(Self-released, CD, digital)
Back in 2004, rappers Cage and Tame One dropped a ridiculous concept album, Waterworld, under the moniker Leak Bros. It was a 14-track paean to PCP. While angel dust is hardly a popular drug in the hip-hop community, the duo’s unwavering dedication to this absurd conceit made for an underground classic still praised to this day.
Swamp Camp is a new local group featuring some familiar faces: Boxguts, Tha Truth and Rico James are all veterans of Vermont’s hip-hop scene. Even a cursory accounting of their output and contributions would take up most of this review. Suffice it to say, their dues are paid in full.
Their latest project, however, is a genuine surprise. Like Waterworld, Swamp Camp’s eponymous debut is ridiculous in the best sense. By turns hilarious and menacing — and always archly self-aware — the trio is committed to the bit: bars and beats about the trials and tribulations of living in the swamp.
That swamp is a surreal pastiche of cultural references, blending movies, reality TV and documentaries from around the world. Producer James sets the tone with a torrent of brilliantly curated samples. The rappers follow suit, framing every brag and boast in terms of alligators and pythons, machetes and motorboats. These are dispatches from a world in which your survival skills determine your lifespan.
It also might be one of James’ finest projects to date. His instrumental opening track, “Welcome to the Swamp,” is a masterpiece, equal parts Cut Chemist and KutMasta Kurt. In addition to producing, he also mixed and mastered the entire album. The result is a compelling blend of lo-fi grit and byzantine detail work.
The album really catches fire with “Thump City,” the second track. While Tha Truth delivers straight-ahead boom-bap honesty, Boxguts is half chameleon, half chupacabra, constantly changing his flow patterns. That contrast is the key ingredient. Tha Truth has stepped up his hook game considerably in recent years and contributes some catchy, confident choruses throughout Swamp Camp, especially on “Gators” and “Playgrounds.”
That kind of artistic growth is crucial when your partner in rhyme is so captivating. Boxguts remains one of the most interesting and unpredictable MCs Vermont has ever seen. It’s safe to say no other rapper has ever bragged about being “harder to catch than a 32-pound sea urchin with your bare hands,” as he does on “Tranquilize Ya (feat. DJ Kanga).”
I’ve had Swamp Camp in rotation for weeks now, and the balance of cohesion and experimentation across its nine tracks impresses me the most. Despite variations in tempo, feel and even mixing, it never deviates from the concept. This is the most fun I’ve had listening to an 802 rap album in a long time. If you love the genre, give this one a spin. Just watch out for those damn snakes.
Swamp Camp is available at swampcamp.bandcamp.com and on major streaming services.
This article appears in May 13 • 2026.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!