2008 saw Brooklyn/Cincinnati trio Tanya Morgan prove itself a force to be reckoned with in the world of independent hip-hop, but Von Pea, Donwill, and Ilyas deliver equally sharp tracks as solo artists.

The latter is about to release the first in a trilogy of solo albums on January 17. According to this post, he was urged to “come out of [his] shell” by his fellow bandmates and release some of his own work, hence the new album. He didn’t leave the group behind though. The Prelude features production work from Von Pea, along with Ill Poetic, SlimKat, and others. Also a film director and editor, Ilyas says he plans to do a video for every track on the album, so plenty of stuff will be coming our way over the next few months.

Ilyas – Real Hip Hop Don’t Die