Hell's Winter * by Cage (Rap)

Initial pressings include bonus CD. Personnel include: Cage (vocals); Matt Sweeny (guitar); James McNew (bass instrument); El-P, Jello Biafra, Aesop Rock, Camu Tao. Recording information: 2005. There was a superfluity of hardcore-for-hardcore's-sake in the rap world of the 2000s, and more often than not it came across as tired. One notable exception is HELL'S WINTER, the 2005 Definitive Jux debut by hip-hop upstart Cage. Everything from Cage's agro drawl to his personally and politically incisive lyrics to his beats (courtesy of several high-profile Def Jux members, including RJD2 and El-P) says that he means business. Cage documents the traumas of his upbringing and the intensity of his adult life with vivid and compelling verbal skill. Whether laying down disconcertingly honest confessionals about his family ("Stripes") or weighing in viciously against the Bush administration ("Grand Ol Party Crash," which features beats by DJ Shadow and a cameo by punk icon Jello Biafra as George W.), Cage takes aim a... Minimize