Already mentioned in the July issue of XXL without much distribution or even a true record contract, The Chapter, comprised of emcee Verbal E and producer 3Sixty, made noise with their appearance on last year’s Okayplayer release, True Notes Volume 1, where they were hand-picked by The Roots’ ?uestlove out of 5000 entrants to appear. One listen to their debut album, Us Vs. Them, reveals why, as tracks like the Vegas anthem, “Life in the City,” and the ex-girl bashing of “Akhil Hill” easily make the album a must-have for 2005.

Don’t take our word for it though. The fellas from Vegas (by way of Chicago) took a few minutes out of the hustle-and-bustle of America’s Playground to speak with HipHopSite about why Vegas ain’t exactly soft, why the blood of Chicago still pumps through their veins, and how the Internet put The Chapter on the map. Read this Chapter up!

HipHopSite: Most people in the country think Las Vegas and see the Strip, the lights, and the storied casinos. I actually live in New Jersey and anyone in that area knows that, while Atlantic City has the casinos, it also has a rap for having poorer neighborhoods surrounding the fancy digs. “Life in the City” really gives an overview of Vegas beyond the million-dollar hotels though. Can you give those out there not familiar with those parts of the city an overview of what it is really like?

Verbal E: It’s real life goin’ on. Most people that live here don’t even go to the Strip at all, unless it’s to go to work. No doubt you got your gated communities with palm trees and over-exaggerated landscapes, but you also got the projects, public housing developments, and Section 8 communities. In the last 2 years, the gap between the haves and the have-nots grew to alarming proportions with the real estate boom. Those without land, property, and homes before 2003 were priced out of the market, and those renting experienced huge rent increases. Even before then, if you didn’t fit in the grand money scheme of Las Vegas, then you were shit outta luck and you know what happens when the people are deprived. The ghetto may look a little different, but the mentality is the exact same everywhere. I hope I ain’t getting’ all “Tony Brown’s Journal” on you, but the world already knows about the glitz and glam of Vegas. I’m trying to effect change when I speak on one of the nation’s highest dropout rates, the serious homelessness problem, or the woefully shameless sex industry. Where else in America can you drive your daughter to school and have to pass big-ass billboards and cab advertisements with about 10 ass cheeks in your face?

HipHopSite: Well, Vegas has treated you 2 nicely in the past though, and the hip-hop scene only seems to be getting bigger and bigger out there. You’ve got Little Brother coming out there, Talib Kweli, different acts that you guys opened up for. How have those opportunities helped you both to advance the group?

Verbal E: In the past few years, the hip-hop scene has really grown in Vegas. We’re definitely still in our infancy, but we got our spots where cats can go and work on their craft and build their skills on stage. As far as people like Little Brother, Kweli, Mos, and the like coming to Vegas, it’s been a true blessing to be able to share the stage with the greats of our generation. The experience of being on stage with Nas, KRS-ONE, The Roots, Mos Def, and Slum Village is priceless. On one hand, our peer group changes and the people can see you earnin’ your respect, and on the other hand, we get to see first hand that we’re not being given a hand out, but that we actually belong there with the greats – not only because they’re telling us through their words of support or by their actions, but you can actually feel the shift from local act to a group in high demand. Our time is upon us. We like the Last Dragon Bruce Leroy right when he got his glow!

HipHopSite: Cool! (laughs) Talking about being recognized and in demand, congratulations on the July 2005 Chairman Mao feature of The Chapter in XXL, too. Chapter essentially has no major push marketing-wise, no really strong distribution hub, and yet, you land in a national magazine that so many major acts covet attention in. What does that say about the music and the whole process behind The Chapter and the music that you 2 are creating?

3Sixty: Thanks, man. I would say that it is a great compliment to have XXL and anybody else that says in public that they respect our music. We have sat here in Vegas in our rooms wondering if the music that we created was going to be good enough, not only to come out, but to make an impact on the people listening to it. It is almost impossible to get into the spots that we have been getting without backing and we are not taking this for granted.

HipHopSite: Another funny thing about this album is that it is called Us Vs. Them, which sounds as if it’s pitting The Chapter against those in the industry, which is sort of played anyway. The record does not come off that way though. In other words, there are no long tirades against the injustices of others getting deals over your group. So, what does that title mean to you guys?

Verbal E: The title is the truest feeling we had at the time we were creating this album, and it has just grown stronger everyday. Us vs. Them means so much on so many different levels. Our group has gone through a lot of changes and every time somebody dropped off the team, it was always just me and 3Sixty. I know it wasn’t a personal thing, but it just felt like it, and so from that 3Sixty wound up playing every instrument on the album. For a stretch he played bass, drums, keys, guitar and deejayed on stage! Then you got “Us,” the heads that keep the culture that is hip-hop alive, in spite of “Them” trying to keep it one-dimensional and taking all the credit. Then, of course, there’s “Us,” the people of Vegas, fighting “Them,” the powers-that-be that run the Strip and not only suck the people dry, but turn around and lock the people out of the opportunities to develop anything other than another friggin’ casino! Honorable mentions? Freedom vs. Oppression, Brown vs. Board of Education, Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, Richard Pryor vs. Bill Cosby, and Gore vs. Bush. (Note to self: Just let it go!) That is all for now.

HipHopSite: Several publications are calling this record a flashback to the sound that early Roots’ records brought – that live band, all instruments included type of sound. Obviously, that is a big enough compliment in and of itself, but what does it say for the record to feature a guest spot from ?uestlove basically passing the torch onto you guys and giving you the props for keeping that sound alive?

