Homeboy Sandman recorded and released his first EP, Nourishment, in March 2007. His debut album, entitled Nourishment (Second Helpings), was released in August 2007. In early 2008, Homeboy Sandman's work began to be featured on underground radio programs the Squeeze Radio Show on WKCR 89.9 FM and the Halftime Radio Program on WNYU 89.1 FM in New York. In June 2008, he was featured in Source Magazine's "Unsigned Hype" column.
His second album, Actual Factual Pterodactyl was acclaimed upon its release in August 2008. The album received an entry in XXL's Chairman's Choice column, which praised Homeboy Sandman's "sharp lyrics and irresistibly melodic flow, which, together, form an elastic instrument few MCs can match." Actual Factual Pterodactyl received critical acclaim in a multitude of other print and online publications, including Blender Magazine, Beyond Race Magazine, Okayplayer.com and MSN.com. At the end of 2008, Homeboy Sandman was named "Best Hip Hop Act in NYC 2008" by New York Press. Recently his music has received rotation on NYC's Power 105.1 FM and Hot 97.1 FM, the city's #1 Hip Hop and R&B radio station, as well as airplay on Spitkicker Radio (Channel 65 on XM Satellite Radio), DJ Premier's "Live From HeadQCourterz" (Sirius Satellite Radio's #1 ranked Hip Hop show) and BBC 1Xtra's Hip Hop M1X (Hosted by DJ Sarah Love).
In addition to his studio releases, Homeboy Sandman has garnered attention for his live performances. From January 2008 to August 2009, Homeboy Sandman served as the host of “ALL THAT! Hip Hop, Poetry and Jazz” at the Nuyorican Poets Café, New York City's longest running open mic session (originally hosted by Hip Hop icon Bobbito García). He has performed at the biggest hip hop shows around the country, including the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas, the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival in Brooklyn, New York, the Rock the Bells hip hop festival in Long Island, New York, the A3C Hip Hop Festival in Atlanta, Georgia and New York City's CMJ Music Marathon. Homeboy Sandman has recorded video interviews with other performers at his live shows, which are captured in his YouTube video series "Homeboy Sandman presents Live From...".
In addition to his own releases, Homeboy Sandman has appeared on records by other artists, frequently with members of the AOK Collective, with whom he is affiliated. He recently appeared on Fresh Daily's 2009 album The Gorgeous Killer: In Crimes of Passion and the 2008 album For Your Consideration released by P.SO (formerly P. Casso). Homeboy Sandman collaborated with both Fresh Daily and P.SO for the song "Get On Down," which is featured on Sonic Smash, the album released in 2009 by music producer DJ Spinna.[8] Homeboy Sandman has also laid down tracks for a series of features with RIDES Magazine. The track that Homeboy Sandman created for the Loud.com challenge, "Gun Control," was cited as one of the Top 25 Songs of 2009 by Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg.
On June 1, 2010, Homeboy Sandman released his third album, The Good Sun, which features production from 2 Hungry Bros, Ski Beats, Thievin' Stephen, DJ Spinna, Psycho Les (The Beatnuts) and Core Rhythm, among others. The first single from The Good Sun was "Angels with Dirty Faces," produced by J57. In September 2010, Homeboy Sandman released his first official video for The Good Sun for the track, "The Essence".
In late 2010, Homeboy Sandman was featured as the coach in an episode of MTV's Made, which premiered in October 2010.
In August 2011, Homeboy Sandman signed with Stones Throw Records and released his debut project, Subject: Matter EP, with the California-based record label on January 24, 2012. Homeboy Sandman released his second EP with Stones Throw Records, titled Chimera in April 2012 and on September 18, 2012, released his debut full-length LP with Stones Throw entitled First of a Living Breed. The album featured production from Oddisee, J57, 6th Sense, RTNC and long-time production partners 2 Hungry Bros., along with label mates Jonwayne and Oh No, amongst others.
In 2014, Homeboy Sandman released the EP, White Sands, which was produced by Paul White. Nate Patrin of Pitchfork commented that the producer and rapper had "a mutually beneficial set of styles" in a positive review. In that year, Homeboy Sandman released the album, Hallways.
