nickels in the oven

O.C. - Smoke & Mirrors
Released Nov. 1, 2005
on Hiero Imperium

Maybe one day “O.C.” will be widely associated with more than a popular Fox television show, and Omar Credle can finally get the attention he deserves.

I doubt that this will be the record that does it. Veteran rapper O.C.’s fourth proper album fell short of my expectations.

When I saw that it was being released on the Hieroglyphics label, my hopes blossomed. The Brooklyn-born emcee finally found a worthy label, run by a like-minded collective.

But this is not the O.C. album I’ve been waiting for. Another post-Jewelz disappointment. It remains far from essential.

Smoke & Mirrors suffers from trivial production, handled almost exclusively by Mike Lowe. The generic beats are a collection of nondescript loops built from uninteresting synthesizers and cliché soul samples. Okayplayer calls it great. If the album was produced by someone else, I might be singing its praises. No luck.

The lyrical content ranges from defensive braggadocio to introspective confessions as O.C. proves that while he may be in his mid-30s, his timeless flow remains intact.

Maybe the next O.C. release will be the one that pulls everything together for one of the most slept-on emcees of the past 10 years. Hopefully then he can step out of the shadows of his ´94 classic track “Time’s Up” and prove that his clock hasn’t stopped.

Asamov - And Now…
Released Oct. 18, 2005
on 6 Hole

According to Isaac Asimov’s Zeroth Law of Robotics, “A robot may not injure humanity, or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.”

In the same vein, Jacksonville’s Asamov refuses to sit back and witness manufactured, inept artists harm real hip-hop. Determined to uphold the culture’s roots and redirect its future, these four emcees deliver an organic, soulful debut album.

“I feel like [nowadays] the bar is lowered in hip-hop for lyrics and originality,” J One-Da said in a recent interview. “Back in the days, you had to be dope on the mic to even speak.”

Each member of Asamov could easily put out a solid solo album, but the group’s chemistry reveals a truly cohesive collective. They all lend their talents to both the vocals and the production, feeding off of each other’s ideas without any one person stealing the spotlight.

The group’s aesthetic and production channels the Native Tongues Posse, recalling the golden era of hip-hop. The feel-good album has a more laid-back vibe than the high-energy live show, yet Asamov thrives in both settings.

Starting Nov. 5, Asamov will be supporting The Perceptionists on a two-week tour from Annondale, N.Y., to Jacksonville, Fla.

It looks like the end of a hip-hop rivalry.

A couple months ago Kanye West pulled off collaborations with both Jay-Z and then-nemesis Nas on Late Registration.

In an interview with MTV’s Sway, West admitted to putting Nas on the track behind Jay’s back.

“Good music can break through anything and maybe start to break down the wall between two of the greatest MCs that we have,” he said.

Just yesterday the two hip-hop stars aligned, performing together at Power 105.1’s “Powerhouse 2005: Operation Takeover.”

MTV News detailed the event, noting that “this is what Tupac and Biggie never had a chance to do.”

The fans in East Rutherford roared like the spectators at the Roman Coliseum after a gladiator finished off an opponent. Although both Jay and Nas maintained their composure and avoided cheese smiles, you could tell that under the b-boy cool, they too were taken aback.

And the walls came tumbling down.

Blockhead - Downtown Science
Released Oct. 18, 2005
on Ninja Tune

Love affairs fall apart and pigeons take flight. Street musicians play rusted instruments, break-dancers flirt with sidewalks and commuters line subway cars. Some prefer to walk the city alone and breathe it all in.

On Downtown Science, Blockhead captures and arranges sounds as diverse as the people and sights found in downtown Manhattan. His sophomore solo effort serves as a fitting soundtrack to the city he has lived in all his life.

Strings and woodwinds mingle with synthesizers and horns. Harmonica and rock guitars add contrast. The funkiest track, “The Art Of Walking,” acts as a nod to the b-boy movement. Dusty vocal samples and downtempo breakbeats lace the album.

Despite the varied instrumentation and emotions, the ambitious work remains cohesive. Blockhead tells a magnificent story without lyrics. The music is enough.

“By the time [debut album] Music by Cavelight dropped I was already somewhere else musically,” Blockhead said in the new album’s press release. “The overall progression is a more complete sound.”

Downtown Science solidifies Blockhead’s status as a compelling hip-hop producer capable of standing on his own.

The CD comes with a DVD containing film interpretations of Music by Cavelight in its entirety.

Highly recommended.

Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask
Released Oct. 11, 2005
on Epitaph

Two up-and-coming hip-hop superhumans joined forces to produce an album built around the surreal, late-night Adult Swim cartoons.

Beatmaker Danger Mouse came to prominence with the controversial Grey Album. Meanwhile, veteran emcee MF Doom teamed up with the equally-prolific Madlib to release 2004’s acclaimed Madvillainy.

