H.I.S.D. – The District (2007)

From Damien –

H.I.S.D. first came to our attention with the release of their debut album The District in 2007. I’d known DJ SoulOne for a while, mostly as the “young kid” on the scene that we’d give a hard time to as he was coming up in the ranks, so to speak. One day he invites me to check out a performance by a new group that he’s a part of:

“Yeah? A group? What’s it called?”

“Don’t trip when I tell you. Just hear me out-”

“Dude. What’s the name of the group?”

“H.I.S.D.”

“H.I.S.D.? As in the school-”

“I know, man. I know. Just-”

“As in the school district?”

“Here’s the thing. The “S” can really mean anything. Spit District. Slang District. Soul District.”

“Huh. I guess… I’ll come check it out.”

“Trust me, man. It’s on point. I know the name is… you know. But trust me.”

And I took his word on it. For whatever reason, I was running late the evening of the show, so I got there mid-performance. Caught about 10 minutes of their set and didn’t really know anyone, but I was impressed. Saved in the memory banks for later.

Months later, I would link up with E Classic, part of the production team at the time, and purchased a copy of The District. Color me impressed again. I found it refreshingly pleasant; a throwback the so-called Golden Era and a reminder of more innocent times. But in a good way.

The standout track was arguably “Only A Fool”, but my personal favorite was “Recess” (which is their first collab with Spacebunny a/k/a Khimmy J). Take a listen for yourself and decide.

Here’s their first video for “Only A Fool”. They’ve come a long way since then.

Previously from FWMJ:

It’s time for me to say it.

This record is my favourite album from the last year. If you don’t have it. Find it, , listen to it.

That’s all.