3Sixty: Man, we were at a concert in 1999 when The Roots played at the Hard Rock Hotel, a year after we formed The Chapter and put out our first EP. We were in the audience rocking to the show wondering how we were ever going to see what they saw in this music shit. 5 years later, we are on a compilation and stage with them hand picked by ?uestlove. I don’t quite know if he was passing the torch, but to have anyone that put 12-13 years in the music industry and achieve the shit that he and The Roots achieve, tell you your music is dope and should be heard AND put it in a position to be heard, still amazes us. Of course, we could be down with the most fashionable, “yeah we just did the dopest shit and cats came calling,” but that shit ain’t real. You need someone in this business and many others to recognize and give you a chance to develop your talents. The wiser your council, the more you may pick up to benefit you. Ask ?uest, Jay–Z, Mos Def, and any other successful person doing this. There were plenty of groups that had the chance that we had, but it came down to one thing, and that was recognition. We cannot and will not take that shit lightly!

HipHopSite: For people who might not know, you guys came to Vegas from Chicago. Maybe it’s all the Chicago in you guys? Kanye, Twista, Common is back again with what people are calling an instant classic. Chicago is just taking off and really marking its territory on the hip-hop map. Do you think that your success can be attributed to your hometown of Chicago in any way? Even just that confidence that Verbal E brings forth on record is very Chicago.

3Sixty: Man, great question! When you come from Chicago, you are left with that imprint for the rest of your life. You can’t shake the attitudes, the words, the dress – shit from going to The Rink to calling Piggy 1! (Editor Note: Chicago in the house!) It’s like we never left the city, because we have that everlasting picture in our minds of how it was to grow up there. Our families still live there and our stories and experiences live on through the music that we all are putting out. Another funny thing is that we all come from the same area on the Southside- 63rd, 79th, 87th street area. Shit, Com’s mom taught at my high school!

HipHopSite: Speaking of Common, have you guys heard BE? The so-called conscious hip-hop heads down to mainstream acts are heralding the greatness of it. What are your feelings on it, being that your hometown now has 2 recent classics or near-classics within the last 2 years?

3Sixty: I listen to that shit everyday. Number one, that shit speaks to me on some straight Chicago shit. Number two, not only is it dope creatively, but his words and Kanye’s and Dilla’s music give me something to go on everyday. Cats is grown going through grown man shit, and you need those words and feelings to get through the days of the struggle. We still got jobs to go to and children to raise. Along with accomplishing and trying to accomplish some good things in this music, that shit will drive you crazy. Com and Kanye are like a virtual tour guide to Chicago and both their albums kept us in that “Chicago state of mind” here in the devil’s den, which you need to get through the shit they got on display here. As far as what they have accomplished, it is a testimony that hip-hop still has a lot to offer everywhere. The presentation is one-sided, but the people in it are not. Chicago has been waiting a long time for this light. We can only hope that some of that which is in them is in us.

HipHopSite: Verbal E, you have a very strong presence on the microphone and that might not be better evidenced anywhere else than on “Akhil Hill,” which has you just going hard at an unfaithful female. You’ve got everything from a Biz Markie reference in there to this consistent little rhyme pattern  with all the “as in’s” on that record. You really sell the fact, on a lot of these tracks, that it’s real life material and not just phony stories even if some of them are!). How much of this record is real life, and can you hit us with some examples?

Verbal E: Man, I can’t believe you caught them (as in’s) on “Ahkil Hill!” You know, I was trying to be all creative with the way I wrote that song and not one person has mentioned that yet. No one ever seems to get passed the humor and the hook. Thanks for that one. Anyway, yes, even that song is based on a true story. I don’t know about all the “honey on ya ass” stuff, but I definitely caught my lady cheating on me and I was so caught up that it took a while before I could come off the ass. “Looking at a nigga hooked on sex is hard to watch, especially when the girl is a b as in -otch!” On “One Moment,” I speak briefly on my high school love and how that relationship produced my daughter Nahzy but quickly disintegrated after that. That’s probably my most emotional song and the easiest to perform since I never have to reach for the right emotion. It’s all right there because the lyrics are so close to me. Oh yeah, and on “Pop Said,” those are real life quotes. Here’s an example. (Me) “Pops, do we have to buy gym shoes from the grocery store?” (Pops)”Bullshit ain’t nothin’ but chewed up grass!” (Me) “Huh?”

HipHopSite: What?!? (laughing) Conversely, 3Sixty, you come with production aspects that make you feel like an orchestrator rather than a hip-hop producer. How are you able to bring all of these different sounds in and give that live band feel? How does a track all come together for someone who doesn’t just loop up a 5-second pattern and call it a beat?

3Sixty: I usually start with my “hip-hop rules.” You know, the beat has to be beating on your chest, bass rumbling, etc. But then I ask myself, ‘Can I do anything more to make Verb’s lyrics jump off the track and into the listener’s mind?’ This is where the live instruments come in. I try to make the track breathe. I have only been playing the last year and a half, and I just started to take it very seriously in terms of practicing scales, rudiments, reading, etc., so I have a great deal to learn in terms of being a musician. But being a sample based artist for many years and listening to so many of the records over the years to find samples has opened me up to different arrangements, patterns, and progressions. I mean, you listen to everything from Latin soul to classical to funk to strange children’s records. We as samplers listen to find all types of elements and the idea has bled into my playing. I still like to sample, and I will when I find the right shit to chop or loop, but I love to play!

HipHopSite: How has the Internet helped you guys to expand the vision and the music of The Chapter? Offline, if people heard of a group from Vegas playing live venues with the feel of a live band, people might just assume that you do cover band stuff in Vegas or something. But the ‘net has really given your name a push. How much of that push is just the good music, and how much of it is the effect that the digital age has had on the spread of music?

3Sixty: Damn, Alex Tribec! (laughter) Great questions. I don’t think it would be out of line to say that if it had not been for the Internet, we would not have been on True Notes Volume 1, doing this interview, or having Nicolay doing remixes for our album. I think both have to meet – the good material and the resources. If it wasn’t for the ‘net, this material would be sitting at home being played for our family and friends. If it wasn’t for the good material, no one would be looking at us on the ‘net, TV, or the bathroom wall for that matter. We have had good material in the past but not many of the resources that we have at our fingertips today. With the current state of the record industry, who knows if anyone would have heard about The Chapter in this climate.

