Homeboy Sandman
Thanks to his inventive flows, literate lyrics, and dry sense of humor, Homeboy Sandman emerged as one of the most original, prolific, underground rappers of the late 2000s and 2020s. With verbal styles ranging from vitriolic screeds to stilted stream-of-consciousness narratives, his songs often criticize the conventions of hip-hop in addition to examining societal issues and lighter subjects such as the joy of healthy eating. After making a name throughout the underground New York hip-hop scene with independent releases such as 2008's Actual Factual Pterodactyl, Sandman received wider exposure when he signed to California's Stones Throw label during the early 2010s and released acclaimed albums such as 2012's First of a Living Breed and 2014's Hallways. Sandman has also released collaborations with Aesop Rock (several EPs beginning with 2015's Lice) and Edan (2018's Humble Pi), with additional releases produced by Quelle Chris (2020's Don't Feed the Monster) and Illingsworth (2022's There in Spirit). Solo effort 12 Days of Christmas and Dia de Los Reyes appeared in early 2023.
Angel Del Villar II was born to a boxing father who emigrated from the Dominican Republic to New York and fought on the heavyweight circuit. Retiring undefeated, Del Villar's dad went to law school to become a community lawyer, a path his son would follow for three years before dropping out. At first, he was to become a teacher, but just moonlighting as an MC wasn't enough, so with the 2007 release of his debut EP, Nourishment, he went with hip-hop full-time. After Nourishment 2 (Second Helpings) expanded the EP to album length, his official debut album, Actual Factual Pterodactyl, followed in 2008. DJ Spinna and Ski Beats would both lend a hand on his 2010 album The Good Son, released the same year that Sandman would be featured as an aspiring rapper's mentor on the MTV reality television series Made.
In 2011 he signed with Stones Throw and released the Subject: Matter EP. His first full-length for the label, 2012's First of a Living Breed, featured production from the likes of Oh No, rthentic RTNC, Oddisee, and Jonwayne. Oh No was joined by Blu and DJ Spinna on the 2014 album Hallways and that year's EP, White Sands, was produced by Paul White. Lice, the first of a trilogy of EPs with Aesop Rock, appeared in 2015. White returned for the 2016 LP Kindness for Weakness, which also featured production from RJD2, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Large Professor. Just a year later, Sandman released his seventh album and fourth for Stones Throw, Veins. Humble Pi, a collaboration with Edan, appeared in 2018. Solo album Dusty, produced by Mono En Stereo, arrived on Mello Music Group in 2019.
Don't Feed the Monster, a Quelle Chris-produced set containing highly personal lyrics reflecting on childhood traumas and the breakup of a long-term relationship, appeared in 2020. The Aesop Rock-produced EP Anjelitu was released in 2021, and There in Spirit, with Detroit's Illingsworth handling production, followed in 2022. Still Champion, with production by Deca, appeared later in the year. Sandman then began releasing one song a day starting on Christmas. These were all collected as the full-length 12 Days of Christmas and Dia de Los Reyes in 2023.
© David Jeffries & Paul Simpson /TiVo
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Still Champion
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on Nov 11, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
There in Spirit
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on Feb 25, 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hallways
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Stones Throw Records on Feb 9, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Humble Pi
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Stones Throw Records on Oct 26, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don't Feed the Monster
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on Oct 16, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
First of a Living Breed
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Stones Throw Records on Jan 8, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kindness for Weakness
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Stones Throw Records on May 5, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dusty
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on Oct 18, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anjelitu
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on Aug 6, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sheesh (feat. Aesop Rock)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on Jul 19, 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Stones Throw Records on Apr 23, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Veins
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Stones Throw Records on Mar 31, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Only Constant
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on Feb 2, 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Anjelitu (Deluxe Edition)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on Jul 29, 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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12 Days of Christmas and Dia de Los Reyes
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Dirty Looks on Jan 6, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Keep That Same Energy
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on Jan 18, 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
White Sands
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Stones Throw Records on Mar 3, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Go Hard
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on Jun 23, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lice Team, Baby (feat. Aesop Rock)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on Jul 20, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo