Who? While a lot of Lyricist Lounge-era artists abandoned hip-hop or tripped into obscurity circa 2002, Hangar 18 signed to then-emerging powerhouse Def Jux and hit the long road. With paWL manning all production, MCs Windnbreeze and Alaska of New York's Atoms Family collective turn out off-beat wit and semi-didactic rhymes that demand multiple listens.

What's the Deal? Whereas the Hangar's introductory Multi-Platinum Debut Album (2004) rode on experimental rails laid down by affiliates such as MF Doom and Vast Aire, production on the group's Karate Kid-inspired Sweep the Leg comeback builds on brick-and-mortar boom bap basics. Lyrically, tracks such as "Jump Muthafuh" and "Bakin Soda" roundhouse ignorant rap trends while coy lyric slides like "Highly Anticipated" surreptitiously lampoon everyone from MySpace chumps to their own hyper-verbose labelmates.

Fun Fact: Hangar 18 is named after the location within Ohio's Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where conspiracy theorists believe Roswell personnel brought alien remnants from the fabled 1947 UFO crash. The reference was also used by Dave Mustaine, whose 1990 Megadeth classic Rust in Peace featured a paranoiac anthem titled "Hangar 18." 

Now Hear This:
Hangar 18 - "Think Big" DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web:
Hangar 18 at MySpace

Talk: Will you check the Hangar when they crash land in your town?