Lone Catalysts – Hip Hop (CD) (2001) (FLAC + 320 kbps)

If there was a given going into Lone Catalysts’ debut for their own label, it was the expert beat-making capabilities of J. Rawls, and he did not disappoint on Hip Hop. Tight, metronomic rhythms and stark, head-nodding beats collide with an undertow of foggy, palliative jazz samples (“The Pro’s,” “Settle the Score,” the speculative indie hit “If Hip Hop Was a Crime,” and the cool “Due Process” with Kweli and Rubix), so the music goes down smoothly, but it keeps kicking once it’s down. More of an unknown was J. Sands’ skills on the microphone, and, if his technique wasn’t particularly distinctive, the emcee made up for a vaguely prosaic rhyme style with the poise and self-assurance of his rhymes. His lyrics concentrate almost entirely on the hip-hop lifestyle, so while the dexterity of his words refused to be slept on, their self-referential nature ensured that the album would remain an underground sleeper. As the title indicates, the duo comes from the no frills, straight-to-the-essence old-school of rap, so there is nothing flashy or exceptional about Hip Hop; but it is a rock-solid first effort on which its pair of Lone Catalysts mix an obvious sense of love for the game with a laidback but perceptible prod against the staid predispositions of rap.

Tracklist:

01 Intro
02 Q & A
03 Hip Hop (feat. Rashad Thomas)
04 Few Words from Buka…
05 3YRS Ago
06 Ill Technique (feat. Afaliah)
07 …More Words from Buka
08 Pro’s
09 It’s Working
10 Place to Be
11 If Hip Hop Was A Crime (feat. Stan The Man & Usef Dinero)
12 Settle the Score
13 Ayanna Monet
14 Due Process (feat. Talib Kweli & Rubix)
15 Xtinction
16 Politix
17 Live at Nkiru Bookstore
18 Lone Catalyst
19 Part of the Game
20 Thin as Paper
21 Paper Chase

Download:

FLAC – Wayshare

320 kbps – Wayshare