2Mex signs with Strange Famous

Last month, 2Mex signed with Strange Famous, the independent label (and growing online store) run by iconoclast Sage Francis. One of the great L.A. rappers, 2Mex hasn’t released a nationally distributed solo project since Mean Street Records issued his 2004 self-titled album. However, he has continued to drop collaborative effors at the drop of a dime, most recently with the Mars Volta’s Ikey Owens (the Look Daggers’ Suffer In Style).

In an informative bio posted on the Strange Famous website, Sage Francis breaks down 2Mex’s untapped potential:

This “golden boy of hip-hop” is possibly the most prolific underground rapper ever, with at least 35 CD releases and too many guest appearances to count. Through hard work and determination, while touring the globe many times over, he has built a cult-like following that tries to keep up with his massive output. Therein lies an anxiety problem and it’s one we’re determined to remedy.

My first exposure to 2Mex was in 1996 when my radio station was serviced with the Visionaries 12″s. I played that material almost every show. Since then we have shared many stages together and every single time we crossed paths he would hand over a new homemade CDR. Every…time. I became overwhelmed at one point and said, “Man…this is too much! You have a lot of great stuff but you’re spreading yourself thin (not literally.)”

I’m not one to quell productivity, but the truth of the matter is I felt lost in his catalog. At a certain point an artist’s body of work can lose tangibility and become intimidating to newcomers if people don’t know where to start or end. …

Over the years we’ve had many discussions about the industry, life on the road, and the non-stop grind that indie artists shoulder through in order to reach the “next level” while maintaining their integrity. In this case, the “next level” is raising one’s status, exposure, and access to the public. Breaking the ceiling when you need a sun roof.

The topic of having 2Mex on SFR was raised and I thought it was perfect. He’s a road dog, he has a penchant for girl trouble, he’s a husky man with a beard, and he’s a freestyling fool.

There was one unique condition that we tossed into the agreement:

“This has to be the quintessential 2Mex album. The best of the best. It will be the next level record. The ceiling breaker. It will be the only 2Mex album that you release in the year that it comes out.”

He agreed. We celebrated. We’re plugging away at that project right now.