Odds & Evens
label: high times / nocturne

producers: evidence, e-swift, barbershop kiz, fredwreck, babu, nucleus, porse.

guests: e-swift, j-ro, dilated peoples, tash, phil da agony
year of release: 2003
website: defari.net
When Tommy Boy wanted to jump onto the 'independent as f%&k' bandwagon, instead of continuing to make sure they release groundbreaking, creative and pioneering records like the used to do, they signed Defari. And five years ago the album "Focused Daily" came out. And Defari as a person is interesting enough: then school teacher, with a natch for the one liner, part of the Likwit Crew that's known to drink enough. Then, to build the bridge to now, this second album comes out on High Times, the label imprint of the magazine with the same name. So we got a bad mouthed, drinking and smoking teacher. 'Ey, what's wrong with that? Nothing really, as this guy can relate, and the students can relate too.
But Defari is too good an emcee to be still working as a teacher (but maybe also too good a teacher for him to not work in this profession, as good teachers, quite frankly, are rarer than bad mouthed, drinking and smoking rappers). Instead he should be able to live comfortably from his night job, rapper. This album should sell well, as it's good. It got versatility, it has stuff you can relate to, it has entertaining moments, precise rapping, reflecting verses and even a healthy dose of 'I don't care' ignorance.

tracklisting
1. Pick A Number
2. Inner City feat. E-Swift
3. Cold Pieces
4. Spell My Name
5. Hooks
6. Pour More Likwit feat. J-Ro
7. Slumpy
8. Odds And Evens
9. Take The Weight Of My Hand
10. Behold My Life (Remix) feat. Dilated Peoples
11. Diamonds In The Rough
12. Xtra Thump feat. Tash
13. For The Love
14. Los Angelinos feat. Evidence
15. Chocolate Ty (Interlude)
16. Stay Bubblin feat. Phil Da Agony
We should start at the beginning though, "Pick A Number", quite a hype little tune Evidence cooked up for Defari to do his liquid flowing over. This style is repeated on "Spell My Name", again produced by Evidence, making the two quite a tag team. While the first cut was a little stopping and going, the latter "Spell My Name" is just rolling and rolling and rolling. In the same ballpark plays the dramatic "Hooks", with the Barbershop Kiz cooking up something for Defari to stomp some of the competition (the beat is later picked up again on the "Chocolate Ty (Interlude)".
Taking a look at the world around him, Defari comments on "Inner City", where E-Swift provides the beat and parts of the lyrics. That area of course is not always grasses and flowers, but it's also home. And home is Los Angeles: "while every square's all U.S.A / I'm all L.A" he rhymes on "Los Angelinos", another Evidence/Defari collaboration, this time however Evidence rhymes and Porse does the beat. "Take the weight of my hand, the breath of my life / for those who just don't understand I do more than just right / I do be my family a man, the realness inside / the stress always wanna test the black men pride" he rhymes on "Take The Weight Of My Hand", a one minute long manifest on his Intentions. The spirit is kept going on "Behold My Life (Remix)" featuring the Dilated Peoples and the evaluating "Odds & Evens", as well as the reminiscing "For The Love".
There's however also the opposite in tracks like "Cold Pieces", where Defari rhymes about girls, "Diamonds In The Rough", where he rhymes about a girl, the generally bubbling, uhm, "Stay Bubblin'" or the very g-funky "Slumpy", where he speaks on what girls might criticize. The Fredwreck beat is lowrider quality, as is "Xtra Thump" with Tash of the re-christened Alkaholiks, who both position this strongly on Cali soil, to be unshook by the next earthquake. So the package is complete and it was wrapped by talented people. What makes this a good record in so many of the purest rap ways, that too often get ignored in today's bling bling, super thug or personal journal markets. Naw man, this is a real person making real music real good.
review: tadah
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