Diverse

Editor's Review:

Chicago indie rapper Diverse dropped this single late summer 2002 and it's still turning heads. The A-side, "Certified," is a chill, jazzy number that starts with the looping of incomplete horn and stand-up bass phrases, over which the song's producer, Def Jukie Rjd2, lays pronounced hi-hat and kick / snare tracks with piano accompaniment. "Built," the B-side, is a harder track, a funk- and rock-based number built off sharp and slightly distorted electric guitar and bass tones backed by funky organ accents and a minimal but powerfully anchoring beat - the kind of track that makes MCs salivate. As a rapper, Diverse is dope. His style harks back to the day when rocking the mic was simply about backing up your braggadocio with blinding skill, but Diverse manages to construct and deliver raps in ways that are all his own. Way solid.

- Max Sidman
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Record Label Chocolate Industries Released March 2003

Tracks Side A: Certified *instrumental *radio-edit Side B: Built *instrumental *radio-edit