Posted on 08/19/2009
If Themselves isn’t your cup of tea then you must not like the taste of coffee. Thankfully, Doseone and Jel have never concerned themselves with easy listening, nor with your taste in morning beverage. With a decade’s worth of verbal calisthenics that evoke Sticky Fingaz on acid and MPC chops more thunderous than a Thai monsoon, the two Anticon torchbearers have unapologetically stomped a mudhole in the ass of independent hip-hop. While it might be oxymoronic to call any Themselves release a more “linear” effort than another, CrownsDown does sound a bit more focused and more ravenous than 1999’s Them or 2002’s The No Music. If distance makes the heart grow fonder, than the past seven years of pursuing Subtle endeavors has reinvigorated Themselves’ love jones for rap. So yeah, welcome back.

Posted on 08/19/2009
2009 has been a banner year for DMV-based (District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia) producer and MC, Oddisee. Oddisee’s work ethic is beyond respectable after dropping the critically acclaimed In The Ruff, a project he’s released with Diamond District, working with artists in the UK (Tranquil, Oliver Daysoul), and remixing albums (Trek Life’s New Money). Over the course of his career, Oddisee has collaborated and performed alongside a virtual who’s who of underground hip-hop. He has invited a number of his past collaborators along with some new folks to forge his strong compilation LP Mental Liberation, featuring production solely from Oddisee.

Posted on 08/19/2009
Emcees try to be a lot of things, but hopefully this album proves that ‘refreshing’ needs to move up on the list. Fresh Daily is the Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion is a return to that 90’s aesthetic where individuality reigned supreme and fun was still allowed. Granted, Fresh Daily’s ever-present hipster garb and streetwear modeling career hardly allow this flashback to arrive unannounced. In fact, his gear might have you expecting to hear something more along the lines of faux-90’s roll-players, The Cool Kids. That’s not the case. Despite his fashion driven image, Fresh Daily’s brand of nostalgia is far less superficial. His musical throwback is all about spirit, and channels yesterday by borrowing its set of values, not just its sound and some obscure references. As a result, this album projects a current vibe yet bravely offers an array of quirkiness, fun, and personality seldom seen since the beloved nineties.

Posted on 08/19/2009
JS-1 is a turntablist/producer with a long list of credentials. His bio suggests that he has worked or brushed shoulders with a significant portion of the hip-hop establishment at one time or another, has had many high-profile engagements for television and corporate interests, and has served as Rahzel’s ongoing DJ and musical partner for several years. His album No Sell Out is a sequel to the previously-released Ground Original, and like the former is a producer’s album in the tradition of Soul Survivor or 1st Infantry. A spread of great historical and underground MCs, too numerous to list in totum, are represented over JS-1’s classic-sounding beats; musically a 1990s New York atmosphere is easy to detect. Unfortunately, while full to the brim with solid production and features, some of the potential complaints about producer’s albums in general may be applicable here, primarily that it strikes the listener as being more akin to a compilation than a traditional album due to the length and relatively unchanged dynamic. This should not be considered a knock on the quality of individual tracks, many of which might stand out better when heard individually.