Somebody over at Philaflava's T.R.O.Y. forum mentioned this comp, sending me digging through my CD collection. I think hiphopsite.com or some other online retailer shipped this out as a freebie along with an Immortal Technique or C-Rayz Walz album. Though it dropped in 2004, toward the tail end of the "underground era," this mixtape truly demonstrates just how thorough the NY scene was at that time. (In my humble opinion, it's just as if not moreso now, but that's a different story.)
On some time capsule shit, Stronghold Volume 2 drops smack dab in the middle of the Bush era. I'm attending school in Boston next to the local Masonic temple. Evidence of water is discovered on Mars. The Republican National Convention is held in NYC. Paranoid sentiments abound.
Anyway, Stronghold isn't the only crew featured on here; Weathermen, Brooklyn Akademy and Monsta Island Czars members all make appearances. And for all the politically charged lyrics (see Immortal Technique), punchline-based battle rhymes were just as prevalent (see C-Rayz Walz). Here are a few of my favorite tracks from this release:
L.I.F.E. Long & C-Rayz Walz - Area 51
Immortal Technique & Breez Evahflowin - Land of the Gun
Vast Aire, Karneige, Breez Evahflowin, Poison Pen & Aesop Rock - Posse Slash
Breez Evahflowin - Dreams
I highly recommend you purchase a copy of this CD if you can find one. Mine's not for sale. http://www.discogs.com/Stronghold-Mixtape-Volume-2/release/1716220
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