In the wake of the Donald Sterling scandal, Homeboy Sandman wrote for Gawker an op-ed called "Black People are Cowards," which attracted more than 1.3 million views in the first seven days of its publication.
In 2015, Homeboy Sandman released a collaborative EP with Aesop Rock, titled Lice. In 2016, he released the album, Kindness for Weakness, which included Edan-produced "Talking (Bleep)". In that year, he released a collaborative EP with Aesop Rock, titled Lice Two: Still Buggin'.
In 2019, Homeboy Sandman announced he had signed a new deal with Mello Music Group and released the new single "West Coast" produced by Aesop Rock to celebrate the new label signing.
Homeboy Sandman's first album on Mello Music Group, “Dusty,” was released on October 18, 2019. Production was handled entirely by Mono En Stereo. Dusty garnered positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic writer Paul Simpson praised Mono En Stereo's soundscape of "laid-back, ambling jazz and funk grooves" for complimenting Sandman's "conversational, matter-of-fact rhymes" throughout the album, concluding that "Dusty is another winning set of pointed observations from Sandman, who effortlessly unloads his thoughts without seeming like a burden on the listener."
Homeboy Sandman followed up “Dusty” with his 2020 album “Don’t Feed The Monster” produced by Quelle Chris. “Don’t Feed The Monster” was listed in NPR's top 50 albums of 2020. Homeboy Sandman would later receive a pair of awards for music videos that accompanied the album. He received a UK Music Video award for “Monument” (directed by Pavel Buryak) in 2021 and later won Best Foreign Documentary at Rome Film Awards 2022 for Don’t Look Down Video (directed by Robert Mayer aka Photo Rob).
At the beginning of 2021, Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman released their single “Ask Anyone,” which was featured on FIFA 21 soundtrack. Following the release Homeboy Sandman announced his EP Anjelitu which was produced entirely by Aesop Rock. Released in August 2021, Anjelitu marked Homeboy Sandman's third studio project on Mello Music Group. Okayplayer highlighted Anjelitu as one of the best Hip-Hop projects of 2021. Pete Rock would later give praise to “Go Hard” from Anjelitu. At the end of 2021, Homeboy Sandman garnered unexpected attention after Doja Cat saluted the emcee as “One of my favorite rappers” on Instagram live.
Homeboy Sandman's tenth studio album, There in Spirit, was released on February 25, 2022. That same year, he released the mixtape I Can't Sell These for free on Bandcamp, due in part to an inability to clear the various samples used in the music. Music critic Robert Christgau soon hailed it as "the finest album of one of hip-hop's most prolific careers", giving it an "A" grade.
Homeboy Sandman revitalized his acclaimed Anjelitu EP, by releasing the Anjelitu Deluxe which included two new tracks as well as Aesop Rock's instrumentals from the project. In 2022, Rhymesayers released all three of Homeboy Sandman and Aesop Rock's Lice albums on digital streaming platforms. Homeboy Sandman's Deca-produced eleventh studio album “Still Champion” was released on November 11, 2022, following the pair's 19-stop co-headlining tour. “Still Champion” reached #24 on the iTunes Hip-Hop charts and Riff Magazine included the project in their top 20 Hip-Hop albums of 2022.
Homeboy Sandman collaborated with Oakland-based nonprofit organization Oakstop Alliance on the album “Royalty Summit,” released on December 23, 2022. Royalty Summit is the debut release from Oakstop Alliance’s Oakland Resident music initiative. Homeboy Sandman was planning the west coast run for his There In Spirit Tour when longtime friend and Oakstop Alliance Executive Director Damon Johnson pitched him with the concept. The 12-track album was recorded over 3 days in Oakland as a residency collaboration between Homeboy Sandman, and over 20 Oakland musical artists and professionals. On Christmas Day in 2022, Homeboy Sandman announced the debut full-length release for his label Dirty Looks, titled “12 Days of Christmas & Dia De Los Reyes.” Homeboy Sandman rolled out one song from the project each day until the full album’s release on January 6, 2023.
