| De La Soul'sArt Official Intelligence (Mosaic Thump) (Tommy Boy)is billed as the first volume of a long anticipated "triple albumset" that I bet won't generate volume two for a year--if we'relucky. Though the surviving standard-bearers of the humanist rapthat was quickly outdistanced by L.A. gangsta a decade ago havenever gone mega, they've remained commercially viable and honedtheir skills to match, so for an album that was worked over so hardfor so long,Art Official Intelligence has an easeful feel. Denselyplayful textures that once seemed exotic smoothed out as the worldcaught on, and now De La's beats are just intelligent pop--anintelligence augmented, as always, by rhymes you can dig into forweeks. And although such cutting-edge producers as Rockwilder chipin, smoother r&b grooves prevail as guest stars from Chaka Khan tothe Beastie Boys tell us just how much respect De La Soul deserves.Let 2001 take care of itself--this will hold us for a while.
The "pornographic" Lil' Kim'sThe Notorious KIM (QueenBee/Undeas/Atlantic) is an even more hotly anticipated release thatalso appeared much later fans had hoped. Only a teenager when shedebuted in 1996, Kim has matured. Her honey-grit voice enunciateswithout a hint of effort and never stumbles over the beat, herboasts carry the occasional hint that she's learned the differencebetween sexual power and sexual pleasure, and her angry lament forher beloved Notorious B.I.G. claims womanly growth. But she stillhas a tendency to try and wave her clit wherever her male oppositenumbers wave their dicks, and let's face it--that's a trick she'sunlikely ever to fully master.Playboy, July 2000
 | June 2000 | Aug. 2000 |  |
|
RSS