Homeboy Sandman

Homeboy Sandman rose to prominence among underground rappers in the late 2000s and throughout the 2020s by virtue of his inventive flows, literate lyrics, and dry sense of humor. His verbal approaches spanned biting tirades and fragmented stream-of-consciousness tales, with tracks frequently challenging hip-hop conventions while addressing broader social concerns alongside lighter themes such as the satisfaction of nutritious meals. He first earned notice across New York’s independent hip-hop circles through self-released projects like the 2008 album Actual Factual Pterodactyl, then reached a wider audience after signing with California’s Stones Throw label in the early 2010s and issuing the acclaimed First of a Living Breed in 2012 along with Hallways in 2014. Additional projects include multiple EPs with Aesop Rock that began with Lice in 2015, the 2018 collaboration Humble Pi with Edan, the Quelle Chris–produced Don’t Feed the Monster in 2020, and There in Spirit, handled by Illingsworth in 2022. The solo full-length 12 Days of Christmas and Dia de Los Reyes surfaced in early 2023.

Angel Del Villar II entered the world as the son of a boxing father who had moved from the Dominican Republic to New York and competed on the heavyweight circuit. After retiring with an undefeated record, his father attended law school and became a community lawyer, a route the younger Del Villar pursued for three years before withdrawing. Initially intending to teach, he found that occasional MC work proved insufficient, prompting a full commitment to hip-hop upon the 2007 release of his debut EP Nourishment. Following the expansion of that project into album length as Nourishment 2 (Second Helpings), his proper debut album Actual Factual Pterodactyl arrived in 2008. DJ Spinna and Ski Beatz contributed to the 2010 release The Good Son, the same year Sandman appeared as a mentor to an aspiring rapper on the MTV series Made.

He joined Stones Throw in 2011 and issued the Subject: Matter EP. His first complete album for the imprint, First of a Living Breed from 2012, included beats from Oh No, RTNC, Oddisee, and Jonwayne. Oh No rejoined Blu and DJ Spinna for the 2014 album Hallways, while Paul White produced that year’s White Sands EP. The opening installment of a trilogy of EPs with Aesop Rock, titled Lice, emerged in 2015. White contributed again to the 2016 LP Kindness for Weakness, which also featured RJD2, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Large Professor. Sandman delivered his seventh album and fourth for Stones Throw, Veins, just a year later. The Edan collaboration Humble Pi appeared in 2018, followed by the Mono En Stereo–produced solo album Dusty on Mello Music Group in 2019.

The Quelle Chris–produced set Don’t Feed the Monster, which carried introspective verses addressing childhood hardships and the end of a long-term relationship, arrived in 2020. Aesop Rock produced the 2021 EP Anjelitu, after which Illingsworth supplied the beats for There in Spirit in 2022. Later that year, Deca handled production on Still Champion. Sandman subsequently dropped one track daily beginning on Christmas, with the pieces compiled as the full-length 12 Days of Christmas and Dia de Los Reyes in 2023.