In August 2023, Homeboy Sandman connected with New York beatmaker Mono En Stereo–whom the emcee collaborated with on past albums Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent and Dusty–for his studio album “Rich” released via Dirty Looks. The album garnered critical attention from Pitchfork, Vibe Magazine, HipHopDX, and more. Homeboy Sandman later released "I Can't Sell These Either" in November 2023, continuing the "I Can't Sell These" mixtape series started in 2022.
Talking
Homeboy Sandman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Going the wrong way, but who's to say what the wrong way is?
Unless they not minding they business
Along comes this chick, like "you're going the wrong mister"
In her brain she thought she was a authority figure
Even though she was a bitch I still killed her with kindness
And was like "thank you miss" despite the fact she sounded like this
When they tell me about they favorite jams
Like "yo I'm waiting for another jam exactly like this one"
Sun
I don't make the same jam or record twice
I am way too nice
So please don't ever in your life come to me with suggestions
You'll get dismissed
On top of the fact you'll sound like this
The other day I got a call from the people at HuffPo
That made me think they dumb slow
They wanted to know
What I thought about some rap beef
Between and a dude that's mediocre and a dude that's okay
I was like oh, you don't say?
Didn't I just send you an entire article about
The link between mass media and private prisons
That I thought was really important but you was like "No, it isn't"
Next instant you got the gumption
To hit me up to try and talk about some dumb shit
You sound like this
This girl told me that she loved me
Yo she said it on the regular
But then I met another fly chick
And she was mad when I went to get with her
I had to tell her "Yo, I love it when you visit me
But I don't understand why you wanna limit me"
She told me "Grow up stop acting like a kid"
I had to tell her "Yo, that ain't what love is"
You sound like this
People hit me up for verses and never mention the budget
They are the definition of bugging
I understand where you coming from
I know you on the come up and ain't rich
But why you gotta sound like this?
I met a rapper that sucks who is way more famous than I am
Can you believe sucka tried to kick some knowledge to the Boy Sand
Telling me that I was a brand
And I should think about rocking with a band
And it's a good thing I got on Instagram
And a bunch of other, meaningless nonsense
Shut up dick you sound like this
In "Talking," Homeboy Sandman is speaking on a range of frustrating scenarios in which he is confronted with people who are misguided or ignorant in their ways of thinking. The lyrics reflect on instances where people have attempted to provide him with suggestions or advice, even though they possess neither the understanding or expertise required to make such recommendations. Sandman instead chooses to dismiss their opinions, portraying them as insubstantial or counterproductive in nature. Throughout the song, Sandman highlights how many people are not only unenlightened but also unapologetically unaware of their shortcomings, leading him to vent about their idiocy.
The opening verse paints a picture of someone trying to police him while he is riding his bike on the wrong path. He acknowledges that some people assume they are always right, but he deals with it by responding with kindness. The second verse is a commentary on people who ask him to replicate prior songs, focusing on the idea that he is an artist who does not like repeating himself. The third verse criticizes media outlets for sensationalizing beef between rappers instead of reporting on more relevant issues like private prisons. Sandman recognizes the fallacious nature of their questions and refuses to take them seriously. The fourth verse is about a girl who claims to love him but does not allow him to explore or grow. Sandman critiques her approach, pointing out that he does not view love as a restrictive entity. In the fifth verse, he talks about people who ask him to do stuff for free, highlighting the fact that people often undervalue artists' time and talent. In the final verse, Sandman muses about how he met another rapper who lectured him about branding but failed to recognize his own lack of talent. Sandman ridicules the rapper's idiocy and amount of vapid talk.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo, I was riding my bike down the bike path
I was riding my bike down the bike path.
Going the wrong way, but who's to say what the wrong way is?
I was going the opposite way on the bike path, but who decides what's wrong or right on this path?
Unless they not minding they business
Unless they're not paying attention to their own affairs,
Along comes this chick, like "you're going the wrong mister"
This woman came along, saying "you're going the wrong way, sir."
In her brain she thought she was a authority figure
She was under the impression that she had some kind of power or authority.
Even though she was a bitch I still killed her with kindness
Despite her negative attitude, I remained polite.
And was like "thank you miss" despite the fact she sounded like this
I thanked her even though she sounded unpleasant.
