Posted on 09/04/2008
“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” The relevance of this infamous slogan fades when applied to the budding Las Vegas Hip Hop community. There's plenty of CD players, hard drives and ipods to target outside of the desert. When Danny aka Effect and Joe Fury assembled to form Canto I, the two brothers had to be aware of their local brethren's tendency to STAY local. Because of this, While You Were Sleeping is no longer simply the title of a bad romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock, it also serves as Canto I’s wake-up call to the masses. As fans lay dormant in their self-imposed comas, two Vegas brothers have crept under the radar, poised to crack a few year-end top 10 lists.

Even with While You Were Sleeping in steady rotation, deciphering which voice belongs to Joe or Danny eludes me. This confession is moot since both siblings grace the mic with individual traits, yet similar finesse. Clearly their parents instilled the value of sharing. “6:00 AM” is the perfect rise and shine joint and one song that wouldn't force me to hit the snooze button. The title track sarcastically proclaims, “We'll try not to wake you up with this one,” while infusing the classic “sleep is the cousin of death” sample from Nas. Beat lovers will savor the blaring horns of “Same Ole' Thing” and the mid 90's appeal of Marco Polo's “Think They Know.” Speaking of the 90's, Marco also chipped in “I Do Still Love H.E.R.,” another modern interpretation of Common's masterpiece.

For the protein lovers, there's plenty of meat to sink your teeth into throughout the LP's fourteen tracks. “P.S.” and “Current Status” both plunge beneath the surface with the insight of two brothers wise beyond their years. “Death Connection” weaves the tale of a fateful confrontation between a desperate junkie and impatient dealer, accompanied by an ominous beat switch. The trade-off rhymes during the final standoff are executed beautifully. “The Flats” is a vivid depiction of being young and growing up in the Sin City. The benefit of hailing from a blossoming Hip-Hop scene is the hometown anthem has yet to be run into the ground.

While You Were Sleeping could also double as an introduction to the OutBox Records family. Producers Chadlee, Jape and Galley aren't quite marquee names like Marco Polo, but they'll get their fifteen minutes. Has-Lo and Tree Woodz also jumped in the waters to rhyme on “To the Sky!” and “Lets Get Up” respectively. Sleeping is notorious slang for one of the worst offenses in Hip-Hop. Now you have fourteen reasons not to victimize Canto I. All that's left is attaching names to the voices, which will probably be the equivalent of finding the hidden pattern in a Magic Eye picture. The answer was obvious all along.

- Andrew Jones