Various Artists

Editor's Review:

It's hard to make wack music when your crew has the skills of Quannum, formerly known as Solesides. With Chief Xcel (Blackalicious) and DJ Shadow on the cuts, and lyricists Lateef The Truth Speaker, Lyrics Born (collectively known as Latyrx) and Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Quannum Spectrum is this collective's debut effort, with each of the crew's artists contributing tracks, and some guests adding a little extra flavor. Divine Styler and DJ Shadow's "Divine Intervention" is grounded with hard, thuggish-ruggish beats, peppered with Les Claypool-style, distorted bass rumbles and other minimally used samples, complemented by Divine Styler's rough flow, which is just as hard the music it accompanies. "People Like Me," a deep soul number featuring sultry songstress Joyo Velarde, is pretty fresh but seems really out of place on this powerhouse underground hip-hop record. Still, it's not a vibe killer, and other guests like Hieroglyphics' Souls of Mischief, Company Fow's El-P and Jurassic 5 make for some dope rhyme sessions.

"Golden Rule" is the debut track from a new Quannum partnership featuring Blackalicious' Xcel and Latyrx rapper Lateef as Maroons, and features singer Erin Anova crooning over a fresh flute loop that sets the chorus. Lateef shows off his fly sing-song rap style, and manages to avoid the over-souled sound that plagues a couple of the tracks on this joint. Lyrics Born lets fly with his fluidly stumbling, laid-back flow while Gift of Gab kicks some knowledge that makes me wish the new Blackalicious joint, Nia, would drop soon.

Overall, Quannum Spectrum is well worth the price of admission. The new shit from Blackalicious, Latyrx and DJ Shadow offers a promising look at what is shaping up to be another Bay Area heavy-hitters crew.

-Philip Bole


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Record Label Quannum Projects Released July 1999

Tracks 1. Concentration 2. One Of A Kind 3. Storm Warning 4. Divine Intervention 5. Mic Break 6. Golden Rule 7. People Like Me 8. I Changed My Mind 9. The Extravaganza 10. Hott People 11. Looking over A City 12. Jada's Vengeance 13. Mic Break 2 14. Bombonyall 15. Mic Break 3