Beantown rep Insight may be known by underground heads as the man behind the boards for a variety of tracks by Mr. Lif, KRS-ONE, and many more, but on Updated Software v. 2.5 he comes out from behind the MPC3000 to single-handedly lace vocals, skratches and deliver a bunch of good ol’ fashioned hip-hop. Being a do-it-all-yourselfer is a rarity in hip-hop nowadays, and this release puts Insight alongside the ranks of one-man hip-hop bands like Pete Rock, Madlib, and
El-P. The package of this release comes in 2 CDs – one a “Vocal CD” which contains 17 audio tracks and 2 music videos (“Rap Religion” and “Sight In The Danger Room”) plus some shout-outs from ‘Sight, and the second CD which features 26 instrumental joints, another music video (“Mind Shocker”), and an interactive simulation of Insight’s SP1200 full of beats.

On the majority of the 17 joints that make up the vocal disc of Updated Software…, Insight sticks to the more straight-ahead boom-bap sound that other Boston artists like 7L & Esoteric, Akrobatik, and Mr. Lif are known for. Loud drums and sparse instrumentation provide the foundation for Insight’s vocals – often rhyming but sometimes just seemingly off-the-head thoughts (“Words Of Encouragement”). His delivery ranges from 4/4 standard flows to almost Ced Gee like non-rhyming rambling. Aside from the vocal stylings, Insight’s lyrics provide a well-rounded compliment to his tracks, as he showcases several styles of writing and subject matter throughout the 50-minute vocal disc. He covers a variety of themes, whether it’s giving props to contemporary producers and hip-hop as a whole (“Music Lover”), laying out a tale of robbery and murder of a music studio owner (“Back Up”), or dedicating a conscious-minded ode to overcoming hardships and conquering your demons (“Words of Encouragement”).

Throughout Updated Software…, ‘Sight digs into the engineer’s grab bag and hits you with all sorts of acoustic tricks and effects, whether he’s tweaking EQ settings, making his vocals sound like an SP1200, or telling you when he’s about to fade out and fade back in the beat. Insight’s creative sequencing and arrangements – often flying in new samples for only a few bars in the song – make otherwise average productions come to life and stick in your head.

The second disc of Updated Software… is 26 Insight-produced instrumentals deep, with a few beats from the vocal disc included. Also thrown in are the beats from Mr. Lif’s “Fulcrum” and “Triangular Warfare”. ‘Sight adds some pretty corny commentary over the tracks, but minus the narration the beats bang. It’s a testament to his diverse style of production that he offers everything from breakbeat driven loops to synth and oscillator programmed bass heavy beats.

Overall, Updated Software v. 2.5 is a pretty solid debut from an over-achieving hip-hop head. The addition of some guest emcees could have spiced up the sometimes mediocre rhyme content, but Insight gets points for keeping the beats fresh and maintaining a strong mic presence. The creative packaging of the 2-disc set is a plus too – with the video content giving you a full glimpse into the creative mind of Insight. Hopefully other hip-hop labels will pick up on this addition of multimedia content, an added value that could definitely persuade someone to come out the wallet instead of just downloading the mp3s.