The High Exhaulted

Originally released in 2002, The High Exhaulted marked the arrival of Columbus, Ohio’s Copywrite as one of indie rap’s sharpest punchline specialists. Now brought back to wax through Coalmine Reissues, the album captures a raw snapshot of a battle-hardened lyricist, pairing razor-edged bars with timeless production, newly remastered for its most powerful presentation to date.

Backed by beats from the late Camu Tao, Mighty Mi, and most notably RJD2, Copywrite unloads his arsenal with surgical precision. Early highlights like “Fucksoundcheck” and “Holier Than Thou” flex his wit and brash delivery, while “Tower of Babble” (featuring underground stalwarts Smut Peddlers) finds him trading dense rhyme schemes with a crew equally committed to verbal demolition.

Yet it’s on the album closer “June,” produced by RJD2, where the project cuts deepest. Departing from the barbed-wire bravado, Copywrite offers a candid and poignant meditation that showcases his depth as a songwriter. With its introspection and emotional weight, “June” stands as a timeless counterpoint to the album’s otherwise relentless barrage, and critics have long cited it as the project’s most enduring moment.

Nearly a quarter century later, The High Exhaulted remains a definitive underground release — brash, witty, and uncompromising, yet not without flashes of vulnerability. In revisiting this classic, Coalmine Reissues cements its mission of preserving the gems of hip-hop’s past for a new generation of listeners.

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