By Jeremy Azevedo

Underground rap veteran Cage has released an EP, "I Never Knew You", for free download on MTV's SubterreaneanBlog, either to satiate fans eagerly awaiting his next full length album or to prep new believers for what may be the most exciting hip hop album of 2009.

I have to laugh at people that think Kanye West and Lil Wayne are the cutting edge of rap when there's stuff like this out there... (Not that anyone else is doing anything that sounds even remotely like this.) Cage is a tragic genius that defies classification, and that makes his hip hop contemporaries sound as out of touch and antiquaited as Kool G. Rap and the Sugarhill Gang. This should be apparent to you after only a few seconds of listening to any of the five tracks on this album. Download "I Never Knew You" right HERE and don't be surprised if what you hear challenges your perception of what hip hop even is or should be.

Have a look at the video for the song "I Never Knew You", which was directed by Cage's friend Shia LaBeouf. (Yes, that Shia LaBeouf.)

Also, check out our exclusive interview with Cage at this year's Paid Dues show in San Bernardino, CA: