Progressive Los Angeles label Deathbomb Arc, known for an iconoclastic attitude toward the music industry and a splendidly diverse body of associated artists (ranging from Death Grips to R. Stevie Moore to Julia Holter), has just launched a mixtape series. Volume 1, titled Evil 2, is now live on the imprint’s Bandcamp, iTunes, and TIDAL.
Evil 2 is a benefit compilation, too. All proceeds from its digital sales will go to CAUSE: an organization working to tackle difficult labor conditions of fieldworkers in California’s drought-stricken Central Coast. The label explains that choice in a press release: “In addition to the poor wages, unpaid overtime, and horrible health conditions the farmers are subjected to, now the Santa Barbara county government is trying to replace the farm workers with prison inmates. Considering the institutional racism of our legal system, this is not a far cry from having slaves picking crops again. Deathbomb Arc is, simply, not down with that.” Amen.
The mixtape is set to be followed by solo releases from Ed Balloon, They Hate Change, Lana Del Rabies, and DRWG (members of Beak>, Signor Benedick The Moor, True Neutral Crew), a collaborative mixtape from Signor Benedick The Moor & WRONGBOY, and, eventually, another all-Deathbomb “posse” collab mixtape at the end of the year.
Stream my personal favorite from the release, JPEGMAFIA’s “ash my blunt on a suspended license / don’t ruin that boy,” below:
More about: Ed Baloon, JPEGMAFIA, Lana Del Rabies
