Dilated Peoples - 'Neighborhood Watch' (Capitol)
3/5
By: Clara Burtenshaw
This West Coast trio will put out those fiercely ardent hip-hop beliefs: fast cars, bad attitood, pickin' up ho's, multiple shot-wounds - and living to rap the tale.
For 'Neighborhood Watch' is the Peoples' third LP and the baby that will crystallise their rep as one of hip-hop's most consistent and talented acts. Though neither emcee is outstandingly gifted, the outfit works, helped by collaborators Planet Asia, Phila da Agony, Defari, and old-school ghetto chums, Joey Chavez, Nucleus and the Alchemist. Shit-hot producer of the minute, Kanye West, adds the edge to songs such as 'Iriscience' and 'Evidence', tackling - without a whiff of cheddar - how to get on in life and stay true to what you believe.
Lead-single 'This Way' is a catchy little number and 'Love and War' features gentle scratches against a backdrop of lustrous up-tempo strings. Sensuous flutes, trickling piano notes and epic choruses lead the way, elsewhere, samples such as that used by Beanie Siegel on 'Mom's Prayin' are interpolated to great effect, breaking away from the simple bassline and sampling niche. Such rich instrumentation in the background and high calibre artists featured, Dilated's brand of battle-hymns and political poetry should do well, and the only faults within this LP are a few weak hooks within virtually seamless production.
In all: this is eloquent, socially aware hip-hop that shines a positive light on the art of spitting a lyric and ill rhyming. Quite frankly, we could do with more of those. Help put away preachers of guns, drugs, ice and gimmickry; go on - join your local neighbo(u)rhood watch.
Artists in this article: Dilated Peoples
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