The internet can be blamed for many things, and while the current consensus seems to be that it is single handedly responsible for the destruction of the music scene, it’s impossible to deny the influence it has had on contemporary rap music. Previously held hostage by industry moneymen, file sharing and social networking has democratized the genre and allowed people to hear what’s really going on in the minds of young producers and rappers. Main Attrakionz are one such cottage industry made up of rapper/producer Squadda Bambino and rapper MondreM.A.N., and in only a couple of years the Oakland-based duo have amassed an enviable cache of heavy hitting records. Surprisingly none of these highly regarded mixtapes have yet made it to the physical realm, so it is our pleasure to issue the band’s defining ‘808s & Dark Grapes II’ on wax for the first time.

‘808s…’ shows Mondre and Squadda in exemplary form, spitting home truths and fractured hood memories over untouchable productions from their unmatched arsenal of collaborators. Clams Casino hardly needs an introduction at this point, but he is joined by Japanophile SF duo Friendzone, Marlee B, Keyboard Kid and many more to create a veritable roadmap of the current scene. The sound might have been awkwardly labeled ‘cloud rap’, and sure it sounds pretty dreamy, but there’s more to Main Attrakionz than just a subgenre. This is fathoms-deep, genre-bending rap music found outside of the traditional boundaries, and its protagonists are two of the most compelling voices in the scene. Listen hard, and listen good, this won’t be the last time you hear from Main Attrakionz.