As pioneers of the independent hip-hop movement, Mr. Eon and DJ Mighty Mi have made their mark with a string of consistent releases, from the debut album, Home Field Advantage, as well as with offshoot projects from The Smut Peddlers and Eastern Conference Allstars. With the tightly packaged, less-than-ten-song Air Force One EP, the High & Mighty hold down their spot on the map, celebrating a diverse sound and celebration of some twenty years of hip-hop music.

What’s great about Air Force One is that it works as the perfect jumping on point for those not already familiar with our heroes, and is refreshingly consistent for longtime fans. While Milo handles the majority of the production, as usual we get a taste of different flavors from within the Eastern Conference stable, as J-Zone delivers a trademark banger on “Artillary”, R.A. The Rugged Man and Havoc Of Mobb Deep team-up for the Ayatollah anthem “You Don’t Wanna Fuck With”, or Cage joins in for one last Smut Peddlers orgy on “More In Outs”. But the meat of the album truly lies within Mi and E’s solo collaborations, as the duo prove to bring out the best in each other (a la Guru & DJ Premier), on tracks like “Mighty Mi In The Land Of Dead Stock” or “Illadel Jack Move”, where both emcee and deejay play equally important roles in the music.

The only minor beefs with Air Force One are some of the more “up-to-date” production styles included on the album, which kind of go against the reasons aging heads buy High & Mighty records in the first place. “Nowhere To Hide At” sounds like beats that might fit Fat Joe or Memphis Bleek better than Mr. Eon, while “What’s After” resorts to subtly gimmicky drum-production. Minor nitpicking aside, Eon’s an entertaining enough emcee with the b-boy flavor of yesteryear that it remains excusable.

The High & Mighty represent the last of the hip-hop heroes – two pushing-thirty Philly natives who were born and raised and classic hip-hop music, and have risen to create it. With countless old school references sprinkled throughout the music, disillusioned heads that feel that hip-hop has had nothing to offer them in the last five or ten years should look no further. Their corny sense of humor and consistently solid production make them the last hope of their generation.