Album Review: Various Artists – Delusional Records 7-inch

Album Review: Various Artists – Delusional Records 7-inch (2010)

Rating: 3 out of 5 Potholes

In case you hadn’t realized, not all underground rap artists are still putting out material on vinyl these days (sometimes even a physical CD is too much to ask for). Therefore I jumped at the chance to listen to the new 7-inch from Delusional Records. Featuring many of New England’s finest artists, the album does not disappoint. In fact, it does quite the opposite; working with dense electronic beats, the crew of emcees, producers and DJs serves up four tracks that are just undeniably fun.

On one side we have a posse cut with rappers H.W., Shane Blakemore and Big City Bumpus working with DJ Emoh Betta and producer Crown for “Charge It To The Game,” likely the highlight of the record. The emcees each take turns delivering surprisingly aggressive bars and calling out wack rappers, while simultaneously poking fun at various oddities of American life. The emcees do a fine job of building off each other, as the absence of hooks allows for quick transitions from one rapper to the next. Emoh’s cuts are sharp and deliberate, also adding to the compositional feel of the album. In addition, this side of the record includes “Famous Unknown” by 90sevan. The production is more refined here, using a low-key piano track and a snappy drum loop. 90sevan does a good job holding the entire track by himself, especially considering that once again there is no hook.

The B-side to the record shines the spotlight on rapper/producer Brzowski. “Indignance MMIX” again has multiple emcees trading verses over eerie production full of warped, twisting sounds from ag3nt8. At times it feels a bit slapped together, almost collage-like, but that too plays into the overall compositional vibe of the album. On “Your Phantom Limb” Brzowski laces another unsettling beat, while he delivers rhymes that would seem to fit in with early Def Jux work.

If the allure of a number of great performers coming together to create a fun, underground project doesn’t appeal to you, then at least consider this album for the fact that the music truly is intelligent hip-hop. While it may not be a flawless gem, and it could benefit from more material, the  is a cohesive blend of some of the New England region’s finest hip-hop.