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Music Features

Thinking outside the box set

OL' DIRTY BASTARD — RETURN TO THE 36 CHAMBERS WALLET (GET ON DOWN)/THE PHARCYDE — BIZARRE RIDE II: THE SINGLES COLLECTION (GET ON DOWN)

First, a disclaimer — I wrote the badass book that's included in the ODB re-release, and got the idea for this feature in the process. Get On Down is at the forefront of this slowly budding merch trend, having already assisted with the epic Operation Doomsday lunchbox, as well as a number of other projects from both hip-hop greats and eclectic icons like Arthur Russell. Among them all, the Return to the 36 Chambers effort is especially ambitious, featuring a Dirty-emblazoned wallet packed with exclusive bonus-heavy discs, a faux food-stamp ID card, and a poster.

If Return was their most ambitious project, the spanking new edition of the Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II: The Singles Collection — introduced for Record Store Day 2012 — is Get On Down's most adventurous endeavor. Housed in a colorful cardboard crate that screams "Oh shit!!!" when it opens, the original artwork by Fuct is just the beginning of the joyride. Inside, fans will find: a double-CD stuffed with instrumentals, remixes, and a capellas; seven different color slabs of seven-inch vinyl; and a 120-piece puzzle of the original cover art.

"We're not on a holy crusade to turn back the clock," says Rob Reilly of the Malden-based Get On Down. "I've always felt a connection between album art and the actual music, and we want to offer the consumer a viable alternative to file sharing that leaves people satisfied with their purchase. These are tangible items that connect people to the artist, and at the same time stay true to the original concept."