I love my fans but sometimes I can't understand
I love my fans, but sometimes I don't comprehend
When they tell me about they favorite jams
When they tell me which songs they like the best
Like "yo I'm waiting for another jam exactly like this one"
When they say "I'm waiting for another song that is the same as this one"
Sun
A slang term for "man"
I don't make the same jam or record twice
I never repeat my songs or recordings.
I am way too nice
I am very generous and kind.
So please don't ever in your life come to me with suggestions
So please, never suggest anything to me,
You'll get dismissed
You will be rejected.
On top of the fact you'll sound like this
Furthermore, you'll talk like this.
The other day I got a call from the people at HuffPo
Recently, I received a phone call from the staff members of The Huffington Post.
That made me think they dumb slow
This conversation made me think they are slow-witted.
They wanted to know
They were curious
What I thought about some rap beef
On my opinion about a rap conflict, particularly a disagreement,
Between and a dude that's mediocre and a dude that's okay
Instead of asking for my opinion on something relevant, they asked about a trivial conflict between two rappers.
I was like oh, you don't say?
I responded sarcastically, "really, you don't say?"
Didn't I just send you an entire article about
Didn't I just send them a complete article on
The link between mass media and private prisons
The connection between mass media and private prisons
That I thought was really important but you was like "No, it isn't"
I considered it to be important, but they disagreed.
Next instant you got the gumption
The next moment they had the audacity
To hit me up to try and talk about some dumb shit
To contact me again and discuss pointless subjects.
This girl told me that she loved me
A girl told me she loved me.
Yo she said it on the regular
She said it frequently.
But then I met another fly chick
But then I met another attractive woman.
And she was mad when I went to get with her
And she was angry when I tried to be with the new girl.
I had to tell her "Yo, I love it when you visit me
I said to her, "I appreciate when you see me.
But I don't understand why you wanna limit me"
But I can't comprehend why you would try to hold me back.
She told me "Grow up stop acting like a kid"
She said to me, "Be more mature and quit acting childish."
I had to tell her "Yo, that ain't what love is"
I had to say to her, "That is not what love is."
People hit me up for verses and never mention the budget
Individuals contact me to create music with them, but they don't talk about the financial details.
They are the definition of bugging
They are annoying.
I understand where you coming from
I comprehend your situation.
I know you on the come up and ain't rich
I understand that you are on your way to success and not wealthy.
But why you gotta sound like this?
But why do you have to talk like this?
I met a rapper that sucks who is way more famous than I am
I met a poorly-skilled rapper who is much more renowned than I am.
Can you believe sucka tried to kick some knowledge to the Boy Sand
Can you imagine that sucker attempted to impart some wisdom to the Boy Sandman?
Telling me that I was a brand
Claiming that I am a brand
And I should think about rocking with a band
And that I should consider performing with a band.
And it's a good thing I got on Instagram
It's fortunate that I am on Instagram.
And a bunch of other, meaningless nonsense
And other irrelevant, pointless subjects.
Shut up dick you sound like this
Be quiet, fool, you sound like this.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Angel Del Villar, Edan Portnoy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mello Music Group
Love Homeboy Sandman's work and just as dope to see Jay Brown directing! Big up all around.
Mello Music Group
+Mello Music Group volvo cameo gets a thumbs up too
Eric
+Mello Music Group This and Mr. Lif's albums are my current most anticipated.
Fulcanelli
i don't like music videos often but this was dope.
Emelec18
I found out Sandman a few years ago heard him straight for like 3 months then I started traveling and doing other stuff so I stopped listening to him . Came back two years later and he has all these new great tracks out just golden man . He one of my favorite MCs up there with Black Thought , Mos Def , Nas , Common , Phonte Kendrick etc
atbsfia
Good to see homeboy sandman getting glowing up! Remember finding him on soundcloud.
SupremeUnit
If I was one of the people Homeboy was talking about on this track I would be mad as hell right now. This is hilarious.
Fulcanelli
if you are here you simply can never be a bunch of them. like the bundle of sticks talking bout instagram being a brand. buncha bundles of sticks.
Ultralight 1232
he is kinda like the equivalent of free form jazz
Brian Banegas
this is just one of the cockiest songs I have ever heard and I love it