The Urban Renewal Program is the past, present and future of urban art, music and expression. This album is the first of four installments, featuring such artists as Mos Def, Diverse, Caural, DJ Food, El-P, Aesop Rock, Tortoise,Prefuse-73, and Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto and Gorillaz. The album also features artwork by Evan Hecox, and the CD will come packaged with a book of additional artwork by Kaws, Graphic Havoc, Struggle Inc, and Brent Rollins of Ego Trip.
The Urban Renewal Program is a platform for the exploration and interpretation of urban life through music and art. This program strives to embody the essence of city life with themes of community, graffiti art, transit, and artistic integrity. Each artist's voice harmonizes with the chaotic roar of the city soundscape to create a dialogue that is both raw and passionate in its message. The album is full of surprises and bonus material like Aesop Rock, after his "Train Buffer" track, rambling about a prostitute he almost caught one night while El-P laughs in the background. It also includes moments of insight into the artistic process, like Miho Hatori talking about cruising the city trying to find her rhythm, or Mos Def drawing inspiration from his neighborhood. This album is a hybrid collection of cultural references and musical disciplines. It follows the erratic, never-ending pulse of the city from the cacophony of the early morning rush hour to the edginess of night. This is the daily journey of the urban occupant.



Full packaging of record done by Graphic Havoc
Features the Mighty Mos Def, of HBO's Def Poetry Jam, MTV's Lyricist Lounge, and hip-hop critical acclaim
Features El-P, former frontman of Company Flow and owner of Def Jux
Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto and Gorillaz, and has also appeared on Handsome Boy Modeling School
World renowned musical innovators Tortoise, who recently appeared on Dan the Automator's new mix CD
National Press by Biz3
National Radio Promotion by AAM
Simultaneous releases in Europe by Ninja Tune and in Japan by Blues Interaction
Visual Book features Evan Hecox who recently completed four animated commercials for Volkswagen, and Struggle Inc who has been featured in the artist book compilations Blower and Scrawl 2, as well as magazines like XLR8R, iDn, and arkitip, and who has graced many of the past Chocolate Industries record covers.
*Don't sleep.