Blakkboy Blue(s)

What Hip Hop Is Supposed to Be

     

From the opening one-two punch of "Assault" and flat-out brilliant "Sleepless," this is hip hop at its most joyful, exuberant and unflinchingly honest. A worthy successor to Tim'm West's debut, "Songs from Red Dirt" (hands down the best album of 2004, don't let anybody tell you different), "Blakkboy Blue(s)" turns the focus musically to updated old school hip hop beats reminiscent of Guru and the conscious rap movement. No surprise that the lyrics here are incisive, penetrating and revealing: West is a poet of reknown, and he drops mad science on this disc. Plus the boi can blow! His vocals are gorgeous, multi-colored and full of wit. There's not a bad track on this disc, and Tim'm continues to confront issues like homophobia and self-determination within the context of irresistible beats, rhymes and melodies. "Oh say can you see, what hip hop is supposed to be" goes one sung chorus that will find a permanent home in your psyche, and the question is rhetorical: it's supposed to be all the things that "Blakkboy Blue(s)" is, honest, compassionate and envelope-pushing. Not to be missed.