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| Slum Village- Trinity: Detroit has more to offer to the hip-hop world than the obstreperous likes of Eminem, as proven by the consistently inventive output of the progressive, underground hip-hop trio Slum Village. In the past, the group's credibility leaned heavily on the production abilities of Jay Dee, one of the most celebrated beatmeisters to rise up from the Detroit underground and be embraced by mainstream artists on a national level. Consequently, Slum Village might be forgiven for a certain degree of creative downturn after Dee's exit. The amazing thing is that there is none. With true team spirit, T3 takes his erstwhile partner's production mantle with almost shockingly successful results on several tracks.For those who'd grown enamored of SV's hypnotic, moody, endlessly surprising sound, TRINITY picks up admirably where the group's Jay Dee-era work left off. 8 OUT OF 10 |
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| Devin- Just Trying Ta Live: This album is seriously hot. Without a doubt 'Just Trying to Live' should give Devin the commercial props that have eluded him for years. Devin is one of hip-hop's undiscovered gems - period. In the past, he has held his own with heavyweights such as Scarface and Snoop Dogg and, on 'Some of 'em' featuring Xzibit and Nas, the man does not flinch, even though he is rhyming with two of the tightest lyricists in the game right now. For those of you who got into Devin a la Dr Dre's 'Chronic 2001' joint (I just wanna...), this album won't disappoint - the carnal stories are in abundance (peep 'Just a man ft Raphael Saadiq'/'Tough Love') and are told with the same winning and intelligent style that made him shine on Dr Dre's album. For those of you who got into Devin through the very underrated 'The Dude '- this album still maintains the humor without watering down his tight skills. In particular, r&b - Reefer and Beer- is hilarious. As suggested by the title this song is an ode to err, reefer and beer, and, over one of 2002's smoothest beats Devin and a Redneck homie trade some hilarious lines. Other winning tracks are 'Fa Sho' and 'Just trying to Live' which sees Devin reunited with his old rhyming partners the 'Odd Squad' (is a reunion on the cards?). Along with Scarface's 'the fix', this one of the summers, if not the years, strongest releases (Hats off to Rap-A Lot). Devin's album is not too aggressive, but it's not too soft. His subject matter is sometimes very basic, however, his intelligence/artistry are not hindered (check 'Whatever' which uses Ice-T's introduction from Home Invasion as the basis of some very clever wordplay). The production is top notch; the lyrics are funny, frequently crude and mostly unapologetic. 8 OUT OF 10 |
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| Lil' Flip- Undaground Legend: Houston, TX freestyle rapper Lil' Flip started his own independent label to release his debut album, which quickly became an underground success story. In due course, the young MC attracted the attention of Sony, who offered major distribution for Flip's label and this follow-up. Perhaps the most impressive thing about UNDAGROUND LEGEND is the way that Flip manages to maintain his underground, street-real flavor and uncompromising themes without ever resorting to gangsta cliches. Throughout the album, on such tracks as "What I Been Through," "I Shoulda Listened," and "Make Mama Proud," Flip proves to be an exceptionally thoughtful philosophizer whose storytelling is filled with informed perspective and sound observations. While fully laying out the realities that lead to thug life, he declares that he'd rather kill his enemies with kindness and rather rap than fight. Positivity abounds here, not the dewy-eyed, pie-in-the-sky kind, but a positivity that feels earned and quite real. 7 OUT OF 10 |