Glaciers of Ice: Volume 45

The MC's of the new group, Diamond District, have very simple names: X.O. and YU. Their music, however, built upon a fantastic bedrock of beats courtesy of the talented producer Oddisee, is anything but. In the Ruff (Mello Music Group) recalls hip-hop from yesteryear (and sometimes Slum Village at their best), but remains quite forward thinking nonetheless. And how about that ODB sample on "Who I Be" or that Gang Starr sample (or sample of a sample) on "I Mean Business"? Simultaneously thoughtful and rugged, intelligent and funky, Diamond District have created an excellent album that will hopefully fly way above the radar as 2010 approaches.
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Kam Moye has been known as Supastition for many years now, but he's decided to make a "grown up" album under his given name (albeit shortened), Splitting Image (MYX Music Label). The problem is that apparently "grown up" means making syrupy slow jams like the title track, produced by Symbolyc One and featuring r'n'b vocals from Neenah. Moye has always been a gifted lyricist, and tracks with John Robinson and production from Khrysis, Jake One, and Marco Polo serve his newfound, adult purpose well, but sometimes the proceedings are just too self-serious. You can grow up and still sound like you are enjoying the music you are making. That is not the case here.
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On the other hand, one of the most invigorating and exciting albums I've heard in a few months (with a cheesy name) has got to be Fly Gypsy's The Vodka & Rum Mixtape (Fly Gypsy Music). Somebody sign these guys right now. The duo, Russian producer Alexei Jendayi and Jamaican MC Kowboy Kom, have crafted an infectiously appealing mixtape full of inspiration. "Never Knew" finds Kom rapping over The Cure's "Close to Me" remix, while Kanye West and Wyclef show up with some guest verses on several tracks. Yes, some of these "guest appearances" occur in the loosest sense - verses are lifted from other songs. But honestly, these tracks would stand up on their own. Kom sounds like he's having a blast making this music, and Jendayi's beats are sprite and solid.
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Jern Eye has been a fixture in the Bay Area indie hip-hop scene for some time now, touring with the likes of Hieroglyphics and Living Legends. But his new album, Vision (MYX Music Label), finally allows his skills to be felt. Admittedly, he is helped immensely by production from Jake One, Keelay & Zaire, Vinroc, and others. But collaborations with Guilty Simpson ("So And So") and Cali Agents ("Burnin'") are as good as any of his solo tracks.
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You wanna like Rita J. The rapper, actor, and dancer has some good ideas and seems focused on furthering her own original concept of hip-hop. But from the outset of her new album, Artist Workshop (Dragons Breath), it's clear that her flow and the cheesy, forced neo-jazz beats she's working with aren't up to par. It's unfortunate that she is outshined by Guilty Simpson, for example, on "Outlasted," and by Rashid Hadee on "Surrender (Remix)". Here, she claims that she's "meeting with SESAC and gather feedback." Seems like a good idea at this point.
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Producer Mr. Chop, who did some of the songs on DOOM's recent Born Like This, has created a stirring tribute to fellow beatsmith Pete Rock with For Pete's Sake (Five Day Weekend/Now Again). Basically, he has recreated some of Rock's greatest beats - "For Pete's Sake," "T.R.O.Y.," Straighten It Out" - into funky, dusty, psychedelic covers. The results are instantly recognizable, but completely unique at the same time. "T.R.O.Y." in particular is a good example of how he manages to take a beloved song and infuse it with his own vision. You gotta listen to it to really understand.
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iLL-Literacy spell their name purposefully, annoyingly unconventionally. I guess it matches their music, though. iB4the1 (digit.ILL.funk) features Dahlak, Drizzletron, and N.I.C. creating their version of a modern-day P-Funk, utilizing skittering beats, sung vocals, and Outkast-style arrangements. Sometimes it feels weird just to be weird, but overall it's an interesting listen.
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Sean Price is back with a new mixtape, Kimbo Price (Duck Down/Fat Beats). The album is much better than his last few, featuring some stellar performances from guests like Royce The 5'9" , Rock, and Buckshot. It functions partially as a preview to his next effort, a collaboration with Guilty Simpson and Black Milk known as Random Axe, but it stands entirely on its own. Check out tracks like "Ruckdown," where he continues to insist that he has taken over Duck Down, the Mobb Deep homage "Godfather Part P," and many, many others. Price sounds loose, belligerent, and grimy here - exactly how his fans want him.
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Finally, Bekay, a proud member of the Rawkus 50, has a new album out this month, Hunger Pains (Coalmine Enterprises). His confrontational flow punches and stabs through serious beats from DJ Babu, The Alchemist, and others, and guests include Inspectah Deck, Dilated Peoples, and RA The Rugged Man. This is far from commercial, much closer to the horrorcore of someone like Necro, minus the body count. Overall, a solid effort.
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That's all for now, so until next month… e-mail with thoughts and insults, and send me yer shit! I'll listen to it. Glaciers is ghost like Casper.

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Jonah Flicker
Jonah Flicker writes, lives, drinks, eats, and consumes music in New York, via Los Angeles. He once received a fortune in a fortune cookie that stated the following: "Soon, a visitor shall delight you." He's still waiting.

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