Many Styles (Vinyl)

(Fat Beats) Not to diss their social lives, but these guys must spend a lot of time at home. It's not merely that their chittering cuts and tightly spiraled scratches suggest long bedroom exiles spent honing skills, but that they delight in making vocal samples talk to each other like an only child staging conversations between action figures. Dozens of snippets (from Nas to Method Man to Rakim, with way too many to count in between) trade boasts and competing call-outs on quot;Two Minute Warningquot; and quot;True Brothaz.quot; Vinroc, Apollo and Shortkut invite some non-imaginary friends along, too: Talib Kweli rants about annoying fans on quot;Hip Hop Worth Dying For,quot; which feeds a minimalist mariachi riff through a Neptunes compressor, while Black Thought reps Philly on quot;You Got 2.quot; Vinroc makes the catchiest beats here (see quot;Hit Em Off,quot; graced by Zion I's airy flow), offsetting the turntable virtuosity with jagged, welcome hooks.

Many Styles (Vinyl)