fort Wayne. Hip-Hop.
reviews
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Handcrafted DIY greatness...
author: JTFSankofa has outdone himself yet again with yet another prodigious release. He gives 110% and it shows through with everything he associates with -- not to mention the handcrafted goodness that is the packaging. Get it.
aka naM erehwoN
author: jayBird.He's done it again folks. If there is one release, hiphopwise, or just from Mr. Kofa himself, this should be the choice. The lyrics are a wide range and array of superdopeness, from heartfelt, political, satire to just ever-lovin' braggadocio .. Sankofa pulls them all off perfectly. The beats are hardcore bboy anthem / essence of soul stylings that'll stay banging in your eardrums for days to come. Looking from all the other reviews, you'd better not be "just a customer" and pick this up ASAP. 250 pressed in what will surely soon be a classic 'kofa drop.
DOPE FORT WAYNE HIP HOP!!
author: edshippa to the hoppa and u just dont stoppa.... a great release from beginning to end. Sankofa flexes major muscle on this go-round to sever heads of all contenders. the zone of 11-14 has gotten literally uninterrupted play for a week straight. El-Keter brings maximum heat to melt auditory canals on contact. and if you are lucky enough to track down one of the "extreme limited edition" versions, you had better treasure that with what little life you have left. zip zoom
Dope Fort Wayne Hip Hop
author: AndersonBreak neck beats? Check. Deep, heartfelt lyrics? Check. Powerful, soul filled vocals? Check. Sankofa has done it yet again, dropping a cd that will spend many a spins in the cd decks all over the Fort, letting the listener a deeper into the mind that is Sankofa. Full of special guests and whitty lyrical content this is a must purchase for fans of Hip Hop. The bonsai is back... indeed.
Touche' Sankofa
author: Brenn BeckI have been a Sankofa fan since the very first time I saw him put on a one piece-footed-pajama-set, adorn a homemade aluminum foil necklace, and shave his head in a male-pattern balding design. The moment that Sankofa takes the stage, everyone is captivated. On this disc, Sankofa captured that raw magic that forces you to bob your head, and watch his every move. From track one to track 16, I find myself in a sort of Sankofa induced coma. I find it difficult to do anything other than sit back, bob my head, and wish to god that I had half the talent that this man possesses.
unique in every way
author: PurifyRight off the bat you can tell this album is something different. The cd comes in a hand stamped individually number tin case. Stickers and even a trading card inside. As for the music, the beats are surprisingly raw. my favorite track is Tales of a Cartoon Snake. Full of imagery and thoughtfully made. Overall it's a great purchase.
Killer release, demands repeat groovings...
author: ZB SmithSankofa's Tortoise Hustle is, by far, one of my favorite albums of the year. Solid rhymes, beats, and production. Its great to have a guy say something with meaning and feeling in his words than 97% of all the other rap acts out there which the Hustle has in spades, feeling. Songs of love, family, and devotion (to sneakers) and some witty social commentary speckle the funky sonic landscape. No to be missed! Speaking In Tongues is my jam.
This guy cares about his music.....
author: Psychlone of Solid EntityOnly Sankofa could make ordering a CD from an artist a unique experience. Forget 4 page CD inserts, impossible to remove stickers, and annoying shrink wrap, Sankofa actually made buying this CD fun. The CD arrived in a personalized hand stamped tin (mine is#69!) with assorted goodies related to his music and his current abode of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Still not enough to prove this guy cares about his music? When he accidentally sent my CD to the wrong address, he emailed me an apology along with a scanned picture of the returned CD! How cool is that? I've been a fan of Sankofa going all the way back to the days when we would frequent some of the same hip-hop message boards. I REALLY became a fan when I purchased the Billy Bossij album where he rips track after track with off the dome freestyles and sick, sick, writtens. This guy freestyles better than most artists write so you know what kind of level he is on. On to the album. I can honestly say that Sankofa exceeded my lofty expectations with this soon to be classic. From the quality of the beats, to the incredible lyrics, to the ridiculous guest appearances, this album contains something for everyone. I think the thing that impressed me the most on this album was Sankofa's improved delivery. Keep in mind, I hadn't heard the man lately so I expected to hear a delivery reminiscent of some of his older material. His older delivery was definitely dope but occasionally suffered from a lack of variation and emotion despite his outstanding flow, breath control, and lyrical content. This is not the case with this release as he switches stances constantly from track to track, letting the listener know that he controls the beat, not vice versa. I could go on and on describing this album but I'll just sum it up by saying if you're a Sankofa fan, BUY THIS ALBUM and if you're new to his music, BUY THIS ALBUM. Either way, you'll be one happy camper.
This guy cares about his music.....
author: Psychlone of Solid EntityOnly Sankofa could make ordering a CD from an artist a unique experience. Forget 4 page CD inserts, impossible to remove stickers, and annoying shrink wrap, Sankofa actually made buying this CD fun. The CD arrived in a personalized hand stamped tin (mine is#69!) with assorted goodies related to his music and his current abode of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Still not enough to prove this guy cares about his music? When he accidentally sent my CD to the wrong address, he emailed me an apology along with a scanned picture of the returned CD! How cool is that? I've been a fan of Sankofa going all the way back to the days when we would frequent some of the same hip-hop message boards. I REALLY became a fan when I purchased the Billy Bossij album where he rips track after track with off the dome freestyles and sick, sick, writtens. This guy freestyles better than most artists write so you know what kind of level he is on. On to the album. I can honestly say that Sankofa exceeded my lofty expectations with this soon to be classic. From the quality of the beats, to the incredible lyrics, to the ridiculous guest appearances, this album contains something for everyone. I think the thing that impressed me the most on this album was Sankofa's improved delivery. Keep in mind, I hadn't heard the man lately so I expected to hear a delivery reminiscent of some of his older material. His older delivery was definitely dope but occasionally suffered from a lack of variation and emotion despite his outstanding flow, breath control, and lyrical content. This is not the case with this release as he switches stances constantly from track to track, letting the listener know that he controls the beat, not vice versa. I could go on and on describing this album but I'll just sum it up by saying if you're a Sankofa fan, BUY THIS ALBUM and if you're new to his music, BUY THIS ALBUM. Either way, you'll be one happy camper.
An amazing feat of thoughtful lyric and soul.
author: Scott SpruillAbout two weeks ago, I opened my mail box and found a gem. 58.5 minutes of fresh air that I had been expectantly waiting for. I usually listen to more commercial material, but was excited to see Sankofa distributing new tracks. I was a fan of "Still Means Something" - the last offering from Steven, which was well thought out and well executed. When I put "The Tortoise Hustle" in my deck I was shocked. Thick, well produced beats tracked with amazing samples as well as great instrumentation and tallented guest artists. His affinity for all styles of music has so obviously been woven in between every verse. Check out "Needful Things" and "Taken" which features a great sample of an old Archie Campbell tune "The Dark Side of the Street". I was also impressed with "Shiny" which is a great commentary on our consumer society. If "The Tortoise Hustle" is not in your collection, you owe it to your soul to spend the cash. In a world where music is painfully beginning to sound contrived and uninspired, Sankofa is the light at the end of the tunnel.
VERY DOPE ALBUM! RAW HIP HOP!
author: ROLEOI REALLY ENJOYED THIS ALBUM. SANKOFA'S BEST ALBUM TO DATE IN MY OPINION. SANKOFA LETS US IN A LITTLE MORE WITH EACH ALBUM AND THIS ONE WAS NO DIFFERENT. HIP HOP LIVES!