"Widely considered underground hip hop's holy grail, Juggaknots' 1996 debut EP, Clear Blue Skies (Fondle 'Em), centered around Breezly Brewin's marble-mouthed musings - instantly relatable expressions of a young man's doubt about himself and the world. Its dusty jazz loops and clomping snares marked the apex of indie rap's signature moodiness. After ten years away (save a loose EP), Brooklyn's Juggs - Breeze, his brother Buddy Slim, and, now, their sister Queen Herawin - prattle on like no time has passed. Over the winding funk guitars of "New $$$," Breeze bitterly raps, echoing O.C.'s anthem "Time's Up": "I'd rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect..."
"...Mostly Juggs-produced, Confusion bubbles with an up-beat, if more atmospheric, update of their sound, buoyed by swelling strings and scratched soul samples. But mostly, the Juggs - shouting out the crew on "Namesake" like it's still '96 - are running in place. The album's real lesson: there's no recapturing independent hip-hop's bounding, childlike enthusiasm. We're all grown up now." - CMJ
You can stream/purchase the full LP below...