Midwestern trio of emcee Adeem, DJDQ, and producer Maker have built a solid fanbase among the backpack set, together as Glue. Whether ithrough their highly revered Scribble Jam performances or through their word-of-mouth indie releases, Sunset Lodge and Seconds Away, Glue has become the middle-American crew to watch. Now teaming up with NYC powerhouse, Fat Beats Records, Glue goes after national distribution, with their official full-length debut, Catch As Catch Can. 

    Glue packs the same feel and sound as another Midwestern favorite, Atmosphere, so comparisons to them are likely to be drawn. Hard-hitting beats, dusty samples, emotionally-in-tune lyrics, an overall sense of poetic intelligence, and relentless touring are all likely attributes the two crews have in common. Catch As Catch Can will obviously appeal to the same fanbase. 

    The title track comes in with a vengeance, as Adeem spits his lyrics at breakneck speeds over Maker’s funky soul breaks and DQ’s ridiculously precise cuts. This is the formula for much of the album, creating a beautifully unified sound for the entire record. It works best when Adeem tackles more straight-forward subject matter, rather than wrestling the listener with cryptic lyrics (“A Fly Can’t Bird”, “Vessel”). “Beat Beat Beat” is the most stripped down, bare bones hip-hop song on the record, as Adeem rides through a series of ever changing breaks from Maker’s crates, with the finale of the song pitting the emcee and deejay against each other, with mirror image results. “Glupies” bangs with incredible raw soul, as Adeem explains his disillusion with scenester chicks that want a piece of his fame. The ridiculously catchy “A Lot To Say” inspires the listener to get off their ass, do something, and make a change in the world. 

    While the influence is obviously there, not all of the songs follow the Big Daddy Kane “Raw” fast-rap style. It’s when the slow things down that their messages really begin to sink in. The bluesy “Restless” examines the world’s current political climate, while the more down-to-earth “Belmont and Clark” and “Hometown Anthem” both examine the culture-clashes of these nerdy white guys doing and living hip-hop.

     But that’s the ultimate irony of Glue. Another aspect that separates them from every other hip-hop act out there, is that each member is equally talented in their respective craft. There’s no hangers-on, unwanted posse, or half-talents that will bring them down in the end.  However, it is likely that today’s generation of commercial hip-hop listeners may not be able to grasp Glue, because frontman Adeem doesn’t try to disguise his obvious whiteness, yet Maker’s production packs 99% more soul than any of the keyboard beats of today, and DQ’s cuts are undeniable. Coupled with the fact that they brought in live musicians for trumpet solos and bass guitar back-ups, there’s truly a lot of creativity at work here. On “Making A Mess”, Adeem hopes “someday I’m gonna write a classic.” Who knows, maybe he just did?