The Library Steps is a new pairing of an old rapper named Jesse Dangerously and a young producer named Ambition. The duo is named in remembrance of the now demolished stone stairs of the Halifax Memorial Library entrance, where among a loose and ragtag assortment of the city's rappers they would gather across generations every Friday as the doors locked, to freestyle, beatbox, and play tapes in a cipher called Public Rhyme Distribution. Jesse and Ambition have been members of the Canada-wide collective Backburner since 2001 and 2009 respectively, but only started making songs as a rapper/producer duo in the spring of 2017. It took them more than a decade of intention to pair off as a team. All of the beats and rhymes for Rap Dad, Real Dad were created in the next few months as a time capsule of that season's preoccupations. The beats are jazzy, soulful, and moody, with a prominent nod factor, and the rhymes are confessional and witty, vulnerable and boastful, intimate and intimidating. Under their fingernails, no microscope is needed to detect the DNA of golden era rapper/producer teams like Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Gang Starr, a gentler Beatnuts, or any group that was part of Native Tongues or Hieroglyphics. Just as present are the influences of turn-of-the-century underground boundary pushers like Sage Francis, Aesop Rock, MF DOOM, and Buck 65, and for that matter, just about everyone who was on Roc-A-Fella at its peak. Refracted here, those chosen ancestors and more recombinate into a hip-hop that challenges, from unexpected angles, traditional modes and narratives of masculinity. They are your rap dads, and they just may be your real dads, too. 01. rap dad rises in the east (intro 02. Home Team 03. The Pit 04. G.I.R.L. Guide Cookies (feat. Robo Robb & Eddie Quotez) 05. Well Wishers (feat. illGil) 06. Translucence (feat. Kamilah Apong) 07. Years (feat. BADFRIEND) 08. To Friend Too Fortunate (feat. Thesis Sahib) 09. S. Morganstern (feat. Ginzuintriplicate) 10. Nothin Fri3ndly (feat. More Or Les, Swamp Thing, The Mighty Rhino, and Ghettosocks) 11. Lush Karma 12. GJHS 13. what would Buffy Ste-Marie do? (outro) 14. [A,Z]A+[A,Z]B+[A,Z]C to Infinity
Release date:
April 29, 2022
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Technics SL-1500C Turntable
Features a direct-drive motor, a high-precision tonearm, and a premium MM cartridge, delivering exceptional sound quality
-
Nobsound Little Bear T7 Tube Preamp
Delivers rich, warm audio through its high-quality vacuum tubes, featuring multiple inputs and adjustable gain
-
Vinyl Care - Top Picks
A selection of accesories to keep your turntable equipment & vinyl records in the best shape
-
Vevor Ultrasonic Cleaner
Thoroughly clean and restore your vinyl records, removing dust, dirt, and grime from every groove without damaging the surface
-
Turntables - Top Picks
A selection of reliable record players you can buy today, for every budget
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Grateful Dead Gratest Hits (Amazon Exclusive; Orange)
Grateful Dead Productions
June 13, 2025 -
Psychlona Warped Vision
Magnetic Eye
July 18, 2025 -
My Chemical Romance Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge 20th Anniversary [2xLP]
Reprise
June 6, 2025 -
Greg Freeman Burnover
Transgressive
August 22, 2025 -
Robert Jon & The Wreck Heartbreaks & Last Goodbyes (Crystal Clear)
Journeyman Records
August 22, 2025 -
Mares Of Thrace The Loss
Artoffact Records
June 6, 2025 -
Moonlight Haze Beyond
Scarlet Records
June 6, 2025 -
Colin Miller Losin'
Mtn Laurel Rec. Co.
June 13, 2025 -
Lifeguard Ripped and Torn
Matador
June 6, 2025 -
Cynthia Erivo I Forgive You (Sky Blue/Black Marble; Amazon Exclusive) [2xLP]
Republic Records/Verve
June 6, 2025 -
3 Doors Down The Better Life
Republic Records
June 20, 2025 -
Obsidian Tongue Eclipsing Worlds Of Scorn
Profound Lore
June 13, 2025 -
Chaos in the Cbd A Deeper Life [2xLP]
In Dust We Trust
June 6, 2025 -
Pulp More
Rough Trade
June 6, 2025