Lexington rapper and producer Royal Illness has opened the archives for “ALI CATS”, a previously unreleased MADD MILITIA collaboration featuring Sheisty Khrist, Irk Dah Nerv and Lee G.
Originally recorded in 2010 for fellow MADD MILITIA member Vegas Posada while he was incarcerated, the track finally surfaced on July 26, the shared birthday of Posada and Lee G. With both men having since passed away, the release carries extra weight, preserving an important piece of Lexington’s underground hip hop history.
Working from the best surviving stereo source, Royal Illness restored, edited, mixed and mastered the original recording without adding replacement vocals, new verses or modern overdubs. Built around hard drums and a dark, cinematic backdrop, “ALI CATS” captures the raw chemistry and uncompromising energy of MADD MILITIA in their original era. Although Posada does not perform on the track, parts of his original lyrics feature in the final hook and he is credited as a songwriter.
“I didn’t want this record, or the contributions of the people connected to it, to disappear into an old hard drive,” explains Royal Illness. “Restoring ALI CATS was about preserving a chapter in our history and giving Vegas and Lee their proper place in the World Power Records archive.”
Produced by Royal Illness, “ALI CATS” also launches the Royal Illness Vault Series as Vault File 01, beginning an archival campaign dedicated to restoring and preserving music from the history of Royal Illness, MADD MILITIA and World Power Records.