Urkel Moe Dee

With the rare balance of critical acclaim and commercial success achieved by 2005’s Be, it’s no wonder that Common returned to the Kanye West-helmed, half short and twice strong recipe for its follow up, Finding Forever. But formula seems anything but common for an artist who, much like OutKast, The Roots, and A Tribe Called Quest, has made a career of natural album-to-album sonic evolution and reinvention.

That’s not to say Finding Forever is stale or stagnant. On the contrary, Common seems to have taken the critiques of Be’s dullness (arguments with which I disagree) to heart, as the new album’s overall feel is more charged. Tracks like “The Game”, “Drivin’ Me Wild”, and “Southside” have the energy fans clamored for more of after hearing “Chi City” for the first time. West takes more chances with the production, and Common uses several different flows throughout.

But risk isn’t always successful. Although it’s cool to catch a 1992 flashback (oh God, tiger-striped Zubaz! Chiggidy-Chiggidy-Charlie was all over the fucking jungle!), by the time you reach “Break My Heart’s” voice-cracking antics, you realize Common’s almost ruined an otherwise sublime song with awkward flows and uncomfortable-silence lyrics like “nah, that’s dude from N’SYNC-ay” and “we fell in love as crazy as Nas and them.”

Although will.i.am has proven capable of more than the pop fluff he produces for himself and his barely-competent others, his sparse beat on “I Want You” (aside from its last minute) feels like simple, radio-friendly boho-lite in comparison to Kanye’s more richly layered backdrops. The inclusion of The Shining’s “So Far To Go” is disappointing considering Finding Forever’s brevity. With 11 songs and an intro, why waste time with an already-released record? If a J Dilla inclusion was necessary, why go with the slow, breathy, lovey-dovey-dovey-had-me-hyp-mo-tized song and not the far superior “E=MC²“?

Given the high quality of “U, Black Maybe” (I have no idea why the U is there. I’m convinced it’s a misprint, or a tribute to Chicago’s channel 26. Word to Cheaters and Svengoolie.), “The People”, and the album as a whole, the above gripes are forgivable. Finding Forever, although not the revelation or sneak attack Be was, is very good and cements Common’s place as one of hip-hop’s most consistent artists.

How about some horrorcore? Even by 1997, when Cage released the now classic "Radiohead" / "Agent Orange" 12" on Bobbito’s legendary Fondle ‘Em imprint, that extraneous sub-genre was considered a played out gimmick. But in Hip Hop, what’s said isn’t always as important as how it’s said, or what beats it’s said in front of. So, like a swift punch to the nuts and a decapitating uppercut fatality…Cage won, in spite of his over-the-top subject matter. After linking up with The High & Mighty’s Eastern Conference Records and dropping the Smut Peddlers’ Porn Again group album in 2001, Cage is finally ready to star in his own full-length feature with Movies for the Blind.

Much like his former producer Necro, Cage’s lyrical reel rarely splutters beyond the realms of dangerous drug use and gory violence. But with a seasoned delivery, unique gravel-laced voice, and a score provided by a handful of the underground’s best beat smiths, Cage makes this 18-track film more than tolerable. The show starts with a banger in "Escape To 88". DJ Mighty Mi, who produces most of the album, cooks up a guitar-fused neck snapper that allows Cage to dive headfirst into his old nemesis Eminem, Being black balled by a white emcee / Pause, I guess that faggot found the right MD. Aside from a couple of quick jabs here and there, Cage thankfully decides not to inundate his audience with overly obsessed disses towards the multi-million selling Shady emcee. Rush, whose beats reigned all over Grand Theft Auto III’s Game Radio, comes with the slow-paced heat on "(Down) The Left Hand Path", while the underrated veteran Ghetto Pros give "Too Much" an ill sinister bounce that almost sounds club-ready. "In Stoney Lodge", "The Soundtrack", "Among The Sleep", and "Suicidal Failure" all demonstrate Cage’s adept storytelling abilities, painting varying vivid visuals of horror amongst well-done backdrops that uncannily complement each narrative’s moods. The beat-to-rhyme synchronicity doesn’t quite hold up on "Unlike Tower 1", however, which sports a cartoonishly dramatic horn heavy track and an awkward chorus that make an otherwise promising collaboration with Eastern Conference cohorts Copywrite and Mr. Eon a disappointment. Luckily, the album picks up with the last three remaining tracks; the previously released winner "Crowd Killer", the El-P produced "Holdin’ A Jar 2", and the hype anthem "Pussy, Money and War", where fellow Weatherman Copywrite returns to provide the hook.

As with any good album, the positives far outnumber the negatives here, and Cage succeeds with a rock-solid debut LP. If you can look past the shock value and scare tactics of his rhymes, Movies for the Blind proves to be well worth the admission. Just be sure to leave your 3D glasses in the provided storage compartment on your way out of the theater.

For years, Boston’s Mr. Lif made a name for himself in the typical underground Hip Hop fashion, dropping several independently released 12”s, making appearances with his crew (Rebel Alliance), and gaining a reputation for putting on a live stage show. So live that he released a concert album (Live at the Middle East) in January of this year, before even getting out a proper studio full-length. After hooking up with former Company Flow front man El-P’s burgeoning Def Jux label, he put out the Enters The Colossus EP in November of 2000, and now drops the eight track Emergency Rations to whet the appetites and calm the nerves of those anxiously awaiting the upcoming I Phantom LP.

Set up as a series of recorded messages from an emcee mysteriously gone missing after speaking out against political injustices, Emergency Rations largely eschews the more abstract and mechanical feel of Mr. Lif’s previous Def Jux release, finding him focusing on pre-existing societal ills and post-9/11 concerns. Lest you think he gave up on slaying wack emcees, the EP’s first track “Jugular Vein” features Mr. Lif skillfully destroying any would-be competitors while getting high and playing a round of Tekken 3, all over a banging self-produced cut. He also produced the album’s centerpiece “Home of the Brave”, which is possibly his best track to date. Mr. Lif tackles the topic of government corruption with a flair and energy not seen in Hip Hop since Public Enemy’s heyday, or at the very least, dead prez’s debut album. The ridiculously quotable second verse details the American Government’s handling of the Taliban before and after September 11^th and warns against blind patriotism. This educated and rebellious view of current events is the type of commentary sorely lacking in today’s musical climate, and when coupled with Mr. Lif’s pounding track, makes for one of the year’s best records. “Get Wise ‘91” is one of two joints produced by early 1990s throwback beat specialist and fellow Bostonian Edan, who also joins in on rhyme duties. Edan kicks a spirited uplifting verse about self-motivation, while Mr. Lif continues his assault on Dubya. The smooth rolling “Pull Out Your Cut” is a head nodding tribute to Hip Hop music and the great emcees that influenced him, and the El-P produced “Phantom” gives a voice to the common man while building a bridge to Mr. Lif’s next release.

Lyrically and sonically, Emergency Rations is an excellent, albeit brief breath of fresh air. Its only shortcoming is “The Unorthodox”, which isn’t a bad track overall, but sounds like it would be more at home on his previous EP than here. Even so, you can’t go wrong with this release. The Enhanced CD even has two videos for your viewing pleasure, upping the value ante even more.