HipHopSite: That said, how do you both feel about the crisis going on in the music community with all of the music downloading taking place and labels losing money out of their pockets? It seems to me that most music acts hit a point where the ‘net stops being so promotional and starts taking away their money. Do you guys have thoughts on where that movement is going, and how do you feel about it?

Verbal E: That’s a tough one because we’re at the stage where the net is still a very powerful promotional tool as opposed to something that’s hitting us in the pocket right now. Even though there are a lot of fans downloading music, that still only represents a small percentage of record-buying customers. I’m finding that even the people that download music will buy it if it’s really dope. If not, then they won’t buy it, but the other thing is…It makes it that much more important for the artist to really connect with the people, because once that happens, the people will be there for you. They’ll want to have the artwork and read the credits and thank you’s and see the DVD. Fortunately for us, we have an ace in the hole – our stage show. Word on the street is our show is nothing less than incredible. We have so much fun up there that it’s hard for the crowd not to join in with us.

HipHopSite: Us Vs. Them is in stores now, but many people out there might not know much or anything about The Chapter. If you each had to give them one sentence or one thought to remember about the group, what would it be?

Verbal E: Don’t be confused by the instruments. This is straight up raw hip-hop music!

3Sixty: That all we want to be a meaningful “Chapter” in this vast book of hip-hop music!

The Chapter’s Us Vs. Them is available now. For those in the Vegas area, check out their live stage show.

     Whether personifying hip-hop music with the shapes and curves of a female on “Bird’s Eye View,” a la Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.” minus the promiscuous innuendo, or simply “Doin’ My Thang” over the melodramatic saxophones of Amp’s grittier production, Zion’s aggressive but positive flow sounds simply refreshing in an otherwise angry underground scene. “She’s the one I always count on, one that wouldn’t leave me, one that’s in the city always written in graffiti,” Zion raps on the former, fodder for his lead-in to the hometown smash “The Bay,” with its deep bassy strings and ode to the slanguistic left Coast city.

      Abstract favorite Aesop Rock joins the darker “Poems 4 Modern Day Decay,” as the pair speak out bluntly on the current state of affairs within America, each seeming poised to force the other’s darkest thoughts to emerge through the bleakest of all Zion tracks. Talib Kweli even gets fiery with Zion to take the “Temperature” of the present-day ghetto, which still cannot manage to bring the oh-so-alive Amp Live down off his production high. “I know I got a problem, it all started with me, I wanted something special, wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Zion continues on the Roots-like blueprint “Next To U,” a lovesick joint backed by the simple cymbals and on-point flow that even Black Thought would admire. An aggressive guest effort from Del on “What U Hear” and Gift of Gab-assisted “Stranger in My Home,” an anthem only for the grown and sexy, only reinforce the arsenal of thick and thought-provoking material delivered live from the Bay.

      Noticeably absent are mainstream lyrics featuring gunplay or womanizing behavior, while the light-hearted appeal of many of the songs deny Zion I the opportunity to be the next angry underground group pissed off at their national exposure (or lack thereof). Instead, what shines through is an act with a live sound and words stimulating enough to speak about making a real difference in the world while actually sound believable. MC Zion and Amp Live are definitely not lying this time around. They are just as True & Livin’ as their album title suggests. – Christopher “Scav” Yuscavage

       The feel-good vibes of Classic (and Maui) continue on tracks like “Good Fun,” where the uptempo and upbeat hand-claps provide the perfect setting for the boys to harp on rapping for fun and making beautiful music. Even when the guys put the happy-go-lucky material to the side though, tracks like the vintage “Never Fallin’,” about withstanding adversity and pulling yourself up by the bootstraps, and “Fears and Pain (Neverendingstreets),” with its’ addictive Eligh-produced baby vocals on the hook, both show that the Legends may be rapping in Maui but still know a thing or two about problems.

     “Even though it didn’t last, a day don’t go past, that I don’t think about getting back with your ass,” Murs raps on “Even Though (I Still Love You),” the love song with-a-twist about a boy and losing his love, another creative attempt by the Legends at creating something from a new point-of-view. But even when they stick with the norm, like bringing up the past to girls on “Busted,” a very Dr. Dre-esque production effort from The Grouch, the Legends do so with a style that still tends to be hard to fit within the contexts of one box.

      The trouble of keeping track of 8 rapping counterparts and the sometimes exhaustively lengthy tracks aside, Classic is a worthy extension of the Living Legends California crew that has gradually expanded and extended from the early ’90s to this point. It may not be the classic record that rappers and producers search for so effortlessly these days, but Classic more than helps to capture the beauty and pristine nature seen throughout the Maui landscape. Call it Maui for the ears. Classic is beautiful.

       Copperpot’s story alone is intriguing enough and worthy of a listen ? unhappy with his first semester of college, the Chicago native split for Europe with nothing but a change of clothes, a desire for hip-hop music, and a stack of new credit cards. Inundated with debt these days, Copperpot’s Chapter 7 still manages to produce the after-effects of his European trip, as he weaves his way seamlessly between cartoonish and outside-of-the-box production coupled with odd sound bytes and bottom-of-the-crate samples (a la MF Doom or Madlib). Still, the productions of Copperpot only manage success when paired with the right supplementary emcee, as Ed O.G. proves over the xylophone sounds of “Take’N’Over.” While no Edo-Pete Rock imitation, Ed manages a true-to-heart effort on the microphone spitting, “See, I still got to have it, Edo’s back at it, took a second crack at it, ?Cause one too many crabs had it uncharismatic, And never did justice to the beats, now I want justice for the streets.”  Only on Mr. Complex’s “To Die For” does that raw street poetry emerge again, as Copperpot’s pianos click just enough for Complex to scold emcees, telling them that they cannot “half-ass the craft,” on a track that has been done before but rarely been quite as tasty.

      Much of the remainder of Chapter 7, however, is about as cohesive as Copperpot and monthly minimum payments on credit cards, as the punchline/simile format for most of the album draws little out of the production values from Copper. Akbar manages a few witty and clever lines (“I hold more mics than Bob Barker” or “I could make a wack emcee flee to Canada, Aw f?k it, you could kick the bucket like a janitor”) on the final treat of the album that is “15 Min,” but elsewhere, Chi-Town undergrounders Bamski and Profound (“Mflue”) and LongShot (“Menagerie”) fail to hold a candle, let alone a flame, to the Copperpot production that they are given. Not even Outsidaz member and long-anticipated solo act Pacewon can stop the bleeding on “It’s A Rap,” which sounds just Demigodz-ish enough to make Celph Titled fans foam at the mouth without actually getting to hear a Celph verse dropped.

      Flowing through the same vein as the aforementioned MF Doom or Madlib, Copperpot squeezes just enough amusement out of most of his productions to get the blood boiling in the heart of Chapter 7. Unfortunately (maybe due to a lack of funding, Cop?), the emcees chosen here are about as useful to Copperpot right now as a credit report. Some emcee consolidation and an injection of more creative writing credits could make for a more successful outcome next time around from the producer borrowing credit and off-the-wall samples at the same rate these days.

      As the wise old saying goes, “There are other fish out there in the sea.”

      Chali 2NA (pronounced Tuna), of Jurassic 5 fame, is out to prove that, by name, he may be one of the smaller fish in the sea, but in the crowded fish market, he still deserves his proper respect and love from the masses. Unfortunately, The Fishmarket, Chali’s mixtape in promotion of his upcoming Fish Out Of Water solo album on Interscope, may do just the opposite as he relies heavily on guest appearances to save Fishmarket from a sea of mediocrity.

       For any fan of Jurassic 5, The Fishmarket may be a welcomed treat with tracks like “Work It Out” and “Linguistics (DJ Dez Remix)” featuring full head-on collisions between Chali’s solo career and his career as a member of the group. Elsewhere, Chali is noticeably absent altogether with “Oh No” being handled entirely by femcee Ang 13 and the packed “Chicagorillas” pairing Chali 2NA with 5 other emcees, all equally vying for a portion of the limelight cast down upon the fish market. “Welcome to the Fish Market” and “MC Material” join Chali and Laidlaw, who receives considerably more time on the microphone than Chali lending to the question: On a Chali 2NA mixtape, why are there so many other fish swimming amongst him?

      Not all goes wrong for the big 2NA on The Fishmarket though, as the unbelievable tag-team effort of Chali and Rasco on “Sweet Science” should surround both with some well-deserved hype. Using a boxing ring concept, Rasco spits, “Me and Chali tune-for-tune, you cats better give us some room, I side-stepped and I lowered the boom, You cats better call your goons tonight ’cause I’m ending it soon, First round put your back on the ground, I’m the best pound-for-pound.” To which Chali retorts, “The ring is now a disaster scene, After trainer’s apply Vaseline, I come to smash the king.” The back-and-forth concept lands squarely on the jaw with punches flying throughout the entire track. “4 GT 10,” which appeared on Linkin Park’s Reanimation disc sounds just as revolutionary on The Fishmarket, combining the energized rocked-out performance of Linkin Park coupled with the social pen of Chali 2NA (“City governments are eternally napping, Trapped in gritty covenants causing urban collapsing”). The snake-charming production of “Whose 2 Blame” finds Chali getting conscious again, this time with the help of Don Coleon with the two striking against the injustices of society.

     Still, with the help of over a dozen guests, it’s not hard for the 2NA to get buried amongst the numerous guest appearances and showcases for Jurassic 5 and other underground acts. On a mixtape in promotion of Fish Out Of Water, Chali finds himself playing second fiddle to other emcees all too often wasting valuable time to establish his own solo career on the microphone. In a sea full of fish (The Fishmarket), Chali 2NA struggles to stand out often on his own mixtape. “There are other fish out there in the sea,” as the wise saying goes. Unfortunately for Chali, they all seem to show up on one mixtape ? his. Something that could keep Chali from ever becoming a big fish in the big pond of hip-hop.

     With circa 1993 intentions and 2005 execution, Triangulation Station rarely strays very far from the Souls of Mischief or Hieroglyphics molds, respectively, with Opio’s “It’s in my brain, it’s in my main vein” proclamations on the introductory “Viva Main Vein” proving that he is just not ready to give up this old hip-hop thing. The conceptual “Dream…But Don’t Sleep” follows up the initial Opio track with a look into the dangers of recreational substance abuse from the vantage point of Opio’s soul, an effort that reiterates his goal of spitting something other than just catchy bars and hooks.
 “What’s Wrong With This Picture,” pairs Opio with fellow Hieroglyphic Del the Funky Homosapien, as the two debate over the ills of society. “So easy to regurgitate the trash that they feeding ya, Perverting and distorting the truth through the mass media,” Opio spits before also questioning the legality of prescription drugs over illegal substances like marijuana. The dreamy drama of “Roxxanne,” Opio’s perfect female companion, who just happens to sling drugs every now, then, and now again as a queen drugpin, demonstrates that the Soul of Mischief is not above kicking a story for hip-hop audiences. And the catchy feminine sample on “Talk Dirty” croons as Opio and Pep Love cosign on their tales of lust and pillow talk between the sheets.

 For as conceptual, lyrical, and catchy as the parts of the three-sided Triangulation Station can be at times though, “Drivers Wanted” reunites Opio with Phesto, Tajai, and A-Plus and proves that the Souls of Mischief crew still has some juice left in the tank. All four emcees supply standout lyrical performances that break up the occasionally mundane all-Opio, all-the-time format of much of the disc. And worst of all, “Drivers Wanted” illustrates how Hiero fans may interpret this group cut as “Souls of Mischief Wanted,” with the quadruple-team still functioning best as a complete unit.
 Though not nearly as encompassing or as impressive as earlier efforts by Opio alongside his Souls of Mischief and Hieroglyphics brethren, Triangulation Station harvests enough quick-paced productions from Opio and a host of sound bytes that transfer one track to the next. The debut solo effort from Opio may not be another ’93 ‘Til Infinity on its own, but it does give living proof to the fact that the mighty Oakland Souls of Mischief crew may just survive from ’93 ‘til infinity. And it continues on with a quick stop through the Station of Opio.

      It was producing tandem the Neptunes who first coined the term N.E.R.D., an acronym that stood for “No One Ever Really Dies,” when they released their debut album In Search Of… and their subsequent sophomore album Fly or Die. And in the hip-hop world, the N.E.R.D. acronym has become somewhat commonplace for rappers, as no hip-hopper has ever really died ? or, at least, the hip-hop community has not allowed them to ever really die.

     From Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. to Big L and Eazy E, some DJ or producer always comes up with just the right “lost verse” from a deceased hip-hop legend that just does not let that legend die in the minds and hearts of the hip-hop community. Though gone in body and mind, these lyrical fiends have pestered along and stood the test of time for years off the strength of remixes and remixes of previous remixes that breath new life into the words and vocals of the deceased.

     Though he only passed recently in late-2004 and left an all-too-short legacy behind, Ol’ Dirty Bastard is no different from the aforementioned artists. His death sparked an onslaught of various mixtapes and rare, exclusive cuts from the man also known as Dirt McGirt, all put out to commemorate the passing of the Wu-Tang brethren known for his wildly outlandish antics and bizarre behavior.

     Osirus: The Official Mixtape (Sure Shot Records), however, boasts the “official” tag for a reason, as it presents the last and most recent tracks recorded by Ol’ Dirty previous to his departure from the flesh. And while the tail-end of Osirus clearly presents material from Dirt that will not serve as the end-all, be-all for his otherwise interesting and prolific career, the first half of the mixtape proves just why Russell Jones was the man referred to as Ol’ Dirty Bastard ? there truly was no father to his style.

     “Niggas out here trying to prove who the realest, it’s okay to pop shit but come a little different,” the difference-seeking O.D.B. raps on the DJ Premier production, “Pop Shots,” where his charismatic and came-to-be-expected yelling on the hook rides out over the bump of another top-notch Premier joint. Over the hard percussion and rolling pianos of Marc Ronson’s “Dirty Dirty,” Dirty and Chicago lyricist Rhymefest spit alongside the catchy kiddie-infected hooks. Rhyme himself pays homage to O.D.B. stating, “What’s the world without Dirt? Just a bunch of fucking water,” before the two emcees go their separate ways.

     Black Rob teams up with Dirty as he rambles on in his usual off-key and oft-kilt style on “High in the Clouds,” a dirty production effort that matches up with the even dirtier emcee rapping, “Feel like every block’s home when the ya is yo, gotta rob a motherfucker when the day is slow.” What would appear to be just smack-talking by any other fellow rhymer comes across as good ol’ fun in the world of Dirty. And the round-up-the-troops effort by Dirt and guest Royal Flush pervades on “If Y’all Want War,” where producer Chops delivers the dark bells and sharp whistles whilst the two emcees take it hard to all comers who want a problem.

      Not all goes well for the Osirus effort, as Southern-sounding production efforts from Chops on “Don’t Stop Ma (Out of Control)” and “Down South” actually tone Ol’ Dirty down and come across as generic club attempts. And “Move Back,” which boasts a guest list including Drag-On, Jae Mills, Cardan, Terra Blacks, and the Lenox Ave. Boys, probably was a late addition to the mixtape, and at over 7 minutes, is hardly worthy of being listed as ODB’s last official song on the mixtape (minus the 2 bonus remixes).

     “I’m the Osirus if this shit, Wu-Tang is here forever,” Ol’ Dirty Bastard once boasted on the Wu’s “Triumph” just under a decade ago, setting the final stage and forum for his last official mixtape, Osirus. Even though another album featuring Dirty’s tracks from his recent Roc-A-Fella days probably lies somewhere in the future, Osirus righteously wraps up O.D.B.’s topsy-turvy career for now. But, as they say, N.E.R.D. Rest in peace, Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

     Though one-third of On the Grind is a Havoc-only opus, which surprisingly sees Hav shelving his dark side for less worthy production efforts, Ric Rude laces together a string of strong production cues that favor the hustle-hard QB mentality. The catchy Isley Brothers sample on “Everybody” surrounds Noyd as he wills himself on with, “Whether it’s with a pad and a pen, a ball and a rim, or a strip pitchin’ the raw, The boy gon’ win.” Later, Noyd fills in the tales of a drug deal gone wrong on “Young and Thuggin’,” where Rude seems to have tailored his production style to the Queensbridge feel (something that Havoc, unfortunately, runs dry with at times). The rock-tinged Masberg production on “Rush” only reaffirms that On the Grind is in fact a true Queensbridge record, as Noyd’s ferocious energy rips through guitar licks like a bullet through cold air. The lone Alchemist project for Noyd appears in the form of the boom bap-meets-pianos “Louder,” where Prodigy joins Noyd in busting off their mouths about busting off their guns. And another P and Noyd hook-up occurs on “Most Famous,” where the two prove that taking shots at the generic “fake gangsta” is as fun as it ever has been in the Mobb Deep family.

      Not all is guns-for-glory with Noyd though as Havoc provides one of the sole happy-go-lucky production efforts with “Off the Wall,” the only track that sounds as though it’s seeking any club action. With a little clapping (of the hands sort, not of the guns sort) and some chimes from Hav’s library, the Mobb and Noyd pay homage to the thick thighs and pretty faces of all the ladies “that can get it.” The generic posse cut that is “Money Rolls,” the lifeless Havoc production “Infamous Team” (which ironically shows that maybe Hav should stick to the mic for awhile), and the third P and Noyd track “Kill Dat There” all grow tedious with the usual QB gangsta chatter that only the Queensbridge “duns” have grown to love continuously.

     “Don’t run with the herd, they go right, you go left,” Big Noyd raps on the album’s swan song, “Trust Em” - advice that he himself does not even really take. Noyd opts to use the same QB formula that has taken so many other Bridge emcees to the top of the game. But with a Grind this serious, it’s hard to imagine him not cracking his New York neighborhood’s starting lineup before he gives up the hustle.

     An odd eclectic mix of the old school and poetic Beans jumbled with what can best be described as experimental hip-hop production forms Shock City Maverick ? a large dosage of words skewed through and through that luckily includes a lyrical breakdown in the liner notes.
On “Shock City Maverick,” the album’s title track, Beans takes the time to describe his lyrical style as, “SARS plus syphilis with a lemon twist…and a cherry on top,” leaving little to the imagination, as when Beans says he’s “sick,” he’s not kidding. (“It’s magic when I spit these prose, Suppose if I pulled a rabbit out of my ass and called it a rose, Presto, change-o, Saw a woman in half, replace her head with a giraffe,” he goes on to rap on the same track.)

     Beans takes the time out to leave the “crowd screaming like a dick caught in a zipper” on “Death By Sophistication.” With references like this strewn throughout Shock City Maverick, it sometimes becomes a challenge just to know where Beans’ mind is and exactly what he wants to get across to his audience. His breathless and quick-paced delivery is as impressive as it is disturbing at times with a definite “taster’s choice” value to it that will surely have commercial hip-hop fans leaving this release for the coffee house emcee lovers. “Shards of Glass,” “City Hawk,” and “I’ll Melt With You” all continue down the jolting path that Beans leads with his seemingly endless and twisted rhyme book rehashing his notes along the way. His rhyme style seems to strive to have the charisma and charm that, say an MF Doom or similar emcee, commands on the microphone, with Beans often fighting back the beat of a song and going off-key purposely with choppy or negligent pauses just to make his own voice stand out.
Surprisingly, the most appealing production and material on Shock City Maverick comes in the form of several instrumental tracks, most notably, “You’re Dead, Let’s Disco,” where the speaker’s tweeters get tickled-to-death all while church bells churn out what sounds like a Sunday morning choir ? simple, yet effective against the backdrop of an otherwise experimental sound throughout the remainder of the disc.

     Still, with rhymes like, “It’s the big dick mentality, stunt cock commando, Anal sex assualt rifle, Rectum Rambo,” (“Diamond Halo Grenade”), it does not take long to see the difference between Beans and other rappers. If you’ve got parents or friends that just got used to the harsh words of gangster rappers, imagine how surprised they will be with what’s invaded the coffee house-type emcee. Shock City might just be a little bit too much shocking for the average hip-hop fan to handle right now.

     Despite his early-on affiliations with the likes of Notorious B.I.G. and Mobb Deep (check this guy’s resume!), R.A. the Rugged Man has become more of an urban legend in the world of hip-hop, recognized more for his absence from the game than for his potent angry white boy persona that superceded the more recent emergences of Eminem, Bubba Sparks, and the like.
But with Die, Rugged Man, Die (Nature Sounds), R.A. finally graces hip-hop with a worthy debut album that unleashes the past of R.A. with a blunt truthfulness and honesty that can best be summed up with the warning on the cover: “The characters and events depicted in this recording are the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead are completely intentional.”

      The introduction track “Lessons” is a well-crafted lesson on the upbringing of R.A. within the hip-hop industry as he quickly dispels any notion that he is just another white boy trying to strike in on hip-hop while it’s hot (“They say a white boy need a black boy to win, Bubba did it and so did Slim, Just Blaze is hot now, why don’t you get with him?”). Still, he continues on to give listeners an idea of just how much he has seen throughout his career: “A week before they blew up with Mystikal and Jay-Z, the Neptunes came to see me at D&D, I knew this chick named Norah, a lounge singer, A year later she a six Grammy award winner, I seen Flatlinerz, I seen Canibuses, I seen Lil’ Zanes, Yeah I seen mad misses.”

      The coming-of-age “A Star Is Born” brings R.A. full circle with tales of his initial signing to Jive tapering off into the more modern-day and “less wealthy” Rugged Man. “I’m a special ed student with a A+ flow,” R.A. boasts on the J-Zone production “Brawl,” where R.A. proves himself to be the true-to-life character that Zone plays on wax.  But the boasting gives way to more self-deprecation on the title track with R.A. as he laments, “Yo, I don’t care what people say, I’m a piece of shit, I’m gonna live my life that way, I’m a total fuck up, my whole album sucks?I went double-platinum last month, then I woke up!”

      Going more conceptual on “Black and White,” R.A. teams up with fellow New Yorker Timbo King for the interracial raps of the two with Timbo firing off blackjacks, black Timbs, and black ink to combat R.A.’s White House, White Sox, and white sheets. And the flashbacks of “On the Block” lend credibility to Rugged Man’s claim elsewhere that, “I don’t want fans that don’t know who G Rap is.”

      Urban legend or just a lost cause, R.A.’s Die, Rugged Man, Die finally attaches an album to the original grimy white boy of hip-hop. And with questions like, “Who else riskin’ their career to stick to being different?” scattered throughout the album, it’s hard to believe the truth on R.A. has been held back this long. Live, Rugged Man, live.

      Still, “It’s so blatant disrespecting my art form, I take a radio DJ and I stomp on ‘em, I drop on ‘em, blow up the mixtape awards, Only the wack show up while I’m out on tour,” DJ JS-1 raps on “Next Level” off his latest solo venture Audio Technician, throwing his vote in for supporting the true art of deejaying. And what he presents with Audio Technician lends credibility to the prefix of JS-1′s hip-hop name using a variety of scratch sequences from himself (as well as DJ Spinbad and DJ Slynke) and the emceeing of others to create an opus of hip-hop music from the vantage point of a DJ. Whoever says that a pair of turntables is not an instrument gets challenged quickly by DJ JS-1.

