Posted on 04/14/2008
Although it drags at times and is reminiscent of albums you have heard before, D. Allie's The Cooperative is yet another strong release from the Detroit underground.

 

The 16-track album, which is named after the emcee's old group the Cooperative Opposites, plays much like a mixture of different styles from across the country. There are some mellow, kick-back-and-relax songs, such as "The Remedy and "Let It Knock," that have an undeniable west coast feel. Others like the all-too-familiar "Who Are You?" sound straight out of the grimiest boroughs of New York.

 

DL Jones, who produced five cuts on The Cooperative, even draws from the earlier feel of the Roots on the excellent, and album stand-out, "Bang." The track has D. Allie at his most cynical, rapping about how he's given up his socially conscious ways for a life of violence and superficial hip-hop. The following lines exemplify his point:

 

"The votes are in, violence over socially conscious, it wins again,
Can't beat ‘em, so you might as well join ‘em,
I guess I'm just another black man, damned by the system,
Gotta start ballin' over catchy snap rhythms,
Leanin' and rockin' and they might start to feel it."
By the track's end, however, he turns the "gun" around and uses it as a "weapon" to heal and teach his people.

 

Then there are the three noteworthy interludes featuring D. Allie's father, Gary Strauss, on guitar. The tracks, aptly named "Pop's Guitar," range from electric to acoustic instrumentals. Shining brightest is the third and final segue, though, which is both breathtaking and moving.

 

While D. Allie can obviously spit some knowledge, he also falls into the trap of rehashing clichés about dreading his job and loving hip-hop. Both topics have been done to death and making them fresh is not an easy task. At least in D. Allie's case, however, he sounds sincere whether he's rapping about the genre he so adores, pouring his heart out about a lost love or a combination of both on the introspective "Find You."

 

It also helps that his flow and voice are distinct enough to pique your interest without them becoming distractions. The result leaves your ear with a pleasing combination of vocals and instrumentation. And by the time his 56 minutes are up, D. Allie has certainly left an impression.

 

- Andrew Martin