Oh Dang!

New Okwerdz EP available for free download

By Zoneil Maharaj

Dec 27, 2007 - 12:47 PM

Okwerdz was the first cat I interviewed, way back in '01 (I think) for a zine a couple of friends and I put out in our hometown of Stockton, Calif. It was called Fun Times and it mostly contained rants of us talking about jerking off and how we couldn't get laid (our situations haven't improved much since). The Okwerdz Q&A was probably the only thing substantial that came out of that short-lived zine.

I've followed his career closely since, both as a friend and fan. He's come a long way from freestyling drunk and battling fools at the local open mic. He built a buzz as a heavyweight battle contender, winning (and losing some) competitions across the nation before dropping his first LP, Random Acts of Music, in 2005, which featured Mac Lethal, Tech N9ne, Chino XL and others. He's travelled the globe, going on an Australian tour with Supernatural and DJ Q-Bert.

Now, he hits you with the free Rush Hour EP to hold you over while he finishes his sophomore release, The Off Season (featuring Mistah Fab, Kool G Rap, Sean Price, Casual, Tech N9ne and The Hilltop Hoods).

The Rush Hour EP is a concept album, based on early Jackie Chan flicks and produced entirely by The Wrist. Each song is laced with samples from and reference to the movie the track is named after. (He discussed his affinity for martial arts flicks with hip-hop scholar Adisa Banjoko on AllHipHop.com a few months ago.)

It's a kinda geeky concept, and Okwerdz knows that most folks might not be able to get into it. On his blog, he writes, "I understand it won't be everyone's cup of tea and not everyone will understand all of the references ... but I do hope you can enjoy this for what it is and we urge you to check out my newer projects before completely judging his (the Wrist's) work based off this EP."

Listen for yourself and let us know what you think.

Album art and download links below: