In the aftermath of the dissolving of the Native Tounge family, we’ve seen several groups pick up the pieces and travel in their own directions of sound with them. Of course hip-hop’s original live band comes to mind, The Roots, and extending somewhere from those branches is Slum Village, Detroit’s own post-Tribe, pre-Eminem trio, who helped define the sound of the motor city, despite the group’s revolving door memberships. Of course, as incestuous an animal that hip-hop is, extending from that leg of this massive family tree is Platinum Pied Pipers, an unstoppable production duo of Waajeed and Saadiq. In many cases, the further a hip-hop family tree branches out, the quality of the music goes deeper into the downward spiral (just look at the steady decline in quality from say, RZA to Remedy). But this isn’t always the case, as the one-time Jay Dilla/Slum Village right-hand man and co-producer, Waajeed, along with musician partner Saadiq, make a name for their production outfit, The Platinum Pied Pipers, stepping out of the shadows of their peers.

     Triple P plays like a compilation album, thanks to its many guests, but carries the unified sound also present on Dilla’s Welcome To Detroit (of which also Waajeed co-produced). Heavy basslines, rolling drums, and snapping snares are common elements that sew together the album, despite the heavy guest list. Dilla himself kicks things off with the “Shotgun Intro”, making it official, leading directly into Georgia’s “Your Day Is Done”, an undeniable headcracker juxtaposed with her smooth vocals. Things continue on a positive pace as the PPP’s buzzworthy counterparts, Sa Ra Creative Partners, lend their millennial cosmic slop to a trademark thumping bassline (think back to Dilla’s “Big Booty Express”). Things get a bit more raw on “Stay With Me”, propelled by a dirty Madlib-esque marching snare, again evened out with sultry neo-soul struts, this time from Tiombe Lockheart. The crew even successfully infuses Latin rhythms on Spacek’s “No Worries” (and again on a dope cover of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover”, featuring Rogier). Dilla brings things back to the essence on “Act Like You Know”, presenting one of his best verses in recent memory, suggesting “both Kill Bill pictures ain’t as ill as us”. 

     While solid, However Triple P isn’t a perfect album, it does have its lulls – case in point is Invincible’s “Detroit Winter” or Ta’Raach’s random, stream-of-consciousness flow which bounces “Lights Out” off the track. Ironically, with the exception of the two from Dilla, it’s the standard hip-hop tracks are where the album’s missteps are, but by no fault of the producers. Instead, the album’s strongest moments lie in the many neo-soul collaborations sprinkled throughout, ripe for blunt sessions, coffee houses, and Old Navy dressing rooms. While this is the perfect jump off for the group, their future may lie in solid, fully-produced LP’s with some of Triple P’s collaborators, but don’t be surprised if you find them producing for Jay-Z or other major label artists within the next year – their sound is that good.