I Guess U Had To Be There: Transparent Vinyl LP

Pre-Order Item. Release Date Subject to Change.
Label: BACKWOODZ STUDIOZ / RHYMESAYERS
Release Date: 13th March

Kicking off 2026 with another future classic from the most consistent house in hip hop BACKWOODZ STUDIOZ the label of ELUCID and billy woods aka Armand Hammer. E L U C I D teams up with your favourite producer Alchemist's favourite producer Sebb Bash who specialises in a dark and tense production. Two masters of the underground at work here, only have one track to go off but both are operating at the peak of their respective careers.

Two turntables and a microphone. There is a truth in the clarity of that simple coda, a truth that also belies the breadth of what is possible within its confines. Sometimes you gotta get reminded. I Guess U Had To Be There, the new album from NYC rapper ELUCID and veteran producer Sebb Bash, is one of those ones. So fresh it sounds like it was made tomorrow, but bet money you could put this on in ’89 and get heads bopping.
There are moments in music when masters of their craft cross paths at the height of their respective powers—records like Madvillainy, Liquid Swords, Dr. Octagonecologyst, and Hell Hath No Fury—where the result is more than the sum of its parts. ELUCID and Sebb Bash find themselves in this heady, seemingly effortless ephemera on I Guess U Had To Be There. Everything is both familiar and groundbreaking. The beats shift and flip under ELUCID’s feet but he tightropes it all, delivery nimble as a mountain goat, producer and rapper moving in perfect synchronization. Some shining stars make memorable appearances: billy woods, Breezly Brewin, Estee Nack, Shabaka Hutchings. But this is a two-man show, and the duo keep the spotlight where it belongs. I Guess U Had To Be There is a captivating, convention-defying listen and a high-water mark for two of the best artists in the genre.

Tracklisting:
1. First Light
2. Cantata
3. Hands n Feet (feat. Estee Nack)
4. Make Me Wise
5. Coonspeak
6. Equiano (feat. Shabaka Hutchings)
7. The Lorax (feat. billy woods)
8. Fainting Goats (feat. Breeze Brewin)
9. I Say Self
10. Visitation Place
11. Alive Herbals
12. Parental Advisory