Hip hop's heroes are becoming few and far between. There was Slim Shady's (alleged) retirement, and now the thuggish prancing of 50 Cent appears to have stretched its tentacles into the local fleapit. Apart from Kanye West it appears that there's little intelligence in US rap any more, and that bling is king. It's prime time for Dilated Peoples to return with this, their first track from their forthcoming album.
The track feels slightly meatier than usual, but the Alchemist's production is as crisp as ever. This is the sort of song designed to be played loud from moving vehicles in built up areas. There's even a cheeky built-in rewind, which raises a smile, and a strange munchkin-style backing sample that works tremendously. The track itself is of the "We've been away a long time but we're back and better than ever" variety, but, even so, it's still refreshing compared to the current "I've been shot loads of times and I still ain't dead yet" bullshit. Blair and Bush also get an uncomplimentary name check among the beats.
While this might not be the breakthrough track they could do with, things certainly bode well for the album due next month. I for one am glad to see the Peoples back again - perhaps the heroes might still win the day.
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