2Mex "Take Cover" [EP]

 

2Mex — born Alejandro Ocana in Los Angeles, member of The Visionaries, Project Blowed alumnus, fixture at the Good Life Cafe since 1992 — has always operated with the conviction that underground hip-hop is both a craft and a community responsibility. "Take Cover" is a covers project in the truest sense: a veteran MC running back underground classics and old-school touchstones through his own filter, the track listing alone carrying enough weight to anchor serious listening. In 2016, he had a leg amputated due to diabetes complications — a moment he addressed on 2017's "Lospital" — and has remained active since. The five-track runtime is deliberate: no padding, no gesture toward a broader audience. Title choices like "Downtown Science" and "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow" signal exactly what kind of listener this is made for. For those who know, it's a reaffirmation. For those who don't, it's an introduction to a lineage that shaped much of what the independent scene is today.