Freshman Woes Vinyl, CD & Tape 2 Items

Freshman Woes is a Hip Hop producer with roots in both the Midwest and the West Coast. In 2016 though, he abruptly relocated to the small town of Sumter, South Carolina. There, he found himself isolated from family, friends, and all he had previously grown accustomed to. At a crossroads in his life, he was not happy and understood it would take some profound changes to get where he desired to be.

The next few years were spent living disciplined and very driven. He earned financial freedom, completed his college degree, and all the while found solace in his passion for Hip Hop production. In late 2019, with only his teenage son, records, and music equipment, he walked away from a long-broken marriage. A custody battle and bitter divorce would follow, but he remained determined not to let this deter him. In January of 2020, he began releasing music to major streaming services. Then in March, Covid-19 changed the world as we knew it, and for the first time, Freshman Woes was allowed to immerse himself in his art. He kept reaching out to MCs, working on new songs, and continuing to leak bits and pieces to the world upon completion. By December, he had received recognition from such outlets as Eminem’s Shade 45 on Sirius XM, Chuck D's Rap Station Network, Okayplayer, 2DopeBoyz and a host of others. He also began mixing and mastering his long-delayed debut album Thank YOU RAP Gods.

The songs included on this project were created from 2015 to 2020. It features a diverse lineup of both veteran and rising underground Hip Hop notables. The music reflected here is a melting pot of different eras and sub-genres of rap. Yet somehow, he remains firmly looking ahead and striving to be unique. Through one of the darkest periods in his life, Freshman Woes found the strength to hit reset and ultimately persevere. As he was doing so, his progression was well-documented in his music for the world to hear. This album closes a difficult chapter in the producer's life and also sets the stage for something entirely new in the future.

In 2021, the South Carolina-based producer, Freshman Woes, arrives on the underground Hip Hop scene with his debut Thank YOU RAP Gods. Across eleven songs, it seamlessly fused sixteen of the genres finest (Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother, Homeboy Sandman, Planet Asia, Blu and countless others). For that, it was recognized by Bandcamp Daily in their “Album of the Day” feature and also received frequent airplay on Sirius XM via Eminem’s Shade 45. For a new artist, Freshman Woes had garnered some well-deserved critical recognition and was now left to figure out how he would follow that up.

Initially, the plan for Freshman Woes was simple, an EP with a single rapper. Then, it changed; he began leaning toward a collection of 7-inch flexi-disc singles. At that point, he envisioned a series titled A Tribe Called Fresh, and he planned to pair different MC’s for every volume in the spirit of the legendary Native Tongues act, A Tribe Called Quest. A year went by, then another. As it always does, life kept happening. He watched his son depart for college, started a new career, got engaged, moved to Charleston and bought his first home. Ultimately, this all slowed down his creative endeavors, but he never forgot about his work and the project eventually became a little bit of all these things that he had initially intended.

Los Angeles Hip Hop icon, Myka 9 of Freestyle Fellowship, acts as a spiritual guide or the “Jarobi” of this new material if you will, as he is at the core of much of the music here. Even when he isn’t the primary vocalist, in most instances, his presence is still felt throughout. In the time between releases, Freshman Woes realized his next logical progression was to lock in with a single artist. When given the chance to work on music with a rapper of Myka 9’s caliber, he seized the opportunity and the two collaborated frequently for most of 2022. What is collected here are some of the highlights of this work. As Freshman Woes continued creating music with Myka, though, he kept finding the prospect of bringing in more and more voices enticing.

At its simplest explanation, his latest effort finds the rookie-producer attempting his best to create super-groups and meaningful collaborations. On Effortless, exquisite bars from Fashawn and Lmno are met with soothing chants from Myka 9, uniting three generations of superb west-coast heavyweights. On Madhouse, the up-and-coming AJ Suede is paired with Myka 9, and the duo deliver some potent political commentary. With these marvel-esque team-up songs in tow, along with a trio of blistering solo cuts, A Tribe Called Fresh, is an exercise in both concise and expert curation. In the end, it’s another stellar addition to a discography that continues to impress upon each release.