The Desert Heat LP is coming to SouthWest and the world just in time for winter! Def-I & Wake are New Mexico natives cooking up some “home” just in time for the holidays As the winter weather begins to blanket the southwest, local hip hop staples Def-I and Wake release their collaborative debut. The Desert Heat LP, designed to warm your ears the way a bowl of green chile warms the soul, is the duo’s first studio release. Both emcees, Def-I and Wake are veterans of the Albuquerque hip hop scene and are decorated warriors in verbal combat. Known internationally for their exploits in the arena of “battle rapping”, Def-I (Chief Rocka Battle Champ Black Belt, Brickhouse Ent. MC Battle Champ - Durango, CO) and Wake (May Day MC Battle Champion, Homegrown MC Battle Champ) can be seen in action at Grindtime Now online. After 10 years as a group with a handful of studio releases to their individual credits, including Def-I’s The Sound of Color (2010) and Wake’s Like Clockwork (2011), this is the first studio release the two have collaborated on in its entirety. “We make large amounts of music, so it wasn't difficult to compile solo records while still inspiring each other,” says Def-I. “We always feature each other in our solo efforts, so in a sense, they aren't really solo projects.” Originally titled “True Medicine,” the group decided to go with The Desert Heat because they are “from the desert and we bring that fire in our music.” True. However, Christopher A. Mike-Bidtah (Def-I) and Andy Martinez (Wake-Self) are also known for their culturally relevant content, intelligently incisive lyrics and passion for the community. So averse to the fame-mongering and materialism typically associated with Pop rap artists, when asked which song is the “club banger” (AKA most radio-friendly song) on the LP, Def-I replied, “It's not our main focus to produce songs strictly for the clubs, but I can honestly say that the songs we created in this long awaited project cover a wide spectrum of sound that the listener can speculate to which is their favorite banger.” Decidedly more precise when asked which song on the album is the most intimate, Def-I said, “Our most intimate song is titled 'Wide Awake' which features Oki Zen of Mantis Fist. This is a special song to us since it was our last recording with Oki before he passed on to the next realm. We are very honored to have completed this song with our close brother and hope you enjoy it.” Other guest appearances on the LP include Skull Control label-mates Japakin, Godsent, Jimmy Skee, and Dunce. More than an emcee, Def-I took the lead on production on this project though he had help from DJ Ohm, Smoke of Oldominion, DiViNCi, Cloudface, Scorpioflo, and The Mantis Fist Twins. “We release our projects together as brothers would,” says Def-I. “It's a monumental moment for us and special since the release drops on my birthday. It's celebration time.” – hb