That, however, is all about to change. Coming to the table now is Deepspace 5, a group of nine hip hop artists from various groups (Mars Ill and Tunnel Rats) and solo careers that have come together to create a group set to turn Christian hip hop back to it's roots. Unique, Just Like Everyone Else offers a fresh blend of everything hip hop is meant to be, from the very underground vibe to lyrics that actually meaning behind them and aren't put forth merely to fill a song.
Tracks like Wingspan, Talk Music and Embrace show off the underground feel of the disc right at the beginning of the disc. You will find it difficult not to bob your head to these tracks, and you will find even more difficult not to do a double take when you heard lyrics that make mention of things fresh in your head (such as "Ron Artest touchin' the fans"). It's these lyrics that will have you listening carefully to these songs and finding yourself enjoying the songs even more because of it.
Some of the best tracks on this disc come smack dab in the middle of the disc. Half-Hearted and Cityscaping offer some superb lyrics and absolutely stunning music. It would be hard for any fan of hip hop to not like these two tracks. Possible? Perhaps, but it'd certainly be quite a surprise. They are two very different tracks, but they are just...great.
But then again, so are nearly all of these 19 tracks. The only time you might have a chance to skip a track on this disc is toward the end. I Feel So Bad is, for lack of a better term, just plain strange. It is a track that just seems very out of place on this disc and doesn't provide much to work with lyrically or musically. However, this is the only track that you might want to skip. Everything else, from the slightly toned down tracks like If I Don't Make It and Last Ditch Effort to the tracks that just plain rock like Brilliant, Free Checking and Start Right Here, this disc is just a superb effort.
If you are a fan of hip hop music, this is the absolute must-have disc of the year. Even if you're not a hip hop fan, Unique, Just Like Everyone Else should get your respect for what it accomplishes. This disc returns hip hop to actual hip hop. It is most definitely a breath of fresh air in a realm that is currently being dominated by some artists that simply don't offer a true hip hop flavor. Deepspace 5 has definitely created one of the best discs of 2005 in this one.