For many years, I’ve been a pretty big fan of (hed) pe. Over the past several years, mostly thanks to their expanded freedom from signing with the independent label juggarnaut, Suburban Noize Records. Last year, we were treated to their first Live album, paired with a self produced DVD add on with D.I.Y. Guys, and I’m assured by Jered that there’s more to come in that vein.
New World Orphans is something of a continuation of the awareness kick the band has been on since Back to Base X. Spreading the views and awareness of the illuminaty, shadow governments, conspiracies, and existance of things such as aliens to their audience. The band’s roots were always in anti-establishment, along the sex and drugs “fuck you” attitude they’ve been driving for over ten years. But “N.W.O.” seems to be the maximum point of all of that content. Not to say that we still don’t have a few party songs on the album. But that’s a natural since the album spans 24 tracks, some of which will vary depending on the version of the album you receive (I had the oppurtunity to review the “red” cover version of the three).
Guests on the album might be the most varied of the bands’ career. We have labelmate in Dirtball, Big B, Kottonmouth Kings, and Potluck, depending, again, on your version, and Tech N9ne from Strange Music. A general “who’s who” of the underground scene these days. This also reflects in the variety of music on the album, which spans the ore rip-hop and thrash that the band has ventured into since Back 2 Base X, some more metal sounds with their first singel “Renegade”, to more hip hop with many of their guest tracks.
Once again, hed pe has put out an album that is going to span a lot of different genre-bending tastes, and raises questions in it’s content that will range from the curious to “just wrong” based on your views. But either way, they’ll make you think about them.
You can find the (hed) pe New World Orphans album right here.