Deadlivers

Deadlivers
Studio album by
Grayskul
ReleasedFebruary 15, 2005 (2005-02-15)
GenreHip Hop
Length57:47
LabelRhymesayers Entertainment
Producer
Grayskul chronology
Creature
(2004) 		Deadlivers
(2005) 		Bloody Radio
(2007)
Singles from Deadlivers
  1. "Prom Quiz"
    Released: 2005

Deadlivers is a studio album by American hip hop group Grayskul. It was released on Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2005.[1][2] The album is produced by Mr. Hill, Fakts One, Bean One, Rob Castro, and Onry Ozzborn and features guest appearances from Canibus, Aesop Rock, Sleep, and Mr. Lif, among others.[3] "Prom Quiz" was released as a single from the album.[4]

Background

Over half of the album is produced by Mr. Hill, along with contributions from Fakts One, Bean One, Rob Castro, and Onry Ozzborn. It features guest appearances from Canibus, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, Abstract Rude, Rob Hampton, and Oldominion members Anaxagorus, Barfly, Bishop I, Destro, Hyena, Mako, Nyqwil, Pale Soul, Sleep, Smoke, Snafu, Syndel, and Tremor.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Exclaim!favorable[5]
RapReviews.com7/10[6]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[7]
The Strangerfavorable[8]

Daryl Stoneage of Exclaim! commented that the surprise on the album is "that not all of their production fits their macabre theme and most of the memorable songs have production that's more similar to the Beatnuts than anything else."[5] He added that "the production seems to be working a lot more than the lyrics or flows which are fairly mediocre."[5] Charles Mudede of The Stranger called that the beats "heavy, operatic, with background string and horn loops that would be gray and black if translated into the visual terms of cinema."[8] He described the album as "a heady concentration of Marvel comic books, gothic literature, B-rate horror movies, and post-Blade Runner science fiction."[8]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."You People"Mr. Hill0:16
2."Behold"Fakts One2:37
3."Bombs and Chemicals"Bean One3:33
4."Adversarial Theatre of Justice" (featuring Canibus and Barfly)Mr. Hill3:16
5."Action Figure of Speech"Mr. Hill3:10
6."The Spectacular Rescue"Onry Ozzborn3:31
7."Voltronic Instructional Espionage" (featuring Aesop Rock and Cip One)Onry Ozzborn3:13
8."Once Upon a Time"Mr. Hill3:12
9."Do They Exist"Mr. Hill3:13
10."Cursive" (featuring Mr. Lif)Fakts One4:09
11."Hatred Displayed"Rob Castro2:44
12."Vixen"Mr. Hill3:50
13."After Hours" (featuring Abstract Rude)Mr. Hill3:10
14."The Skul" (featuring Rob Hampton)Mr. Hill3:36
15."Prom Quiz"Mr. Hill3:09
16."Deadlivers"Mr. Hill3:39
17."Secret Wars" (featuring Anaxagorus, Barfly, Bishop I, Destro, Hyena, Mako, Nyqwil, Pale Soul, Sleep, Smoke, Snafu, Syndel, and Tremor)Mr. Hill7:39
Total length:57:47

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

  • Onry Ozzborn – vocals, production (6, 7), art direction
  • JFK – vocals, art direction
  • Rob Castro – bass guitar, production (11), recording
  • Mr. Hill – production (1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12–17)
  • Fakts One – production (2, 10)
  • Bean One – production (3)
  • Canibus – vocals (4)
  • Barfly – vocals (4, 17), illustration, layout
  • Aesop Rock – vocals (7)
  • Cip One – vocals (7)
  • Miranda – chorus vocals (8)
  • DJ Wicked – turntables (9, 16)
  • Mr. Lif – vocals (10)
  • Abstract Rude – vocals (13)
  • Rob Hampton – vocals (14)
  • Anaxagorus – vocals (17)
  • Bishop I – vocals (17)
  • Destro – vocals (17)
  • Hyena – vocals (17), illustration
  • Mako – vocals (17)
  • Nyqwil – vocals (17)
  • Pale Soul – vocals (17)
  • Sleep – vocals (17)
  • Smoke – vocals (17)
  • Snafu – vocals (17), mixing
  • Syndel – vocals (17)
  • Tremor – vocals (17)
  • Barry Corliss – mastering
  • Justin "Coro" Kaufman – front cover portrait
  • Marissa Kaiser – photography

References

  1. ^ Kangas, Chaz (February 25, 2015). "Grayskul's Rhymesayers Debut Deadlivers Turns 10 | City Pages". City Pages. Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  2. ^ "Grayskul - Deadlivers". Rhymesayers Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Grayskul - Deadlivers - CD - release date, tracklisting, producers". UGHH. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  4. ^ "Grayskul - Prom Quiz". Rhymesayers Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Stoneage, Daryl (May 1, 2005). "Grayskul Deadlivers". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  6. ^ Chan, Nin (August 16, 2005). "Grayskul :: Deadlivers :: Rhymesayers Ent". RapReviews.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  7. ^ "Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c Mudede, Charles (February 17, 2005). "Grayskul's 'Deadlivers' is Dark Matter for Dark Days". The Stranger. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2017.