Known for his animated/agitated flow and knack for vicious punchlines, Casual is an Oakland rapper and founding member of the Hieroglypics collective with Del, Souls of Mischief, and Pep Love. He's been putting out records since the early 1990s, and this debut LP is an undisputed underground classic, one of Hiero's "big three" monumental albums (along with 93 'til Infinity and No Need For Alarm). Propelled by the leadoff singles "I Didn't Mean To" and "That's How It Is," Fear Itself finds Casual as the unflappable trash-talker, a verbally devastating, perpetually ready-to-battle rhyme instigator demolishing wack emcees and then stealing their girls. Production-wise it's exactly what you'd expect from golden era Hiero, tons of dusty loops, raw scratching, plump basslines, and rolling breakbeats coming courtesy of Domino and others. Everything on here is bangin', check out "This Is How We Rip Sh*t," "Lose In The End," and "Be Thousand."