Formed in 1996, Boogie and Lee Majors (A.K.A. Jason Rivera and Chris Ivery) first hooked up when both had guest appearances on an album by a mutual friend. At the time both were involved in separate projects, but maintained contact through local shows and open mic sessions around their home town of Detroit. When their separate musical ventures dissolved, an opportunity arose for a joint project: and AB/NRML was born.
The formula behind the way AB/NRML approaches hip-hop lies within the vast selection of musical influence which they draw inspiration from. Their deliberate choice to utilize a collection of producers who create soundscapes to complement their flows and not necessarily seeking to make the next hot hip-hop smash. Due to this, within the music you will feel aspects of everything from house music, trip-hop, rock, or electro - all married to hip-hop concepts.
Since forming, the guys have toured the USA with luminaries such as The Roots, Prince Paul, MF DOOM and Mr Len. Maintaining a golden-era mentality, the duo have often been compared to Souls of Mischief, The Pharcyde and Mos Def and Talib Kweli's Black Star project.
Having already dropped a heavyweight 12' on Freestyle, the album was the next logical step. Containing 16 tracks, including some rather high profile celebrity endorsements, the album shifts from hands-in-the-air boom-bap-party-rap to thought provoking beats and rhymes for the mind. Keep your eyes peeled for an exclusive remix 12' coming shortly
Notion Revew:
'Props & High Fives' is a collection of Ugly Duckling-esque party hip hop juxtaposed with some altogether moodier atmospheric stuff'Punctuating the album are a number of celebrity skits with give the album a classic mixape vibe. A fantastic Freestyle debut.'