Seemingly out of nowhere, with a DIY style that bespeaks a true powerhouse, J-Zone's follow up to last year's Music For Tu Madre further develops his carnivalesque hip hop style. Never before have we heard so many quirky melodies and nostalgic little organ sounds. Bumrushing the pantheon of self-contained MC/producers, J-Zone takes his place alongside veterans Godfather Don and M.F. Doom, for his prowess at both elements. Not content with mere wordplay and social commentary, J-Zone harkens back to the Golden Era of hip hop when MCs told stories and shared genuine personality. Lead single "No Consequence" (a/w Willus Drummond's "L.A. Vacation") is a hypothetical romp through a day when J-Zone wakes up to find all laws have been temporarily suspended and he is free to wreak whatever havoc he pleases. But the nihilism of "No Consequence" that is so ubiquitous in contemporary rap music is somewhat of an anomaly on Whup Ass. In contrast to artists who endlessly parade their egos and spend entire albums telling you how great they are... J-Zone sounds like he could be that kid next door who spends all night making dope tracks in his basement. I mean, had YOU ever heard of Huggy Bear and Al Shid before J-Zone? Regardless of whether J-Zone gets the fame his talent affords him, look to this man for serious creativity in the future.

It's hard to believe that the day has come when people player-hate against Pharoahe Monch, but that is only because people have forgotten just how dope this man is. I had the privelege of seeing Mr. Monch at the Wake Up Show battle in the summer of 1999, and "Simon Says" turned the crowd into a big bouncing mass. Monch's intensity throughout his brief set had a lot of people -- including myself -- totally mesmerized. Though much of that intensity and stage presence is inevitably lost on an album, Internal Affairs is hardly the let-down (or sell-out) a lot of people make it out to be. First off, most of the beats are dope. A few, like "Simon Says", "No Mercy", and "The Ass" are exceptional. And of course, Monch puts everything he's got into his delivery and the results are often staggering. This album may not be a classic, but it does give you some prime cuts of a true and living legend.

From the German label that put out Superrappin comes an even better compilation featuring the cream of Northeast talent. Dope tracks from Mr. Live, Mike Zoot, Jahbaz, Lone Catalyst, All Natural, and many more... most of which don't appear anywhere else, and makes this one of the best compilationds of the year.

The Beat's cancellation of the Wake Up Show this summer shows that Rev, Sway, and Tech continually stayed true to independent hip hop, even at the dizzying height of their success. As the DJ for this internationally syndicated show, Rev dropped countless premieres and spun the beats for hundreds of legendary freestyles. What a lot of people don't realize is that Rev is also an accomplished producer, who will hopefully parlay his Wake Up Show success into steady production work. Though many of the tracks lack the creative spark that an MC or group might bring, Rev pulled in some of the heaviest hitting MCs on this one. Lead single, "The Backbone" could also be dubbed "Hip Hop All Stars" for it's line-up of Krondon, Chase Infinite, Rasco, Planet Asia, Kardinal Official, Choclair, Shabaam Sahdeeq & Ill Advised. But the real gem on this album is the adventurous "4+1" featuring Chino XL and the turntable wizardry of DJs Craze, Infamous, and Melo-D... a collaboration that shows Revolution to be on the cutting edge of hip hop.

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Though Mos Def became a household name first, Train Of Thought shows that Talib Kweli is even more deserving of fame than his Black Star partner. Kweli is one of those precious few MCs who are able to bring conscientious lyrics to a broad audience without pandering or candy-coating. Almost every song on Train is a solid piece of DJ/MC craftsmanship, but after repeated listenings the songs begin to sort themselves out in terms of listenability. For me, the hype uptempo tracks such as "Move Something", "Some Kind Of Wonderful", and "Ghetto Afterlife" definitely wore thin after a few listens. Some of the more downtempo tracks, which I initially overlooked, have now risen well above the rest: "Too Late", "Memories Live", and "The Blast" each show that Kweli and Hi-Tek deliver their most direct and heartfelt material between the big hits. But let us not overlook the strongest track on the album: "Africa Dream". It begins with a percussion/horn intro and then leads into a semi-acapella, which holds off as long as possible before the bass and drum kick in. What makes it the strongest track is that Kweli steps up the urgency of his delivery to match Hi-Tek's powerful, evocative beat. While most MCs have one or two moods and a lot of catchy lines in between, Kweli presents himself as a complete person on Train. If only more MCs would follow his lead and show us more than just empty posturing and wordplay... hip hop could truly rise above its status of mere entertainment.

I had the pleasure of seeing Gift of Gab, Chief Xcel, Lateef, Lyrics Born, and Erinn Anova in concert a few months back and it showed just what separates great MCs from the mediocre: stage presence. Gab is a commanding force and keeps his performance focused and compelling. It's as if he treats a show as a workout, pushing himself to the limits of what his lungs and vocal chords can do. Very inspiring. Now some of the tracks on this album are a little bland and unremarkable, but a lot of the tracks are notable for their candor and maturity. Maybe being from Northern California helps keep you a little more level-headed and down-to-earth. Though it is probably also the fact that Gab is a bright guy who takes the time to reflect on what is going on around him. Tracks like "Deception" and "Shallow Days" show a keen understanding of the pitfalls faced by today's hip hop artists. Of course there is also time to relax and have fun on tracks like "A To G" and "Reanimation". Straight up verbal gymnastics with a conscientious vibe. It doesn't get much better than Nia folks.