The concept behind the aptly-named Danger Doom collaboration could have been catastrophic. In the end, it is both ludicrous and brilliant. The in-jokes, cameos and skits glue everything together. Listeners unfamiliar with the cartoon references may still laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Metal Face’s blunted wordplay never falters, and the often-missed subtleties make for repeated listenings. At the same time, DM’s whimsical production parallels the comic nature of the album. Neither sacrifices talent for novelty.

As expected, The Mouse and the Mask polarizes critics. All Music Guide calls it “the best album of the year in the hip-hop underground,” while The Guardian remains unamused.

Pitchfork finds a balance:

Danger Doom won’t change your life. It’s not as revealing as Doom’s other work, and Danger Mouse’s big, Technicolor productions here are a little too trivial to be immortal. But for what it attempts–which is basically a comedy record with no-joke skills–it exceeds expectations.

This is a bizarre hip-hop album for the insomniacs whose Friday nights blur into Saturday mornings.

Little Brother - The Minstrel Show
Released Sept. 13, 2005
on Atlantic

From the freestyles and audience interaction to the sample-based beats and on-stage spontaneity, this is a breath of fresh air. From the conceptual album to the energetic live performance, this is hip-hop done right.

The show

When Little Brother stepped into the limelight at Common Grounds in Gainesville, Fla., on Thursday night, emcees Phonte and Big Pooh didn’t just regurgitate the material from their latest album.

In a recent interview with Citizen-Times, producer 9th Wonder explains:

If people want to have the album laid out, they can listen to it in the living room. When we’re on stage our job is to give the crowd another experience.

Last night’s show reached an unexpected climax when a sassy and seemingly out-of-his-mind fan joined the group on stage for some spastic dancing.

“This right here is history,” Phonte said with a smile.

The album

LB’s cohesive sophomore album takes the form of a television show on the fictional UBN network, complete with announcers, commercials and appropriate skits. The Minstrel Show criticizes today’s exploitative mainstream hip-hop, comparing it to the blackface entertainment of the 1800s.

Believing in the group and its message, Joshua “Fahiym” Ratcliffe stepped down from his position as editor-in-chief of The Source Magazine because his employers wanted to give The Minstrel Show a lower rating than he had intended.

In an interview with Ratcliffe, Big Pooh details the album’s intent:

We’re just trying to bring some balance back to music because black life isn’t all about pimping or thugging.

With 2003’s The Listening, Little Brother garnered the attention that led to the group signing with Atlantic Records. Let’s hope that the new record continues to turn heads and more major labels give artists of this caliber a chance.

The song “Say it Again” sums up the trio’s collective sentiment:

“This is a movement. It’s bigger than showbiz.”

CYNE - Evolution Fight
Released Aug. 29, 2005
on City Centre Offices

This progressive hip-hop album will move crowds with ease. Or you can simply sit back and breathe it all in. And don’t worry, with no skits or weak tracks, you won’t have to reach for the “skip” button.

CYNE is easily the best hip-hop act out of Gainesville, Fla., and I would go so far as to say that Evolution Fight is a contender for the genre’s album of the year.

In an interview with Textura, group member Speck reflects on the the band’s collective viewpoint:

We rely on the diversity that exists within our group and we meet at a point of shared enthusiasm and concern: sonically, emotionally, politically, our immediate environment, our era, popular media, basic daily functions, etc. For the four of us, our strongest tool for displaying this is hip-hop.

Producers Speck and Enoch chop up samples and rearrange them on their MPC to create lush, layered soundscapes that would stand on their own, but instead provide the perfect backdrop for the group’s two emcees to flow over.

As their label’s Web site notes, CYNE also used live instrumentation on two tracks, with guest musicians including The Mercury Program.

Meanwhile, lyricists Cise Star and Akin sort out their internal and external struggles, taking full advantage of the cathartic nature of the artform.

Essential.

Kanye West - Late Registration
Released Aug. 30, 2004
on Roc-A-fella/Def Jam

It’s hard to avoid seeing Kanye West’s name in the headlines lately. First his sophomore release debuts as Billboard’s top-selling album, and then comes his controversial, off-script statement that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” during a Hurricane Katrina telethon.

As his ballsy declaration proves, West is not afraid to take risks, or he at least proceeds in spite of his fear. And it’s not the first time. With 2004’s College Dropout, West stepped up to the microphone, after already being hailed as a top-shelf producer, even though many said he couldn’t do it.

On Late Registration, he continues to side-step expectations, teaming up with producer Jon Brion, whose credits include Fiona Apple’s When the Pawn… and the score to “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” West’s trademark soul samples and drum loops are paired with Brion’s cinematic instrumentation, and the beats shine bright.

Another bold move that Mr. West pulls off is a collaboration with Jay-Z’s long-time nemesis Nas on the track “We Major.”

While I don’t think the album is as near-perfect as the surprising 9.5 rating from the often-pretentious Pitchfork Media proclaims, the attention he has been receiving is definitely a step in the right direction for commercial hip-hop.