While everyone else merges and follows the traffic jam on that nicely paved 4-lane highway to the right, you'll always have those few who prefer to follow that narrow, unpaved road to The Left, curious to see where it leads. In this case, The Left leads you straight to Detroit. The Left began as a simple phone conversation between two artists displaying mutual respect for each other's craft. Detroit staples Apollo Brown (Producer) and Journalist 103 (Emcee) turned the prospect of a couple random songs into an album considered by many tastemakers to be the best underground hip hop LP of 2010. Shortly after starting the album in early 2009, the duo brought in DJ Soko to provide cuts for the album and act as the official DJ for The Left's live performances.

Apollo's hard drums and dirty, static-filled sample chops coupled with Journalist's rugged, politically charged flow and DJ Soko's raw, timeless cuts led to the creation of what is now The Left's debut album, Gas Mask.

This highly anticipated album is nothing short of classic. Coming off the success of his recent release The Reset, producer Apollo Brown turns in his grimiest production to date, capturing the streets of Detroit better than almost anyone out there. Likewise, the album's guest features are as rugged as they come, featuring Kool G Rap, MarvWon, and Guilty Simpson. The sound is unmistakable boom bap with political undertones.

Gas Mask is indeed The Left's debut album, but the rookie producer Apollo Brown has certainly been accumulating accolades as of late. In 2008 he won the producer showcase at Scribble Jam. Then, in 2009, Apollo won the Detroit Red Bull Big Tune Championships and went on to the Atlanta Finals. In 2010 he signed with Mello Music Group and made waves with his scorching debut album, The Reset. Meanwhile, The Left's mic master, Journalist 103, is just as seasoned. Despite this being his first wide public display, he worked with the legendary Detroit emcee Proof of D12 before his passing.

The Left is getting people's attention, having the full support of the influential site Bloggerhouse, which stated in its early review of the album "no fillers, no preservatives, no bullshit, no disappointments, no wastage...not a single lick of 'fast forward' material...your jaw is gonna drop when you hear Gas Mask."