Astro Traveling 2: Albatross Hill

The concepts of space and an alien race have forever provided thematic material for underground hip hop artists. Case in point: K-HAM CA, a Toronto-based rapper, and in my opinion a backpacking brother and less-invasive version of Tyler, The Creator. The Toronto rapper released a follow-up to his 2014 mixtape Astro Traveling in late May. Astro Traveling 2 is a metaphysical mind trek that throws the listener for a loop, diving into levels of consciousness deeper than your girl’s pussy willow, or so K-HAM CA suggests in the featured track “Camp Lazlo.” The artist borrows beat inspiration from producers like Madlib and MF DOOM in tracks like “Lush,” “T&T,” and “Stepping Stones” and serves up the boom bap with Akai midi keyboard flavors. The Sheridan College marketing student continues to improve upon his cuts and samples and is in the process of growing a larger fan base. The album melds a sampling of different cuts and sounds, creating an out-of-body, Mr.-Rogers-is-watching-your-kids-while-on-LSD experience.