Turn up the Boombox… Asamov’s “And Now" is 10
Today marks the Ten Year anniversary of the ‘And Now' Release from one of Jacksonville’s most Prominent Hip Hop Groups “Asamov”! The group, who later changed their name to “The AB’s” (The Alias Brothers), consisted of 4 members: DJ Therapy(nka Paten Locke), Willie Evans Jr, Basic and J-One-Da. Willie Evans & Therapy comprised most of the production on the album while all 4 of them provided rhymes for the project.
What seemed to come out of nowhere in the Hip Hop world, this was an album that put a buzz in the air about Hip Hop in the South and more specifically Hip Hop in Jacksonville FL. The album was released nationally through 6 Hole Records and featured collaborations with Akrobatic, J-Live, Mr. Lif, 9th Wonder and Wordsworth. The album was an instant classic and played an intricate role in introducing the world to Hip Hop from the North Florida Region.
The album’s singles, Supa Dynamite, Boombox and Seven stayed in heavy rotation and lead the hype to make this a must have album. Asamov’s “And Now” is one of the albums that played a huge role in the majority of emcee’s that emerged in that timeline and even some from today!
I was able to dig up some reviews from 10 years ago on Okay Player and UGHH.com! We also have the spotify link so you can listen to the album and all of its dopeness! Check them out below and be sure to send them a CONGRATS in the comment section!!
“These four guys sound so comfortable with each other. It is apparent that each group member knows that he only makes up a quarter of the squad, and that the strength of Asamov (who derive their name from sci-fi author Isaac Asimov) lies in the group’s chemistry. It isn’t uncommon for these guys to finish each others’ sentences (a la J5), and that alone makes for entertaining listening. This is best exemplified on “Past Futures”, where each rapper’s last two bars overlap with the first two bars of the next MC’s verse.”
“Florida might not be the first place you’d look for dope hip-hop. But don’t underestimate Asamov, a four man crew out of Florida. Everyone does the DJ, producing, and MCing deal. An album that in a way dropped out of nowhere but is now receiving critical acclaim across the board. Led by an incredibly strong lead single in “Supa Dynamite” with Mr. Lif jumping on in vintage form. This album plays well all the way through and is without a doubt one of the more quality hip-hop releases to drop lately.”