     The format of Audio Technician follows a strict pattern of back-and-forth movement alternating between emceed and deejayed tracks that compliment one another beautifully throughout the record. The opening track combines the efforts of JS-1′s scratched-up production with emcees L.I.F.E.Long and Immortal Technique with each paying homage to the resident DJ. “I conduct guerilla warfare throughout the PJs, On a government controlled by wack DJs, Playing watered down commercial because of payola, Taking orders from the label on the 2-way Motorola,” Technique raps.

     Elsewhere, though they are dated back to the late ’90s, the “fastest hands in New York” (DJ Spinbad) prevail on “Babylon 5″ before conjoining with DJ Slynke on a scratchfest appropriately titled “Coldcutz.” Of course, JS-1 also gets in on the action, seamlessly mending together an ode to the oldest rule in hip-hop on “Rule #4080″ (courtesy of help from Q-Tip, Styles P, KRS-One, and others). And the immense talents of JS-1 continue on the swan song “Ventilation Scratchapella,” where JS-1 uses his hands and too many music clips to count to prove that a story can be told in other ways that just the mouth.

     Surprisingly though, one of the most entertaining listens on Audio Technician may very well lie in the beat-boxing skills of Rahzel on “BX Streets,” where he lays down the ground work and adds life to the doo-wop sample (also found in the movie Bronx Tale) to create a soulful theme for the Bronx. By the time C-Rayz Walz, Akrobatik, Breez Evahflowin, and React combine forces on “Flying Guillotines” to again pay homage to JS-1′s skills, it’s hard to deny JS-1 his fair share of the hip-hop respect pie.

     “Whoever said that the turntable is not an instrument, Has never seen JS-1 get into it,” React raps on “Guillotines,” a theme that runs rampant throughout much of Audio Technician. While the album seems to be an angry snatching of respect by JS-1 at times, he lets his hands do the talking rather than yelling over every track, and his abilities speak volumes. For the younger generation of hip-hop, JS-1 may be shockingly quiet - but then again, isn’t that how it is supposed to be? Audio Technician puts meaning back into two of the most important letters in hip-hop: D.J. - a combination that has been abused by others for far too long.

      “Easy Cause It Is” would disregard Webster and his dictionary with DJ Natural providing a near-perfect boom-bap effort behind the boards as the cats declare, “We make it look easy ’cause it is, but fuck them other rappers and them critical kids.” The emcee and production efforts are enough to make “Easy” an easy choice as one of the (arguably) best underground tracks of 2004. “Justice Coming,” much more eerie and suspenseful in nature than its “Easy” predecessor on the 12″ single to Civil Service, sees haunting piano strokes from Natural and a sing-songy hook from the boys as the “civil service” title of the album shines through a little brighter on this track. And the more lyrically-inclined “The Trouble” proves to be trouble for those in the path of Qwel and Quazaar and lines like, “The fuck y’all talking to? I really hope your rap career blows, I witness rappers rap half-feminine like Atmosphere shows” bust off line-after-line in a flurry of Chicago wind. Outside of these efforts, however, the Typical Cats only succeed in churning up and whipping out less-than-stellar attempts at gorging the music industry with complaints about those in the power of hip-hop these days. Aside from the delightful free-for-all production styles of DJ Natural, the Typical Cats can, at times, appear stagnant and even borderline boring with dozens upon dozens of syllables cramped into already compressed 16-bar verses.

     The drugs-and-drinks of “Drink Ticket” get lost amongst an overpowering number of words and complexities that will surely drunken even the most tolerant of hip-hop listeners. The “we’ve been around since….” vibe of “Before Before” has already been done numerously before in the world of hip-hop and deserves to be put to rest more graciously than at the tail-end of Civil Service. And the erratic messages of tracks like “The Do” and “Style Wars Theory” get lost and swallowed up amongst barrages of lyrics that feel as thought they are being recited from a page rather than from the brains of the Typicals, lending to the monotony that sets in by the end of the Service.

    Still, when it’s “Easy Cause It Is” for the Typical Cats, they are an underground force to be reckoned with and a party-starter of a group that excitedly relays lyrics that can be as passionate as they want them to be. Unfortunately, too often they deliver messages on deaf ears due to their characteristically quick-paced flows that call but give no time for response. Civil Service serves as a worthy follow-up to the debut from Typical Cats, but in the end, it’s just as typical as the group themselves ? nothing less, but at the same time, nothing more, than what hip-hop is already ready for from the underground.

     “My leader’s name is another word for pussy,” Virtuoso concedes on “Military Intelligence,” where him and fellow Massachusetts emcee Akrobatik take the roles of military weapons and intelligence. If Bush was looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, he was looking in the wrong place, as the duo cleverly insert their own well-thought out lines ripping him for everything from the war in Iraq to the lack of funds spent on finding cures for A.I.D.S.

     “I’m out for presidents to represent me, And I ain’t talking about Bush, He got paper ’cause his family is crooks,” Virtuoso continues on the more soulfully done “Two” (featuring Rise & Shine). Bush is not alone here though, as Virtuoso verbally assaults everyone from those who voted for Bush to those who put their faith in the media to those that criticize Grand Theft Auto video games, but support war.

     Virtuoso saves his best for the controversial “Fahrenheit 911″ though, which (alert Michael Moore!) could have easily doubled as the lead single from the movie of the same name’s soundtrack. The slow droning violins cannot drone out the raw and passionate feelings of distrust and anger from Virtuoso and guest Slaine, as the two create something so poetic and forthright that it’s almost a shame this did not hit before the election.
 Still, the most appealing thing about Virtuoso is that, beyond his political views, affiliations, and strong feeling of responsibility, he is a hard-hitting and powerful emcee, who like another rapper from a similar mold (*ahem* Saigon), creates tracks that are as important as they are catchy - thus the message hits its target better than the typical “Vote for Kerry” emcee this November.

