Zanko El Arabe Blanco - Powerpopuli - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Above the Law is one of the best and most underrated rap groups from the west coast, and InchUncle Sam's CurseInch may be their best album. Musically it is very experimental. Producer Cold 187um, one of the west coast's best beatmakers, uses some electronic instrumentals with his usual heavy bass and whiny synths to create an almost futuristic sound, aided by frequent movie samples, snippets of speeches which people express their urban political views. The production is classic and the rhymes are deep and real. Their flows are layed back and sound like they are lacking some aggression and energy, but it's their own thing, and what they rap about is real. This is pure West Coast G-Funk in your ear!

Sprouting from the same mind that created the Books one of the most acclaimed and innovative groups of the past decade Zammuto marks a deep reinvention of the highly detailed, genre-defying spirit that made seminal albums such as the Lemon of Pink and the Way Out possible. Given the Books success as an experimental collage-pop project, founder and namesake Nick Zammuto could have comfortably extended that thread. Instead he has given US a record that is progressive and forward-looking, intense and driven, with hugely varied rhythms and melodies.

Japanese SHM-CD pressing. Universal. 2023.