With El-P, Cage finds a framework for his broken-man rap. The rapper who could have been Eminem instead of Eminem gets backing from some of the underground’s leading producers, tempering his provocations with confessions about his shattered childhood. “Hell’s Winter” is the most balanced album by a man who is anything but, and one of the finest releases on Def Jux.
While Slug talks about his romantic troubles, opens up about his attachment to his family, his distrust of big business, and the everyday realities of life as an artist, Ant outdoes himself on production. Atmosphere did not become one of indie rap’s most iconic groups for nothing: they have released other outstanding albums. But this one may well be their most accomplished.
This third album is often regarded as Beanie Sigel’s masterpiece. On this blockbuster from Roc-A-Fella’s glory years, released while he was behind bars, the Philadelphia rapper – caught up by the criminal life he had been living – draws on the fury of a street hustler, the pride of a man who made it out, and the melancholy of a bad boy unable to escape the pull of the ghetto.
After performing with Global Phlowtations – a collective within the extended Project Blowed family – Thavius Beck established himself first as one half of Labwaste, before earning further recognition through his solo work. His finest album, however, may well be this understated compilation of instrumental tracks, released only on CD-R and in digital format under his original alias, Adlib.
With El-P, Cage finds a framework for his broken-man rap. The rapper who could have been Eminem instead of Eminem gets backing from some of the underground’s leading producers, tempering his provocations with confessions about his shattered childhood. “Hell’s Winter” is the most balanced album by a man who is anything but, and one of the finest releases on Def Jux.
It’s an album by a rapper, but not a rap album. On “Secret House Against The World”, Buck 65 finally pulls off the transformation we’ve heard about since he signed to Warner: his reinvention as a folk-rock singer. There are still a few raps, with scratches courtesy of D-Styles, but Gonzales and the musicians from Tortoise are also on board. And much of it is simply gorgeous.