Homeboy Sandman - “Satellite” (feat. Deca)

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 9; Popularity Index: 8

Pairs Well With…Blu, Oddisee, Deca

It’s been fifteen-plus years since Homeboy Sandman debuted and he sounds like the studied veteran that he is on 2022 full-length Still Champion. The Queens rapper has a conversational tone, a sound that resembles someone explaining a story to a friend more than pop-oriented hip hop. Expert-level wordplay is Homeboy Sandman’s calling card and that’s the case for Still Champion. Most impressive is his ability to make complex rhyme schemes feel so unassuming, leaning into chill, unassuming beats and matching with a flow that somehow makes it sound easy. Homeboy Sandman is the kind of artist that is doing things with his craft, in his case wordplay and songwriting, that feel like someone working on a completely different level than his peers. He performs Friday night at Shangri-La in the middle of a stacked indie rap lineup for Dirty Looks also featuring collaborator Deca and Open Mike Eagle. (Kevin McStravick)

2015 Review: Queens, NY rapper Homeboy Sandman takes a collaborative approach to hip-hop. He works with a multitude of progressive beatmakers, both well known and up and coming. He has had memorable tracks and full length EP and LP collaborations with Blu, DJ Spinna, Oh No, Jonwayne, Knxwledge, Oddisee, El RTNC, Paul White, M. Slago, and many others. Homeboy Sandman is prolific, having release more than a dozen projects since becoming a full time musician in 2006. His most recent album, 2014’s Hallways is an enjoyable mature and cohesive jazzy hip-hop album. Sandman’s flow hugs the beat and he stretches each word for a super clear delivery of his bars.