Tuesday July 21 marks the release of Owl Hours by Awol One & Factor. For Awol, this marks another release in a discography [click to read] that spans over a dozen independently released projects dating back to 2000’s Speakerface. However, particularly special for The Shapeshifters member, this release marks a reunion with old friend Xzibit, who is executive producing the project for Fake Four Entertainment.
Yesterday, “Mr. X-to-the-Z” spoke with HipHopDX about the significance of the reunion with both the Los Angeles underground, and one of his earliest Rap friends. “I’ve known Awol One since before I think I even met Tha Alkaholiks [click to read],” an enthusiastic Xzibit said, “Awol used to come and pick me up in his yellow Datsun pick-up truck. I didn’t have a car at the time. He would come and pick me up from Whittier, which is where he lived, and I was livin’ in Hollywood at the time. He would come pick me up and we would just drive around, smoke, and freestyle to tapes and play each other music. That’s what I came from. I can’t never front on Awol One, ever!“
Although Xzibit has gone onto platinum plaques, Hollywood films and the popular MTV Pimp My Ride series, he remained close with his abstract rhyming-peer. “We just stayed in contact. He came and played me his music, and we caught up on a bunch of business. My man was like, ‘Yo, I’m [still] doing this music.‘”
Although Awol is known for his unique delivery, this union comes as no surprise to X. “It was just a natural fit. It’s cool. I like what he does. It’s a different take on the music that I love, and I’ve known dude for so long. It don’t gotta be my shit for me to appreciate it.”
Own Hours releases Tuesday, with appearances from Xzibit, Tha Alkaholiks and Aesop Rock [click to read].
