producers: taj, scratch god, j. west, chum

guests: 3 wisemen, al hawkins

Growing up in the Boogie Down Bronx defines your biography. There's no way you will not be sucked into the galaxy that is hip hop. You will coin rhymes and you will at the least try all the other elements too. It's like if you grow up around snowy mountains, you'll learn to ski, the sea or lake, you'll learn to swim, the Bronx, you'll be part of hip hop. And these cat's exposure went even further, as they chilled with Slick Rick, cut demos with D'Angelo or had Q-Tip pay their ticket for a Tribe show. So like street dirt, being filtered through your clothing, and getting stuck within the threads; despite the efforts to wash it out the clothes, some particles will still remain within 'em, just like hip hop is stuck in John Peele and Shawn Deadah, who are 730 Michell.

Rightfully utilizing the "Intro / Bio" to introduce themselves, they read their manifest over a rolling piano. They also tell you that what is to follow, is a combination of conscious rhymes and street reporting. This can already be hard on "Bigger Than U", where the two cats proudly stance and show the step they took back, to be able to see the whole scenery. And so this is more than just a claim to superiority, but also pride being told, saying: we are above that, this can't bother us. Borrowing a title from a teeny flick, "I Know What You Did Last Summer", the beat by Scratch God is keeping this moving with a melodic bass and a cool horn section. This is now definitely on the street reporting tip, when 730 analyze the elements circling the crack business.

"Bread Apple 2000" shows not much of a profile. The beat as well as the rhyming shows little uniqueness where one could grasp to. The beat does feature an interesting chanting, but compared to what Taj hooked up for "Cum", the other was just loitering. Again a melody is making "Cum" more than it would have been without it. The chorus also refuses to be a nuisance and is only too little different to the rest of the track. Talking to a lady each, 730 go into depth with it, showing a deepness the beat is going into after the second verse, with an added clicking sound. There are some serious space clusters being gone through on the dope beat to "Bleed Though". Again mixing the message with a reflection of what their eyes see, this track does the 730 style at its most and best.

J. West then hooked up a demo state sounding "Back From Hell" that features 3 Wisemen. While a few tracks ago, the voices were buried under the beat, this time they are on top, like walking on stilts. Having the feel of a not mastered, spontaneous rhyme session, we then progress to the better produced (by Chum) "Source Model" featuring Al Hawkins. The strings animate this and create the right background for some braggadocios spitting. It's Scratch God that returns again on "Marvin Gaye And Jay Talk To You", and again the melody as well as Marvin's singing, lifted off "I Want You", is what will appeal to you. It's also to note, how nicely the drum and guitar add as a double during the chorus. Jay makes this the love poem taken back, the soul searching that willingly contradicts what the heart and stomach want. It's the memory that has hurt return. We then take the last step with the Taj produced "Sleep No More", where again the reflectiveness on what's out there has the 730 sigh and spit such rhymes.

Upon listening to this, at times you seem to be pushed back to the mid 90s. And that's what is pushing back this album, to it not going to have you considering it as being at the top of contemporary hip hop. These cats were schooled in the tradition of ten years ago. And they are still remaining in such surroundings, making it hard to sound cutting edge. The flows are in today's area of 'überstyles' just not fancy enough, lack something that takes them over the top, while some of the beats and the contents of the lyrics are cool enough. Today, solidness does not allow you to stand out, and if you don't stand out, like an island, you'll remain to be a part of the many coral riffs there are. And while many people enjoy watching these under water worlds, how many actually grab a diving suit and go and have a look?