This crew has been walking the sacred halls of love in the district of Backpack for some time now. And the list of labels where they released records, does give a way a lot of what kind of creativity level and anti-uniformity they are attracted to: WordSound, Ozone. And for good measure they also did "The Isolationist" project with England's eclectic DJ Vadim. Now they are dropping this 4 track appetizer for their album on Automators 75 Ark label imprint. There's "Lift" a dark and slow moving track, here also in form of an accapella version, so that the beat is not taking away any space in the loudspeaker for the words to spread to reach your ears and brain. Another album track is "Heatrays" that features the westcoast enigma Aceyalone who spits over a unshamefully experimental beat. On the flip there's the non album track "Fuck Rap", with the AntiPop giving their spin on the popular 'state of rap/hip hop' topic. Again the beat will shock untrained ears, while it's complexities, ever changing sound pieces keep the track from drooling monotonous and push it to listening delights heights. And last but not least there's "PSA2" a collage of space heartbeat, that rounds this 12" up nicely and should be heard walking through city lights, listening to this while breathing.

It has to be a strange fantasy, picturing yourself as a 'centaur', what by definition is "a man, but build like a horse from the waist down", to use Buck's own words. Mentioning his oversized dick and sex drive, even add to the confused feeling one is likely to have over these biological rhymes about a mutation or Greek mythological figure. Some sonic lightning rips through the track, while the strings are allowed to unfold after the first and only verse. And just like on all his tracks, Buck not only does the beat, the rhymes, but also the scratches. And he probably also did the remix, that takes the track in a completely new direction with it's new beat. This time the vocals are rising above the sound and noise collage, with the result of both versions of "The Centaur" getting the stamp of approval. The b-side is hip hop's "Bolero". Not only because of the breathtaking length of something in the area of 15 minutes (hence the title, and a feat rarely repeated after Sugarhill Gang's "Rappers Delight" 12" version), but also because of the way the musical background builds, things being added to the starting track, the atmosphere of triumph, the musicality of the track. With lyrics dropped somewhere between estranged rhyming and spoken word, Buck covers all sorts of topics, having oneself being guided through wherever the moment takes him. Just simply a great track.

WWhile Canada is dropping dope records left and right, some people are still very busy ignoring everything that is coming from the place of elks and friendly bears. However, Checkmate are also out to get theirs with a friendly and party ready "The Longshot". This is a club track that does not stink of pop. A decent cut, but this will not be the last straw the is breaking the camels back of prejudice against these maple leaf rappers. On the flip, the producer of the Rascalz digs out a familiar sample, enhances it with adding and pointing out of a little sonic bass effect, and other chirping and zapping here and there. "The Devil Vs. The Maker" is what the title makes you think it is. People are struggling and rappers rhyme about it. Finally there's "Highlife" a self produced track that features Concise The Black Knight. This beat to this track is somewhat an amalgam of a hard NYC style, a Onyx would like to rhyme over, some Bay Area jeep thump and the dramatic overtone of the dungeons of underground cats. Lyrically Checkmate is getting their thug on, without blatantly promoting it though.

Let's turn down the pace, let's get our smooth mood out, shut out the world and let's have time to be, live and listen. Listen to this Living Legend, the one that will take whatever his compadres are doing, and stepping it up a notch. And he lays down three tracks for us, with the first being "Nightlife". And while this track gives the 12" it's name, the inspiring and motivational rhymes, only make us eager for the even doper next two tracks. "Actors Have No Friends" is exposing the face behind the mask, and flutes and a drummed bass has Eligh in a more bragging mood, rhyming in a stumbling style. And you shouldn't miss out on the shift, right near the end, when the flute gets a little time for a solo and the drums pick up the vibe and get free. Finally, there's "Forks In The Road", an explaining song, that looks like quiet slowly moving illuminated objects in a dark night. This inspired love song, as well as the rest of this 12", is only a small appetizer for Elighs album "Gasdreams" that seems very tempting to cop after hearing this record here.

Aight, Da Beatminerz did little to amaze or even please the hip hop head lately, after they rewrote the history of Brooklyn with producing the indisputable dope Black Moon's "Enta Da Stage" and Smiff-N-Wessun's "Dah Shinin". Just like Duck Down they kinda fell off. Well, enter this 12" by the unofficial Black Moon member Finsta (Bundy). "Crush" is slow moving and dark, but with the cryptic singing, as well as the old funk horn sample for a chorus, this is a dope platform for Finsta to kick his bragging and boasting, taking no bullshit rhymes. And although the whole thing is somewhat unspectacular, it nevertheless is dope and kicks in lovely if played at neighbors knocking at your door volume. On the AA side, there's a somewhat more 'summery' song, with drums that wiggle around, scratches that chirp, and changing bass sounds, 'aaah yeah' voice sample, and an minimal organ. And that adds up to bare essentials and makes "So Much On My Mind" a, again, unspectacular track, that nevertheless will please the head, every time it makes it's rounds on the turntable.

