The artistic gap between the commercialism of today’s hip hop and the quality of its heyday has been a center of debate. Underground hip-hop heavyweights Mr. Lif, Akrobatik and DJ Fakts One, who all hail from Boston, are each known for their throwback styles. Under the indie label of Definitive Jux, they have combined their musical personas to form The Perceptionists. Despite differences in their flows, a collaborative spirit and shared politics weld Black Dialogue, their debut release as a group, into an ample and heterogeneous album.
Given their respective styles, the tinge of old-school flavor found throughout the album comes as no surprise. The type of drum patterns and breaks used together with DJ scratches should signal all B-boys and B-girls to take to the dance floor. DJ Fakts One’s thick drums, syncopated snare taps and simple bassline of “Career Finders” make the cameo of Shock G from Digital Underground all the more appropriate. Nevertheless, as Lif, Akrobatik and Shock G suggest that today’s MCs change their careers and fly to Iraq, they still maintain a contemporary perspective: “What’s your skill? / Everyday I blast niggas with tecs / Can you use an AK? / Hell yeah! / Is that a fact? / Ak, pull up the plane and get this kid to Iraq.”
From potent subject matter to cunning articulation, Black Dialogue is lyrically very strong. One of the album’s most striking features is Lif and Akrobatik’s tag-team delivery, an art form somewhat lost in expressing rap lyrics. On “Let’s Move” and “Blo,” they honor the “dynamic duo” style in its traditional form with battle rhymes. However, another political track, “People 4 Prez,” shows that they don’t limit their double-teaming for just “Sucka MCs,” as they cuss out President Bush. All through the album, they weave a sophisticated vocabulary into their rhyme structure yet execute a flow and diction that is extremely clean-cut.
Although these three demonstrate talent and creativity on many tracks, Black Dialogue has some critical weaknesses that hold it back. It’s admirable that they produced an album that isn’t completely bound to battle rhymes or social commentary as they did on “Love Letters,” but the album does not come together as tightly as it should. One cultural element that Lif and Akrobatik forget to incorporate into their political raps is race and racism, which is confusing given the title of the album.
With the exception of the title track, much of the discussion is limited to commonplace political themes that do not reflect their unique perspectives as black figures.
Although the misleading title keeps it from the few elite quality hip-hop albums that have been released in the past few years, none should underestimate the caliber of the this project. The Perceptionists are not Public Enemy, but with Lif and Akrobatik on the microphone and DJ Fakts One on the boards, these three underdogs have demonstrated charisma and dynamism that’s definitely a formidable force.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5