Big surprise of the week, and sure to be slept on as they always are…even after I ask that you don’t. Educated Consumers are composed of SeezMics, a socio-political battle emcee who made noise in D.C.’s underground and freestyle circuit, and producer t.E.C.K. who draws heavily on a style very dedicated to 90′s boom-bap. SeezMics has a voice that is golden and works perfectly on every beat, with a cadence similar to Brother Ali and Sage Francis, while the beats constantly have me hooked as the combination of the two work on an almost flawless level. Until now I had never heard of these guys but am honestly impressed…from beginning to end this was a refreshing treat. Word!

The Washington Post loves Educated Consumers.
“Write/Hear is like a crash-course in underground hip-hop. The Maryland duo — Seez Mics on vocals and t.e.c.k. on beats — are clearly students of the genre and have taken the best bits and pieces to craft an album that never outstays its welcome, even at 17 tracks and nearly an hour. The beats are mostly pretty simple. That shouldn’t be construed as a criticism: The simplicity keeps things from getting cluttered. Instead of the stark, sinister beats favored by the likes or GZA or the icy minimalism of the Neptunes, the Consumers opt for straightforward beats with some slightly jazzy samples — a little flute here, some horns there — that channel the underground scene of the ’90s more than today. Lyrically the group also avoids extremes, nowhere near nerdcore but without any hard gangsta fronting either. Seez Mics fills the songs with clever wordplay — “1 Hit Wonder” finds him getting far more mileage out of a number theme than he has any right to — and there’s a down-to-earth honesty throughout that is one of the album’s strongest assets.”

Audiversity loves Educated Consumers.
“In a week that’s been full of hip-hop for us, Educated Consumers round out our five-day forecast with their second album, Write/Hear. Let’s get right into it: The duo of Cole “Seez Mics” Policy and Jason “t.E.C.K!” Fields are not actually from Washington DC or Baltimore – they call College Park, Maryland home – but their reputation as arguably the best hip-hop duo to come from the greater metropolitan area betwixt B-town and Dead City has been growing steadily since they first came together in 1999. Already under their belt are two LPs, Aisle 2 having garnered the most acclaim and getting them the attention that allowed Write/Hear to happen. You’ll have to ask Jason Torres what the name of that first one is.

They’ve opened for Murs. They’ve been on a Warped Tour date. They’ve been hyping Write/Hear on their website for over two years. What took so long? Who cares. It’s finally here, and it’s better than you’re expecting, if you were expecting it at all: As the cover-art suggests, this album is built on old-skool beats and back-to-basics lyrical prowess the kind of which has been lamented so often as of late.

Seez Mics is on form straight away on the title-track, a crowd-pleasing, throw-your-hands-up anthem that has to work like magic live. “Make some noise if you’re ready to enjoy it,” and you will be by the time “Right They’re” wraps up a hefty 17 tracks later. This album seems to fly by though, and a large part of the reason is Seez Mics. His delivery isn’t anywhere near Twista-esque brain-benders, but his solid n’ steady flow keeps things lively even as the album winds down in the second half. He’s relentless and relentlessly entertaining.