Eddie Ill and D.L. of mixtape fame present Gauge the Mental Murdarah. And Nick Wiz presents himself once again nicely with a moving, bouncy beat, that can be described as a club track for all the holding up the walls cats. Lyrically Gauge does what is expected from an unknown cat: introducing himself. He's trying to convince us of how dope he is with bragging rhymes, that say the usual, on a 'I'm so damn dope, and I make pretty impossible things with ease'. But Gauge sounds good doing it, repping Flatbush and providing us with a dope track that will have our heads nod for many weeks to come. And then on the b-side he teams up with The (Cella) Dwellas Phantasm, and one of the possibly most underrated Emcees Special Ed. And this beat also doesn't lack a high energy level, as provided by Self, while the Emcees stomp their status in the unprotected listener's brain.

Sub Contents are Persevere (he released stuff with an on Stones Throw) and Dave Dub. And due to them being down with Heratik Productions, Fanatik does their beats. And Fanatik was the guy that provided the musical backdrops for Planet Asia on his self titled EP. So, considering how Asia blows up now, and considering that he blew up on the strength of an artful collaboration with Fanatik, he's getting more and more praise by the moment. Or by the song, cause this 12" gives you different vibes and different sides to one person that he is. On "Table Turns" he constantly changes the drums, always after two 'eight counts', what ridicules all the producers that suffer to even change up their drums once on a whole album. Guitars are dominant on "True To Life", while the Emcees proclaim to be true to theirs, rhyming "since my childhood days, I've been my favorite Emcee". On the 'j'-side the vibe changes to a dramatic and somewhat hard composition, the Emcees giving the generation of the 90s what it wants, with cynical violent rhymes ricocheting over strings and a horns enhance chorus.

And then there was Them. The first track "Joyful Toy Of 1001 Faces" stinks of obscureness, like rotten cheese in a Boyd piece of art, but just as revolting that may seem, it's very interesting too. With an orchestra of starfield galaxies, Dose-One and Jel culminate their creativity in strings of a dairy product. Dose goes to many edges of the track at the same time, with a sing songy rhyme style at times, taking care of drowning synapses in the pond that is open beneath the feet of each listener. The instrumental cut "Epic" should be used by every inspired head as a marching song. This is an alien wrecking havoc in your spaceship, a dream of bondage with Akira, armies of neutrons gathering to attack photons.
The b-side introduces Mr Dibbs on "John Brown's Vaporizer" to this 12". And the artists step up their nonlinear performance, with a track that does not seem to have the intention to confirm any known way to deal with the format of a beat, a lyric and a scratch. While the beat seems to be attentively listening to what Dose does, the emcee bounces off hidden energy fields, sucking dust out of the air and spitting bars of strange shapes and forms. And last there's the Slug featuring "Program To Hunt 2007" song, with strings that are happy to move between hard shoulders, while the two guys behind the mics, behave like cyborgs breaking out of their shell, performing strange mechanical tests with low voltage.

There has been an unbelievable hype constructed around this man. And he can't live up to the hype. While he drops a decent punchline here and there, like "me wearing Fubu is like the Marlboro man smoking a Winston" on his ode to Polo gear "The Polorican". And this track has to confuse the attention paying listener: this is underground / independent hip hop right? And one of the things the purists are so proud about, that they are not materialistic flossers, like the guys in the mainstream are, right? Well, then don't support this song, because this is nothing else but exactly that. And with the wannabe latino guitar (by a disappointing PF Cuttin), the weak flow of Thirstin, "The Polorican" has to be another let down in the Game track record, that started out so darn promising. The next track does this "we wanna be down with the overground" style, in the very NYC vibe, that almost jiggy and by far not rugged enough style, that mingles in mediocrity. However, the animated Unique London adds a little excitement to this aight track. And then there's the Will Tell produced, guitar heavy, stupidly titled "Skill Or Be Skilled". Again, Thirstin succeeds in not very disappointing with his rhyme, again providing some amount of listening pleasure, but with his not smooth flow, and another lackluster beat, this 12" does not justify why this guy is blowing up like he does.