Posted on 06/19/2009
Car-riding music. That’s what Day 1ne’s new LP Super Fresh is. But not the stereotypical, deafening trunk wattage that hip-hop heads of today know and love. This is more like, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, car-riding music. What I would imagine California, Day 1ne’s home, to be like in the June, car-riding music. And it’s right on time for the summer.

Super Fresh is an eclectic album, laced with timeless jazz and funk samples that never get old. Day 1ne’s style could best be described as a fresh, contemporary look at what now seems to be an outdated flow. Channeling groups like the legendary Pharcyde, or Hieroglyphics, Day 1ne has an understated, but infectious charm. His music is often serious, but delivered with such whimsy that it never becomes overbearing or stuffy. For instance, the motivational “Making the Call,” is an organ tinged tracked, that though encourages a skip in the park, is actually about diligence and the ability to push for what you want. And on “All About The Money,” he delivers the two separate perspectives of the “haves” and “have-nots,” a serious topic, but the track warrants a hand dance. So cool.

Super Fresh is an interesting album, mainly because it sounds a bit out of place in relation to most of what is going on in hip-hop today. And that’s a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, Day 1ne hasn’t reinvented any wheels, or discovered some new style. But he has figured out what so many of the emcees of the past knew, which is the notion that hip-hop can be expressive, thoughtful and fun all at the same time. And though it’s a tough balancing act, if you can do it right the outcome will be…super fresh.

- Jason Reynolds