Dilated Peoples first appeared on the scene via the bargain bin favorite, The Next Chapter compilation, from Immortal Records in 1995. Among other artists such as Defari, Phil Da Agony, and Ghetto Clownz (?). This overlooked clear double vinyl pack served as the first appearance of Rakaa-Iriscience and Evidence, which later led to their first recorded album, Imagery, Battle Hymns, Political Poetry. Unfortunately , the album was shelved by the label, and despite it’s high powered collaborations with Redman and Xzibit, it still remains in the vaults.

Dilated got their second chance in 1997 with the release of the “Triple Optics” single through ABB, but really caught on with their second 12″, “Work The Angles”, which blew them through the roof, spawning a series of consecutive 12″ singles, guest appearances, and an album deal with Capitol.

The day has finally come, and the People?s proverbial Platform has arrived. The result? Dope. Coming from a die hard Dilated fan, the album has been getting heavy rotation for the last six weeks, but the common consensus of the album has been that it doesn’t live up to the standard of the group’s previous works, and it contains a lot of previously released material.

Nevertheless, the complaints are few and far in between. While Dilated’s official debut does leave us thirsty for more, it’s still a strong release, and will especially be enjoyed by the fans who weren’t following them over the past few years on the 12″ circuit. Evidence gives some of his greatest performances ever, (with the help of Alchemist ) on both “Main Event” and “Guaranteed”, while the crew relives classic moments on “Triple Optics” and “Work The Angles”, both of which will be enjoyed to the fullest by the new fans.

New to the disc are plenty of gems, many of which gives props to DJ Babu, most notably “Service”, where Babs assumes his role in the group, not only cutting it up furiously, but also manipulating the beat itself. Also very notable on the album, are the collaborative tracks, such as the 21 & Over throwback, “Right On ” featuring Dilated & The The Liks sharing a E-Swift banger, while “No Retreat” creates nice chemistry between the crew and B-Real. Other future backpack bangers will include “Ear Drums Pop” along with it’s west coast allstar remix, not to mention Evidence’s lyrical masterpiece “Last Line Of Defense”.

No disrespect, while the album doesn’t break any new ground, and may have more “filler” than desired, it’s still very consistent, to new fans and old. The talent between Evidence, Rakaa and Babu rivals that of the Alkaholiks when they first started, and this album serves as their official introduction to the rest of the world. Hopefully, Capitol will let them grow and mature as artists, so that we may look forward to a finely tuned sophomore release full of all new material.