DJ Babu is one helluva talented workaholic. As one-third of Dilated Peoples and member of the world famous Beat Junkies, the Cali-dweller has his cake and eats it too. And now indie label Sequence Records is letting him pick all of his favorite ingredients for the batter to boot. Babu enlists the most popular and appealing–plus clever–voices in the game. And not just from the Left Coast neither. He pulls nationwide love. At the top of the line-up he enlists De La Soul. Still as lyrically witty and gifted as ever, the true school veterans rap like royalty on “Watch Out” with lines like “Old school like Holly Hobby head to head with Easy Baker Oven” and “Used to be an unknown around the way, now my biz became a bouquet, every nose in it.” Latin rhythms and vocals boost the already-lively track.
The Beatnuts and Al Tariq’s deep deliveries make their raw rhymes sound even more intimidating on the CD’s first single, “Duck Season” over a soundscape reminiscent of Freddie Krueger’s theme music. Hardcore’s finest Freddie Foxxx and MOP bark, stomp and dominate over bumping basslines on “Patch Up The Pieces” and “Follow Instructions.” On “Microphone Mathematics” (remix), Quasimoto’s helium-induced hiccups warn to keep it right instead of keeping it real–props to De La again. Supporting their #1 homie, Dilated Peoples and Souls of Mischief’s Pep Love bust lyrical backflips on “Center Of Attention” as they prove West Coast MCs got skills too: “I put it in a bag like Hype did Ms. Elliott.” Babu blends old and new styles with perfection, recruiting Big Daddy Kane on “The Man/The Icon” who boasts “you read the book o f mackin’, now it’s time to meet the author” in his familiar braggadocio flow. With DJs like Prince Paul, Jazzy Jeff and Grand Wizard Theodore showing Babu verbal love, there’s no question this DJ/producer’s official–and his CD is off-the-heezy.
