All Your Friend's Friends

Background and production

Rapper/producers Eprhyme and Smoke conceived of the project while collaborating on the former's solo album Dopestylevsky (2011). During that album's production, Eprhyme and Smoke began discussing Madlib's Shades of Blue and decided to attempt a similar project with K Records artists, getting permission from founder Calvin Johnson to access the label's archives. Artists sampled included Jeremy Jay, Ashley Eriksson, Mirah, Beat Happening, the Microphones, and Chain and the Gang.

Release

The album was released on November 11, 2014. A music video for lead single "Jumpkick the Legs", released on October 27, was filmed at the Evergreen State College and features 11 MCs trading verses.

Critical reception

All Your Friend's Friends received mixed to positive reviews. AllMusic's Mark Deming wrote, "What could have been a clumsy lo-fi variation on the Judgment Night original soundtrack instead turns out to be an interesting and genuinely satisfying collision of two distant but related independent cultures, and if you're interested in the more original sides of either indie rock or alternative rap, this is more than worth your attention." Sameer Rao of the Philadelphia City Paper said that the album "really should not be this good" and concluded, "Evocative snippets compel repeat listens on this respectable compilation." Larry Mizell, Jr. of The Stranger described it as "the first notable hiphop compilation in years" and said he would "love to see this release signal the return of the compilation, the crew album, the individual-ego-eschewing strength-in-numbers model." Tom Haugen of New Noise Magazine praised K Records for "continuing their tradition of exposing underappreciated outfits," saying "There isn’t a dud in the bunch."

Track listing

1. "Cynic Syndrome" (Candidt, Zikki Carr, Onry Ozzborn) – 2:49
2. "Real Life Game" (The Chicharones) – 3:07
3. "Evolve Away" (Xperience) – 3:03
4. "Good Bad Girl" (Heddie Leone) – 2:59
5. "Find Your Shine" (Ang P, Poeina Suddartha, MG! The Visionary, Wildcard) – 4:16
6. "Where the Free People Go" (AKA) – 3:01
7. "Trial By Water" (Eprhyme, IAME) – 3:16
8. "Pizza Chef" (Free Whiskey) – 3:10
9. "3D Monocle" (Bishop, Gold, JFK, Smoke) – 3:25
10. "My Shady Gangster Unle Kaiser" (Zikki Carr, Nyqwil, Xperience) – 4:27
11. "Dancefloor on the Warpath" (Smoke) – 3:44
12. "Nothing Grows in a Flood" (Barfly) – 2:33
13. "Blackfist Brokenfont" (Nyqwil, Silent Lambs Project) – 3:33
14. "Work Is the Principle" (Afrok, Ang P, Puget, MG! The Visionary) – 3:37
15. "We Never Look Up" (Gold, IAME, Miz) – 3:44
16. "Simplify Complex" (Saints of Everyday Failures, Alli Baker) – 3:56
17. "Ashen Embers" (Xperience) – 4:19
18. "Jumpkick the Legs" (Hashtronaut, Candidt, Zikki Carr, Jesus Chris, Heretic, DJ Luvva J, Miz, Nicatine, Ang P, Shellz Sck, Swamptiger, Xperience) – 3:55
19. "Welcome to Forever" (Simple, Smoke) – 3:51

Personnel