Sandpeople "Hate Aside" Video
Sandpeople was formed roughly three years ago as an unlikely gathering of hip-hop artists in the Pacific Northwest. This crew has since built itself into a 10 member unit fully equipped to fill a stage and empty a keg (preferably in reverse order). Within the first two months, and long before most Sandpeople had even met each other, their debut album Points of View was recorded and released independently over a two week span. That album laid the ground work for what has become a quick moving crew with extremely high standards.
Having several “sub-groups” – with two or three members pairing for a series of projects – interwoven throughout the bigger collective, the crew’s catalogue has been growing rapidly since their inception and only continues to gain momentum. Sandpeople member Illmaculate has also been stacking his list of substantial achievements. After winning the world renowned battle at Scribble Jam in 2004, he has been extremely busy. His establishment as one of the world’s top 5 battle MCs gained further validity with his victory at the World Rap Championship in Las Vegas. He and Scribble Jam 2006 champ The Saurus, won the prestigious 2-on-2 team battle that began in New York and culminated by facing the top team from the UK on the Vegas strip (http://jumpoff.tv). As the only undefeated team in the entire competition, their achievement has been viewable nationally On-Demand (Comcast) while also providing them coverage in XXL.
The latest installment from Sandpeople is an album titled Honest Racket. The project – which boasts 16 tracks – acts as further proof that this crew is constantly moving forward. Production is handled entirely in-house by Sapient and Simple, as they craft a unique and cohesive sound from start to finish. The MCs attack each beat with their signature style and amazingly the outcome is an album that feels like it was made by a tight knit group, rather than such a large crew. Included on this breakthrough effort are features from two of hip-hop’s finest - The Grouch (Living Legends / Zion I & The Grouch) and Sean Price (Boot Camp Clik / Heltah Skeltah). To the untrained eye, the Sandpeople may appear to be a confusing mass of hungry emcee’s full of passion and low on serotonin.
To the trained eye, this is a certainty. In the cloudy and gray corner of the country not known for its bountiful supply of physical sand, an inappropriately named force is emerging. Concerned first with making quality music that is relevant to real everyday life, Sandpeople are sure to connect with listeners where other artists most commonly fail to. As their name and inventory continues to expand, this will undoubtedly be looked back upon as the crew’s humble beginnings.