      Scattered amongst the rubble of George W. Bush are several non-politics tracks, including the very Canibus-like “Man of the Hour,” where Virtuoso sticks to spitting regular braggadocio for an astounding 8 minutes (all without hardly a gasp of air!). And the Brooklyn-Oakland-Cambridge connection runs away with “On The Run,” a quick-paced production featuring Del and Jaz-O. His only miscue may be the excusable “A Pound A Day,” his own personal smoke-a-thon, which, unfortunately, follows up the incredible “Fahrenheit” track and ruins the mood for a moment of time. But probably any track could have failed at that position, so why not go out in a “blaze” of glory? Move over, Jadakiss and “Why.” While other emcees were standing around asking light-hearted questions with one or two political phrases, Virtuoso damn near calls the president out on everything from starting a war to leaving the toilet seat up. And the end result is an election of a different kind. Which rapper went after Bush the best? One vote….for Virtuoso.

        Flash-forward to the new century and much has changed within the Lost Boyz family (including the murder of original member Freaky Tah), with Cheeks seemingly outgrowing the format that made people recognize him and his entourage by two simple letters: L.B. And after the mild success of his first two solo albums (Back Again and John P. Kelly) comes Ladies and Ghettomen, which tries oh so hard to recreate at least one official L.B. anthem, but instead transforms into a pile of generically-titled tracks that will leave L.B. fans yearning for another “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” or “My Crew.”

       Not everything that Cheeks touches on Ghettomen turns to dust, as the lead single “It’s Alright” proves that Cheeks may not be the lyricist he once was (as evidenced by, “Stay crisp, new kicks, Carhart jeans, kid, Rep New York and I stay on that Queens shit”), but his charisma and entertainment value remains handily intact with that same ol’ L.B. flair. Toss in the catchy-as-hell Truth Hurts verse and watch the crowd circle around the “Jeeps, Lex coupes, the Beamers, and the Benzes.”

      Pete Rock gets that same knock going on for “All I Know,” a cymbaled-out soulful head-nodder with Cheeks and the Soul Brother himself coming together for another creation that should undoubtedly live long through the subwoofers buried beneath the front seat of any ride. But Cheeks may be at his best on Ghettomen with “What’s Happenin’,” as he rides out the subdued Asianesque production to create yet another ode to his city (“The cars, the bikes, the Jeeps is pretty, I ride and die for my committee, No matter where I step I rep my city”).

      And then, Ghettomen turns softer than….well, gentlemen. “The Girl’s Mine” is yet another remake of the Michael Jackson classic, and anyway, can any of us really picture Mr. Cheeks with any other girl than “Renee?” “All Nite Long” captures the simple sentiment of Cheeks chasing after his female and pursuing her from start to finish, but also fails to capture the same sort of success that his past hits brought. The very generic “Keep It Movin’” features an awkward mesh of a quick-paced Pete Rock banger with Cheeks struggling to “keep himself moving” along with it, while the guest appearances of “Turn It Up” spoil the presence of another back-to-soul Pete Rock production.

     Much like Back Again or John P. Kelly, Ladies and Ghettomen does not categorically fail just because Cheeks decides to go it alone. Deep within each lies the L.B. in Cheeks that has never disappeared since day one ? the problem for Cheeks is finding out what to do between those “Lost” moments. And, unfortunately, while the music still makes him high at times, it also brings him back to earth all too often.

      The scratchy vinyl feel of Amp-Live’s airy production on “Act Right” only helps to sweeten the feel-good vibes given out by Zion and his guests Miss Mariana and Encore. “The odds stacked on the table, I’m shooting my craps, We adapt, keep stable, We strong and we black,” Zion raps, steering clear of the usual gangster nonsense or even the conscious efforts being imploded on other rap records. Alert and prepared on “Sirens,” Zion weaves the stories of life in the ghetto, a typical tale told through the eyes of someone listening for the sirens throughout the city. And its back-up track, the more uplifting and positive breath of fresh air, “Oxygen,” features Zion lyrically and emotionally at his best, rocking a soft sped-up sample from Amp-Live and delivering pleas for the furtherance of his people. (“And so we grew up with these hopes and dreams, Like the world didn’t label us as dopes and fiends.”) Zion I at its best though comes in the form of “Dumb Down,” where the boys reject an A&R’s request to dumb down their lyrics for the sake of record sales. “I never been no follower, never been no sheep, Programmed by the media, live my life asleep, You can hate me or love me or leave me alone, but when I pass away I live on through these poems,” Zion raps, before taking a final “stab” at those currently in charge of hip-hop on the radio: “Now fools act like getting shot is a great badge of honor, But check your self, to me it sounds like bad karma!” Vast Aire also joins in the fun with a solid verse, but “Dumb Down” succeeds long before he even grabs the microphone.

      Still, for every fulfilling “Oxygen” or “Act Right,” there is a “Silly Putty (Remix),” which spans for only 1:45 before a bunch of errant voice mail messages run for the next couple of minutes. “Salt in the Game” turns sour after a performance that barely tops a minute, and even the posse cut “Places” (featuring C-Rayz Walz, A-Plus, D.U.S.T., Raashan Ahmad, and Pep Love) struggles to top a modest 3-minute mark. The ideas are all there, but the bag still only fills up halfway.

      “Family Business” succeeds in accomplishing what it intends to do - holding listeners off until Zion I’s “True and Livin’” drops early next year - but it fails to capitalize on what is already a strong tracklisting. Making the best of a free situation, Zion I does deliver strong attempts at appealing to the underground and mainstream audience at the same time. Check for the Skittles here, but do not expect to avoid getting a lot of the air in the bag while in the process ? luckily, the emptiness will not stay for too long.