Ohio’s trio MOOD (Donte, Main Flow and Jahson), best known for their 1997 album Doom, gears up for the long-awaited release, Hall of Fame (November 4th), featuring production from its own Jahson as well as industry’s notables such as Jake One [click to read], DJ Lethal and Des Andres. The video from the album’s first single “Drugs, War and Crime,” featuring Reggae artist Ragga, depicts everyday folks from Columbia, Mexico, Venezuela and Cincinnati for “that’s who drugs, war and crime affect,” stated Donte to HipHopDX.
The vocals are set to feature Talib Kweli [click to read] and Killah Priest [click to read], among others.
“Our goal with this album is to bring to Hip Hop some type of substance and consciously relative content to the forefront of the rap game,” revealed Donte to DX, who describes the reflection and growth MOOD has undergone from their first emergence in the late ’90s. “When we first appeared in 1997-1998, [we] indulged in ignorance, entertainment, sexism, violence and materialism. The music game wasn’t prepared for us and our message the first time, and now we return with a second coming.”
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In between Doom and Hall of Fame, MOOD released a compilation titled Mission Control Presents: Prehistoric Sounds (2000). Although the group engaged in solo projects since then, their decision to come together arose from the many “somethings” currently missing in Hip Hop. “Rappers have been making platinum singles and shitty albums for years now. Millions of fans have turned their backs on Hip Hop as of lately – something has been missing. That something is substance and MOOD is that substance,” stated Donte.
Aside from their loyal fan base and a successful late ’90s gush, MOOD is known for providing DJ Hi-Tek [click to read] and Talib Kweli with the initial exposure to the underground circuit, by the way of Doom. And today, MOOD readies to place itself on the circuit’s map: “It seems today that artists have lost their way; we come as a beacon of light – like the MOOD star shining bright in the darkest of nights.”
