Album: RJD2 & STS – STS x RJD2

Premiered by The A.V. Club, Philadelphia-Based Producer/Rapper Duo RJD2 & STS Release Self-Titled Collaborative Album

05.05.2015

Critical Praise for RJD2 and STS:

“The album shuffles between moody, soulful beats and triumphant, horn-anchored tracks” – Rolling Stone

“RJ’s well able to inject spirit and spontaneity into tunes new and old in the live setting, certainly better than most beatmakers and producers out there” – Philadelphia Weekly

“[STS is] unique in style, creative in approach” – Red Bull Sound Select

“STS has the best of both worlds as far as what he offers as an MC: consistent bars, dazzling wordplay, and a Southern bravado” – HipHopWired

The Album:

Eccentric Philadelphia-based producer/rapper duo RJD2 and STS has released their self-titled collaborative album, STS X RJD2. The triumphant, feel-good project released via RJ’s record label, RJ’s Electrical Connections and was premiered by The A.V. Club, who raved “…simultaneously raucous and melodic, the record takes rap and tips it on its head a bit, blending everything from Ludacris to The Impressions.”

The duo met through singer Khari Mateen when the three worked on “See You Leave” for RJD2’s 2013 album, More Is Than Isn’t. “I thought, ‘Man, I had so much fun making music with this guy. I don’t want the relationship to end there,” says RJ. “STS meets a number of criteria for me. For one, he has a great voice. His sense of rhythm is really great. He’s a funny guy – that’s a plus. And the other thing is that he has a way of taking a thought that has deep meaning to it, and making it seem innocuous.”

The album features diverse subject matter, from tracks like “Tennessee (Whiskey Revival),” which is inspired by STS’ drink of choice as well as his birthplace, and “All I Wanted Was a Caddy,” which notes how STS’ family had Cadillacs back in the day. On the flip side, STS values East Coast hip-hop, resulting in lyrically introspective songs like “Monsters Under My Bed,” where he deals with regret over some incidents in his past. “You don’t get a name like ‘Sugar Tongue Slim’ unless you’ve been in the streets,” says STS. “But I’m conscious, too, because I’m conscious of what I’m saying.” STS x RJD2 finds the artists at their most versatile, with RJ’s genre-defying production and STS’ prolific rhymes, making the project a soulful, timeless project unlike anything else in rap today.

Listen to STS x RJD2: https://soundcloud.com/officialrjd2/sets/sts-x-rjd2

Check out the A.V. Club premiere: http://www.avclub.com/article/stream-new-album-sts-and-rjd2-composer-mad-men-the-218914

Buy STS x RJD2 on iTunes: http://radi.al/STSRJD2

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Please contact Michelle or Rory if interested in talking with RJD2 and STS.

RJD2 Background:

RJD2, a transplant via Ohio, has a history spanning back to the late 90’s indie hip-hop scene. After notable stops on both the Definitive Jux and XL labels, he ventured forth with his own label in 2009 (RJ’s Electrical Connections, which brings you this fine piece of work today). With a catalog of albums running back to 2002, he likely qualifies as an underground vet at this stage of his career. With the tunes“Ghostwriter” and the “A Beautiful Mine,” aka the Mad Men theme making their rounds on TV, his reach has continually spread beyond the sold out club dates and festival appearances of the last decade+.

STS Background:

STS, aka Sugar Tongue Slim, is an Atlanta transplant who found himself amidst the orbit of Dre andVidal, Jazzy Jeff, Jill Scott, and the cast of players that were in and out of Larry Gold’s “The Studio.”This led to being a writer on Ciara’s “Oh,” working intimately with Def Jam. He was first introduced to the public on The Roots‘ Grammy-Nominated release, How I Got Over, where he was featured on the cuts, “Right On” and “Hustla.” Later that month he released Demand More II featuring the underground hits, “The People” and “In For The Kill.” He soon brought his G.O.L.D act to stage, setting off sold out shows for acts such as Travis Barker, 50 Cent, J-Cole, Big Sean, B.O.B and The Roots among others. That buzz resulted in a spotlight on MTV2’s Sucker Free Sunday as the featured act for XXL’s Show & Prove segment.