The Palmer Squares

The Palmer Squares are a Chicago-based hip hop duo composed of Acumental (AKA Ac), and Term (AKA Terminal Knowledge and Term K).^[1] They originally began writing raps as Ordinary Dogs, and then iLLiteracy, changing their name to The Palmer Squares in 2010. In 2011, they gained underground notoriety in YouTube hip-hop circles when Term was called out by Herbal-T to rap in the MC Showcase 2011. The Palmer Squares proceeded to call out Wax (rapper). They went on to release their first EP "Spooky Language" May 8, 2012.

After gaining traction in the underground hip hop community through various cyphers, the group made their official full-length debut with the 2013 album Finna.^[2] The project was released through the independent record label they created called Stank Face Records. They have since released their sophomore album Planet of The Shapes.^[3] The day of its release, Planet of The Shapes claimed the top spot on Bandcamp's Hip Hop chart.^[4] Still, they continue to post music videos, vlogs (known as TPS Reports) and on August 2, 2017, started a weekly podcast on their YouTube channel which currently boasts over 18 million views.^[5]

In 2018 they released an album called "Junkyard Samurai" in collaboration with ProbCause.^[6]

With or Without It, Stylized WoWI, was released digitally in March of 2020, with vinyl and CD copies becoming available soon thereafter.

Personal Lives[]

Acumental[]

Born January 6, 1988 Ronald Matt Brands grew up in Chicago as an only child. He was first exposed to Hip Hop at age nine when he saw the world premier of The Wu Tang Clan‘s “Killa Beez: The Swarm.” He went to Columbia College for Cinema & Television Arts and now uses that degree to do freelance video editing. His mother was initially against him pursuing a career hip hopping, but now affectionately refers to herself as "Momumental."

Term[]

Born on August 17, 1990, Seth Zamost comes from a family rich with musical talent. His father, Paul Zamost, played bass in a Chicago punk band called The Effigies. In addition, his two older brothers, Zach and Ian are musicians in their own right. For the first two years of his rap career, Seth kept it secret from his parents until one of his older brothers mistakenly disclosed Seth’s hobby at the dinner table. Upon finding out about the hobby, his parents were unsurprised and supportive. Seth went to the American Academy of Arts for illustration.

Music career[]

High School[]

Seth Zamost and Matt Brands met in elementary school. Two years apart in age, Matt was a friend of Seth's older brother Ian and often spent time at Seth's house. As they got older they shared an interest in skateboarding and began hanging out more with each other. The first song they made together was a parody of Rich Boy‘s hit “Throw Some D‘s” titled “Throw Some Cheese.” While never planning on taking hip hop seriously, they obliged their friend’s demands to continue making music for their entertainment. To this day, they humbly maintain that they are no good at making music, but continue anyway because they and their listeners enjoy it, using said dissonance as a way to inspire others to pursue their passions unapologetically.

YouTube[]

As they became more familiar with the hip hop community, they began to realize that they could compete with and, in some ways, outperform the top tier commercial rappers their friends idolized. To that end, they started uploading long-winded single-take videos of them delivering dizzying rhymes dense with wordplay to YouTube. Finding the standard 16 bar verse too restrictive, they soon began to push themselves to deliver anywhere between 24 and 52 bars per verse. Doing so built them a devoted fan base and eventually garnered the attention of YouTube-famous emcee Wax who would inevitably call them out on a cypher, legitimizing their craft. They have since made an effort to evolve beyond the confines of the cypher community. Currently, they still post music videos, a weekly podcast and the occasional vlog to their YouTube channel, which now has over 16 million views.

Mixtapes & EPs[]

On May 8, 2012, The Palmer Squares made their official debut with their Spooky Language EP. Touting George Carlin as a major inspiration, it was only fitting that their debut project was structured around quotes from the boundary testing comedian known for his ability to balance social commentary and hilarity. The debut, as well as its follow-up Square Tactics, were released independently.

Stank Face Records[]

October 22, 2013 found The Palmer Squares releasing their first official full-length project Finna. While the EPs were each entirely produced by a single creative, Nate Kiz and D.R.O. respectively, Finna found The Squares diversifying their production styles. This release also marked the debut of their independent label Stank Face Records with their manager Brandon Pink. Since its founding, the label has added fellow Chicago rappers Will is Chillin’, Rebel Legato, Vantablac Sol (fka Bruce Bayne), Loud Mouth, and producer Irineo.

In October 2014, Stank Face Records released the all-inclusive collaborative album Face Melt. Each track on the project featured as few as two or as many as six Stank Face rappers delivering their verses over production from fellow Stank Face member Irineo, frequent collaborators D.R.O. and Tommy Bazooka, or the new name, Drew Mantia. Drew Mantia would go on to become an integral part of Stank Face Records, producing a good amount of its material and mixing and mastering all of it. So integral in fact, that he has been called the “Third Square.” Even while collaborating, The Palmer Squares continued to work on their sophomore album.

On May 27, 2015, having made more music than they could fit on one project, The Palmer Squares released their polished, near-studio quality In Context mixtape. All that separated it from being an album was their decision to release it for free and the ensuing reduction in promotional efforts. It was not until May 25, 2016 that The Palmer Squares released their long awaited official Finna follow-up Planet of The Shapes. Boasting features from Watsky and fellow Chicago emcee Psalm One, the album explored the bounds of The Palmer Squares’ sound. As they continue to work towards their goal of becoming professional musicians, fans will continue to reap the benefits of what currently remains just a hobby.

On June 12th, 2017, The Palmer Squares released mixtape NaPalm with producer Nate Kiz, as a followup to 2012 EP Spooky Language.

After a tour across North America, titled The No More Jobs Tour, The Palmer Squares announced a project of the same name, which they created with their tour mates, Vantablac sol & Netherfriends, during the tours downtime. It was Released on March 6th, 2018 (March 3rd for their Patreons) on Spotify.

In October 2018, The Palmer Squares & ProbCause collaborated on an album titled Junkyard Samurai.

As of May 2019, The Palmer Squares are no longer on Stank Face Records and do not associate with the label.

Leaving Stank Face Records[]

In May 2019, The Palmer Squares decided to part ways with Stank Face Records after a number of differing viewpoints and decisions between their previous management and business representation, and themselves. They spent 2019 performing shows, festivals, and events all over the USA & Canada. They have performed at events such as SXSW in Austin, Frozen Harbor Festival in Baltimore, Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, IL, and Skankfest in New York, NY.

Post Stank Face[]

On July 29th, 2019, The Palmer Squares & ProbCause, as Junkyard Samurai, released a 4 song project of remixed versions of previously released collaborations called REMASK. The project was produced by Drew Mantia.

On March 10th, 2020, With or Without It, The Palmer Squares 3rd official Solo album was released digitally, with physical versions (Vinyl & CD) following soon after.

Discography[]

Studio Albums

Mixtapes

EPs

Collaborative Projects

References[]