One of the best parts of every December is when Fake Four rolls out Freecember, their tradition of releasing an EP or other project every week of December from a lesser known artist and giving it away for free. This particular entry comes from Bay Area artist OneWerd, who gives us Alive.

If you’re a regular reader of Scratched Vinyl, you should already be familiar with OneWerd, who has been going strong for a few years now, and most recently released his album Becoming on Acid Lab Records back in March. If you’re not familiar with him, don’t worry, because this is what Freecember is all about. OneWerd is a producer and emcee, and once again on this EP he’s wearing both hats. The beats on the project bring in elements of hyphy and EDM, and set an overall tone that is dark and aggressive, although OneWerd does let some light shine in here and there. On the mic, OneWerd is joined by several friends, such as Sole, Ceschi, Graves 33, Sleep, Gajah, and Ersatz Splinter. Each artist brings their own unique style on the mic, while still matching this overall tone set by OneWerd’s production. The overall theme of the project emerges as a message about trying to make your own space and building community as an independent artist. It’s a road that will knock you down several times and will turn a lot of artists off the path, but OneWerd knows that the bonds he’s forged with other artists, fans, and behind-the-scenes individuals, along with the freedom to create whatever he feels makes it all worthwhile for him, and that’s what comes across on Alive.

OneWerd has been carving out his own little niche in the Bay Area hip hop scene, and Alive is another excellent addition to his discography. It’s creative and challenging, but also incredibly rewarding.