HEIGHT - WINTERIZE THE GAME (2007)

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Produced by Shields, Mickey Free, Jones and Mrs. Paintbrush
Recorded and mixed by Mickey Free
Art by PSO Design

SCREAM AND MOAN
To me, this album is the zenith of my short raps-about-raps over hard / simple beats period. This was the right way to kick it off. 

BEAT TO THE HEAT
I went over to Mickey Free’s spot and he was trying to winterize his windows. I told him, “yeah, but we need to winterize the game.” It was on from there. 

BAD WEATHER feat. Mrs. Paintbrush
This is the most universally liked song I’ve ever been a part of… People always seem to respond to it. Jackson (aka Mrs. Paintbrush) knocked it out the park. I got to tag along with Grand Buffet on their tours with Of Montreal, MGMT and Streetlight Manifesto, coming out and performing this tune with them. 

HANGING OUT LATE ALL ALONE
This is one of my first stabs at doing a literal story rhyme about a single topic. It was a change of pace. I loved playing it live. Switching from these hard, braggadocio rhymes into this gentle story rap added some dynamics to the set. 

PIPE DOWN
This hook sounds a lot like “Get Buck, Get Wild” by Tear Da Club Up Thugs. I didn’t do that on purpose, but that’s one of my favorite rap songs, and that influence crept in… This one is still part of my live set. 

FLORIDA
This mini-song is a brief recollection of a last-miute, DIY show I did in a field in Florida.

WINTERIZE THE GAME feat. Mickey Free
I watched these winterizing tutorials on youtube, so I could drop knowledge at the 1:35 mark. 

SMASH YOUR EYES feat. Mickey Free
Here’s one of the illest Mickey Free beats ever, and one of the tightest Mickey Free rhymes. In an alternate mix of this track, I say “You’re crazy for this one, Mick,” as the beat rides out

DIFFERENT STEEZES
If someone finds out I rap and asked me to kick a verse, this is the verse I kick, for whatever reason. 

SNOW DAY
This is one of the strangest, tightest Jones beats.

THESE DREAMS ARE FUCKED feat. Lord Grunge
This song concept came from Grunge and I breaking down these dreams to each other, and Grunge saying, “These Dreams Are Fucked.”  I think Grunge’s cold old-school delivery over this warm Shields beat is something special  

(HIDDEN TRACK - CLOCK STRUCK TWELVE)
I think this is one of the tightest Height tracks ever. I’m not sure why I thought it should be a hidden track.